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A lighthouse guides mariners; a park gives people a place to gather. Both can also connect a community to its waterfront history. The restoration of Edgartown Lighthouse preserves a working navigational aid and a landmark familiar to generations of visitors. At Quincy Navy Park, the design of a new public space draws on the area’s shipbuilding and naval aviation past. Together, the projects show how engineering and design can meet present-day needs while making history part of the experience of a place. 

Fireworks at Edgartown Lighthouse, following the restoration of the lighthouse tower.

At Edgartown Lighthouse, the work involved an evaluation and restoration of the existing structure. The cast-iron tower had been moved to Martha’s Vineyard from Ipswich in 1939 after hurricane damage to the original lighthouse. For its rehabilitation, our team created a digital twin of the historic structure, evaluated the tower’s structural integrity, assessed hazardous building materials, and worked with preservation architects on a historically accurate restoration design. Repairs included work on the cast-iron panels and wooden windows, along with sandblasting and repainting the exterior. Three-dimensional scanning and observation during construction also laid the groundwork for replication and replacement of decorative cast iron elements during a future phase of work.  

The project also required attention to the lighthouse’s setting and continuing use. The team developed a plan to protect shorebird habitat during construction. With repairs complete, the lighthouse is open to the public and continues to serve as a navigational aid. Its restoration preserves both a working piece of maritime infrastructure and a landmark people can enjoy for years to come. 

At Edgartown, the team preserved a historic structure that still serves its original purpose. At Quincy Navy Park, our team drew on the waterfront’s shipbuilding and naval aviation history to shape a new public space. 

The landscape design of Quincy Navy Park at Squantum combines curved walkways and seating with educational panels. A Lone Sailor monument, plaques honoring Quincy Navy veterans, and the original bell from the third USS Quincy give visitors specific people and artifacts to connect with that history. Halvorson, Tighe & Bond’s in-house landscape architecture studio, also collaborated with Landscape Forms’ Studio 431 on a ship-hull-inspired interpretive wall and a custom armature for the bell. 

How do project teams strike the balance between current site needs and their history? At Edgartown, structural evaluation and careful repairs keep a historic lighthouse in service, while habitat planning protects its setting. In Quincy, custom landscape features bring the waterfront’s shipbuilding and naval aviation history into a park built for people to experience today. In both places, the past shapes the experience of the present.