<p>With the crunch of an excavator’s bucket, the Woods Hole Steamship Authority terminal began the process of being reduced to a pile of rubble.</p>
With the crunch of an excavator’s clawed bucket, the Woods Hole Steamship Authority terminal began the messy process of being reduced to a pile of rubble on Monday afternoon.
Until it was closed earlier this winter, the terminal housed ticket offices and crew facilities on the first floor and administrative offices on the second floor.
Old makes way for new in Woods Hole.
Old makes way for new in Woods Hole.
The building, which dates to the 1950s when it was used as a railway station, served as the ferry terminal since 1961. It is being demolished as part of a $60 million project to build a new terminal and add a third ferry slip to the port facility.
Steamship Authority general manager Robert Davis was among those watching in Woods Hole Monday when the enormous excavator demolished the blue portico roof in front of the building and began to strip off the white cinder block exterior. A work crew sprayed the debris with water to keep the dust down.
“Glad to see it go,” Mr. Davis said. “It has served its purpose.”
It took work crews about seven days to prepare the interior of the structure and the strip rooftop heating and cooling units before the excavator moved in.
The demolition was about a month behind schedule, because of delays in finishing the new administration building located at the Steamship Authority’s Palmer parking lot in Falmouth.
It will take two to three days to completely demolish the building. The debris will be hauled to a Rhode Island facility that will recycle as much material as possible. That will take another two weeks.
The project design calls for a new ferry slip to be constructed where the old terminal was located.
“The building comes down, then we start to excavate the pier,” Mr. Davis said.
Work on the project will stop in mid-May, according to Mr. Davis, and begin again after Labor Day. The boat line plans to halt construction in summer during the busiest part of the tourist season.
A temporary terminal housing ticket offices, located behind the old terminal, has been operational for several months and will serve the public for the next five years while the new terminal is under construction.
Comments
Glad to see it go, too.
True VHGlad to see it go, too. Always good to get rid of those things that no longer have any relevance or purpose. On with the new for Spring.
Will improve the view.
Mr B ChilmarkWill improve the view.
Agree
John Rushing VTAgree
Yes, it was pretty tired,
True VHYes, it was pretty tired, dark, and ugly, really.
I'm always sad, not glad, to
Judi MVI'm always sad, not glad, to see old things go,with all their history,but I understand if they become weak and no longer safe to use.Maybe,the 1950's just don't seem that far away to me, and I'm sure a few other life long natives.
I completely agree. As ugly
Jon B Maplewood, NJI completely agree. As ugly or unsafe as it was, I'm going to miss it. It has been a part of my life for 48 years.
I agree- it was a shelter
Jessica Sawyer Rockville, MDI agree- it was a shelter from storms and I remember getting train tickets there in the 50s.
We visit every October. This
Regina Miller WichitaWe visit every October. This is exciting news!
There was nothing wrong with
charlie callahan so boston/edgartownThere was nothing wrong with it. So now everything will be disrupted for a couple of years, traffic will be a nightmare when they start the new one. It was a place where you walk in and buy a ticket,you don't need a Taj Mahal to buy a boat ticket.Waste of money and ticket prices will go up to pay for it, they forgot to mention that. Maybe they can add a starbucks for coffe at $5 a cup
Nothing wrong with it? Let's
Chet Anston Boston/MVYNothing wrong with it? Let's see, demolition started by having to do "asbestos remediation and abatement". Super. Oh, yeah, and who can forget how great the AC worked in the summer and the heat worked in the winter (clue: like never). Oh, and the bathrooms -- always special to visit. Be honest - the building was built on the cheap 70 years ago. Sorry, Charlie. That building gave it up years ago. Let's just hope the new building is both functional and well built.
Charlie does have a point but
Bob EdgartownCharlie does have a point but then again we are spoiled Americans and everything has to be perfect all the time. When it is cold out we want to be warm and when it is hot we want to be cold imagine having to dress for the weather. Bathrooms always worked for me. But not to worry we will get an overpriced building and then complain about ticket prices.
I agree with you. The
Jim Andover, MassI agree with you. The building did need a lot of work on it. Such as problems with the air conditioning and asbestos. The fact of the matter is that this building had a lot of history. For the past sixty years it was a main stay at Woods Hole. One would think that it would've been less expensive to save it and gut it. Here in northeast Mass during the urban renewal era buildings with an abundance of history were razed. Years later cities and towns wished that they hadn't gutted a lot of them. It was such a tragedy to see all these buildings go. The level amount of tourists going through Woods Hole has increased drastically in the past couple of years. All of the construction is going to make things so much more congested for the next five years. What's done is done. Hopefully all of this will have been worth it.
Agree
karen wells OrangeAgree
Five years to build a
David Tenenbaum Wisconsin/AquinnahFive years to build a building? Really? And that's not even counting the inevitable delays, cost overruns, and snafus...
Fond farewell. I remember as
LiamFond farewell. I remember as a kid in the 90s when it was being renovated, and was excited to go inside when it reopened. The loss of the terminal and the rebuild of the Pie in the Sky notwithstanding, the timelessness of the place we love endures.
if you have actually lived ON
ben menemshaif you have actually lived ON the island for years or decades then yes, i will miss it but be very happy to have a new one. i would think visitors will appreciate the new one more though
does anyone have a copy of
James F Woods Holedoes anyone have a copy of the plan re-design?
i would Love to see a rendering!
A 5-YEAR project---how
Deb Rusckowski NYCA 5-YEAR project---how ridiculous!!!
I didn’t look to far, but I
Jaime Crydro Chicago, ILI didn’t look to far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a major dredging of the area included in the project.
5 years to redo the entire
bob bobland5 years to redo the entire area, including all the ferry slips - not just the building. and only working half a year as to not disrupt the summer season. probably could be done in 2 years if done straight through and shutting down the entire site. but none of that is possible here
A total waste of money.????
Bruce F. EdgartownA total waste of money.???? We could have several automated kios type devices that would be more efficient... than the costs we are talking about.
Folks we are talking about purchasing ferry tickets not building a museum...
i don’t like change. my
elizabeth weisman philadelphiai don’t like change. my father lived on the island since i was 8. i am now 50. sorry to see it go.
Where were all of you when it
Ted Woods HoleWhere were all of you when it was time to express community input? Not a single one of our ideas was accepted.The islands rule;that’s where the money is.Woods Hole:doormat to the Vineyard.
Tons of money on the islands
Theodora MATons of money on the islands but I wouldn’t call Woods Hole a doormat! Woods Hole is very beautiful and you get a very special feeling when you arrive there and get ready to board the ferry by foot or car. It is the highlight for all of my family and especially the grandchildren! We continue to make memories there every year..why not give it a facelift for all to enjoy in the future??
From reading the article, I
Owen Bryant Arlington / Oak BluffsFrom reading the article, I would imagine a lot of the 5 years will be taken up by dredging the area where the 3rd ferry slip will be located and the engineering that needs to be done on that project. That has to be done, before any building can be started. And it will take 5 years, because they are going to stop work during the busier season. Change is difficult - I will miss the funky old terminal, but it will be much improved and be beautiful too. The building might look like the terminal/ticket building in Vineyard Haven? I hope they show us the plans or a rendering of the new building.
It's snowing and I have
charlie callahan so boston/edgartownIt's snowing and I have nothing to do so I'll make another comment.HaHa. If this thing is gonna take 5 years, what are people to do if they have kids and someone has to use a bathroom,or if it's 10 degrees out and they want to get warm. I worked on the Hancock tower in Boston in the early 70's,it is 60 stories high and it didn't take 5 years to build.5 years is insane for a small building and a boat slip. Haven't been off the island so I haven't seen this temporary ticket office, does it have a waiting room for people who don't have their vehicle with them ,or do they have to wait outside in the snow and rain
We absolutely love Martha’s
Theodora MAWe absolutely love Martha’s Vineyard! Change is always difficult when you’ve had something for so long. Honestly, that building was very tired and dirty. The restrooms were less than acceptable. It was definitely time for something new. I agree that the terminal at Vineyard Haven is much nicer!
They should’ve just remodeled
Don BostonThey should’ve just remodeled the old building.
Just try to imagine if the
Darrell King Belmont/EdgartownJust try to imagine if the building was still used as a train station. Imagine riding the train from Boston all the way to Woods Hole. Imagine how many fewer cars would be on the roads, and sitting for days in the heat on the impervious asphalt pavement now covering acres of land, (the cost of which somehow further raised ticket prices). Yes, the bike path from Falmouth is fantastic, but that came about long after the rails were abandoned. Why is it we Americans are so short sighted?
Now a couple of suggestions. Run the summer train all the way to Falmouth to avoid bringing buses over the Bourne (those tracks are still there!). Expand train service to daily/year-round or whatever is feasible; if you 'build' it they will use it (summer service has been extremely popular). Reinstall the automated ticket machines in the Palmer lot, allowing folks to avoid lines in Woods Hole and more time to catch a close ferry. Get rid of the diesel buses and switch to all-electric, as is being done by the MV RTA.
Great idea!
Keith Dorrington Edgartown/ MashpeeGreat idea!
Hopefully with the new
KGH EdgartownHopefully with the new facility they get new, friendlier employees at the ticket windows.
It does seem excessive from a
Wallace Cape codIt does seem excessive from a ticket buying standpoint to completely tear down and reconstruct, but without knowing the underlying details around structural integrity and other usage its hard to make an accurate assessment.
Two things I wish they would solve is parking and train access. Which both have long term environmental and scaling issues. The diesel school buses driving hundreds of miles a week shuttling passengers from far off parking lots. AND the lack of a reasonable and frequent traffic free public transit option from the hub of Boston.
Add new comment