08/06/2025
August 5, 2025 by Zach Laird https://itemlive.com/2025/08/05/howe-to-preserve-nahants-history/
NAHANT — The Howe Estate, located at 9 Little Nahant Rd., that has roots dating all the way back to its construction in 1880, is currently undergoing a full restoration project with the new owner Ricky Beliveau at the helm of the mission. Beliveau, who is the managing partner and chief financial officer of V10 Development, spoke about what compelled him to get involved after first purchasing the estate at an auction in June 2023.
“I bought my first historic home in Wi******er for my family back in 2020, and I worked closely with my uncle who does a lot of historic renovation. … After renovating that first house, I was tagged in the auction post online and someone said: ‘This house needs you,’” he said. “It was a passion project for me, and I get excited about bringing things back to life,” Beliveau said.
The estate was initially built on the crest of the promontory and overlooking Short Beach, standing as an example of the Queen Anne style design of the era. It features a dynamic roofline and a pyramidal-roofed square tower that extends from the mansard roof with a one-story porch that wraps around the whole house. While Beliveau had to demo the original porch — along with other work on the exterior, and even more in the interior — he reconstructed it identically to reflect the estate’s past.
The Daily Item spoke with Nahant Historical Society (NHS) Board Member Susanne Macarelli, who has been working with Beliveau to document the restoration’s progress. Macarelli discussed the background of the project and explained how the mission helps preserve Nahant’s unique and historic character.
An effort has been made to keep as much of the original wood work as possible as the Howe Mansion in Nahant is renovated and restored. If the original wood work couldn’t be saved, it was fabricated to match the original look.
“The house was built back in 1880 when Thomas Howe, a Boston merchant, asked an architectural firm (Wait and Cutter) and a builder J.T. Wilson to build a ‘Gentleman’s Residence,’” Macarelli explained.
She said when the estate was first constructed, it was among only a handful of other buildings on Little Nahant. The other two houses, located at 25 Baker Rd. and 80 Little Nahant Rd., were owned by George Simmons. The estate remained within the Howe Family until 1928, when the property was sold to Charles Phillips, Bernard Carahar and Leon Delano, who were then known as the Nahant Associates. In 1931, it was purchased by the Peckham family. Since then, it’s been passed down through several other owners, according to the NHS website.
Beliveau said the property had been in disrepair for a long time. “Once we started stripping everything down, we realized there was a lot of damage that had to be replaced,” he said. He added that the exterior also needed significant work. Beliveau explained that there had been metal sidings covering the old sidings. “The old shingles were still there once we took the metal sidings off,” he said. “They were covered in lead paint, it had a bunch of asbestos siding that had been attached to them over the years.” However, they were able to keep a lot of the old shingles, and worked to create new ones matching the original sidings.
“When you look back at the property, it’s really started to come back to what it looks like historically,” Beliveau said. He continued, explaining how the preservation efforts help contribute to maintaining the town’s historic character.
“Having talked to all the neighbors and the Historical Society, it really opened my eyes to how important this property is to the community,” he said. “There were a lot of concerns that it’d be knocked down, or something like multiple condos … but it was really clear how important this was, and we’ve had great feedback from the community.”
Beliveau said he expects construction to be complete by next month. Looking ahead at potential long-term plans, he expressed hopes for selling it to a family who will appreciate and maintain the historic site.
He credited Salt and Stone Interior Design Services, Back Bay Design for general construction, and Legacy Group at EVO Real Estate Group for their assistance in the project.
Beliveau has plans for a public presentation on the work done to bring the estate back to life. On Sept. 21, he will invite the community to head down to Nahant Town Hall at 2 p.m. to see a more in-depth look at his work restoring the estate.
