Tabernacle at Oak Bluffs

Restoration Award

DBVW Architects/Martha Werenfels, FAIA

Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

The wrought-iron tabernacle has been a landmark within the town of Oak Bluffs on the island of Martha’s Vineyard since 1879. Standing in the center of Trinity Park, this 100-foot-diameter and 100-foot-high structure has accommodated countless musical performances, religious ceremonies, and “community sings” over the years. The open-air tabernacle sits in a park surrounded by approximately 300 diminutive Victorian cottages and acts as a landmark from the water, where sailors use it for wayfinding.

Restoration of the tabernacle involved finding appropriate treatments for several unusual aspects of the original and updated construction. All of the wrought-iron structure was stripped, repaired, reinforced, and repainted along with restoration of the stained-glass windows. The cupola was returned to its original configuration and detailing along with a new, historically appropriate carbon-fiber cross and new architectural illumination to enhance the building’s nighttime presence. In the last phase of work, new corrugated roofing was installed on all three levels of the original tiered
structure.

Jury Comments

A beautiful space, filled with history, that has now been reborn with care, attentive to every detail. It is the very center of this community.

Project Team Members

Martha L. Werenfels, FAIA, LEED AP / Principal-in-Charge
Edward S. Cifune, AIA, MCPPO / Project Manager

Project Consultants

Odeh Engineers, Inc.
GGD Consulting Engineers, Inc.

Photo Credit / Heidi Gumula