Current Construction Projects

Derelict structures like this one are included in the plan to be demolished in 2023.

NPS Photo

Demolition of Non-Historic Derelict Structures

Cape Cod National Seashore recently received $8.338 million in project funding through the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) to remove excess structures and restore natural landscapes throughout the park.

The structures to undergo demolition include 44 non-historic structures that are derelict and dilapidated, posing serious threats to public safety as they contain hazardous building materials or are substantially deteriorated. The structures are exposed, their structural deterioration is accelerating, and some are heavily vandalized, while others are collapsing. Many of the structures were transferred to the National Park Service (NPS) when the former North Truro Air Force Station was decommissioned in the 1990s. The remaining structures were acquired by the NPS as Cape Cod National Seashore was established in the 1960s and 1970s. Two of the structures lie within the Herring River floodplain and their demolition will advance the multi-agency collaborative effort to restore the Herring River estuary.

The work will begin in early 2023 and the majority of the hazardous building material remediation, construction waste recycling, and demolition will be completed between Spring 2023 and Spring 2024. The work is being contracted by Cherokee CRC, LLC, a tribal-owned small business located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The sub-contractor is Select Demo LLC, out of Salem, New Hampshire. See map below for building demolition locations.

 

Two maps of the building locations scheduled for demolition. An inset map shows specific buildings at the Highlands Center in Truro.

NPS

 

Aerial image of Herring River in Wellfleet.

NPS Photo

Herring River Tidal Restoration Project

Following several decades of hydrologic and ecological research, an incremental restoration of tidal exchange is proposed for the Herring River estuary (Wellfleet and Truro, Massachusetts). The project will be adaptively managed through regular monitoring and assessment of system response to stepwise increases in tidal flow through the Chequesset Neck dike and the modification or removal of other man-made restrictions.

Monitoring variables have been selected to address both ecological and social concerns, vetted over a lengthy scientific and public review of ecosystem status, including consideration of the sensitivity of public and private infrastructure (Herring River Technical Committee). Predictions of system response have been greatly aided by hydrodynamic modeling of tide heights and salinity distribution for a full range of restoration scenarios ranging from the status quo to unrestricted tidal exchange.

Read more about this ongoing project on our Ecosystem Restoration page.

 

Work being completed at the Atwood Higgins House.

NPS Photo

Atwood Higgins House Rehabilitation and Preservation

The Atwood-Higgins Complex is an ensemble of ten buildings clustered within a larger twenty-four acre property within Cape Cod National Seashore. The 1730 Atwood-Higgins House is one of the oldest surviving examples of the original American Cape Cod house and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house is an exemplary example of how this architectural style indigenous to early Cape Cod went on to become the nationally popular "Cape Cod" house of today. The ability to expand and alter a home to meet changing needs, without sacrificing the basic simplicity of a functional floor plan, has made this house a familiar presence today.

In late 2017 the NER Historic Architecture, Conservation, and Engineering Team conducted a thorough condition assessment that forms the basis for this project to repair the main house. Tasks for this project include: raking and repointing chimney masonry mortar joints; replacement of chimney flashing, partial replacement of deteriorated wood shingle siding, replacement of wood shingle roofing and downspouts; structural augmentation of wood roof purlins; repair of wood gutters; selective replacement of window glazing; and painting the entire exterior including wood windows and doors. Finally, the house will be weather-sealed to prevent animal habitation.

 

Old Harbor Life-Saving Station

NPS Photo

Preservation of Old Harbor Life-Saving Station

Constructed in 1898, Old Harbor Life-Saving Station is the last intact 19th century life-saving station of the original 13 that once dotted outer Cape Cod. Following decommissioning by the US Coast Guard, ten stations have been lost over time, and two are in private ownership and have been severely altered to serve as a home and a bar/restaurant, respectively. Old Harbor stands as an authentic example of a turn-of-the-century station where crews of rescuers stood ready to react to cries of of "ship ashore!" along the "Graveyard of the Atlantic."

In 2012, Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore conducted a capital campaign to furnish the station with artifacts and reproductions known to be in the building during its period of significance in 1902. This project was completed in 2013. Friends invested further funds in 2017 to reglaze several of the most deteriorated windows.

Tasks for the upcoming project include interior repairs, scraping and painting peeling paint; re-flashing the chimney/roof interface; repairing roof flashing at the bunkroom dormer; repairing roof leaks where boat house roof meets the tower; repairing, scraping, and painting fascia and soffit trim; repainting the porch and porch door; repairs to the kitchen window and a window on the third floor; repair, spot re-glazing, scraping and painting of 37 windows.