Rustic Beach House - Walk to Town & Beaches!

A stone throw from both Crescent Beach and Harbor Pond, and only a 5-min walk to town, this classic Block Island Cottage is a hidden treasure. One of the three bedrooms is listed as Coastal Living Magazine's "Most Romantic". On the grounds, Adirondack chairs surround an umbrella shaded table for lobster dinners or steaks on the grill. A hot-and-cold outdoor shower is snuggled in the flowering bushes, and you can launch a kayak in the back of the house or go surfing in the front of the house. The space Modern meets vintage in this one-of-a-kind rustic beach house on Block Island. With open interiors and windows everywhere, light and cool breezes flow throughout the house. There are 360 water views with the ocean to the east and Harbor Pond to the west. The house has three bedrooms with a total of four beds (two singles, one double, and one queen), and two bathrooms (one with a clawfoot tub/shower). The living room has a beautiful handmade couch, big screen TV, and modern lounge chairs. The kitchen is outfitted with a dinning room, fridge, dishwasher, sink, stove, and cooking space. This architectural gem incorporates natural driftwood, beach stones, handcrafted furniture, modern appliances, and vintage touches. The backyard is spacious and has an outdoor shower, grill, garden, and adirondack chairs surrounding an umbrella shaded outdoor dining table. You are walking distance from both New and Old Harbor, a stone's throw away from the popular Crescent Beach and Harbor Pond, and a literal 5-min walk from downtown (yet out of the hustle and bustle). A perfect summer getaway for family or friends looking to get the best Block Island has to offer. Guest access There is parking for up to 3 cars and you if you don't have a car you can walk or bike from the ferry to the house in 10 minutes. Other things to note NOTE ABOUT WIFI: The cottage has internet service. This is a perfect place to escape from the business of the digital world and enjoy beach, sun, and nature. HISTORY OF THE HOME: Some houses begin as frantically scribbled sketches on a cocktail napkin. Others spring to life from an architect’s drafting table, with careful consideration given to views, tree lines, and sun exposure. But the story of this handcrafted home in Rhode Island has an unusual beginning―it was built around a pole. Located on the vacation destination of Block Island, just 12 miles from the mainland, the pole served as a practice mast for members of the U.S. Life-Saving Service (the Coast Guard’s predecessor) to rehearse rescues more than a century ago. Decades later, when design/build architect John Gasner decided to build on his property, he wasn’t sure what to do with the pole. After much deliberation, he decided to keep the relic right where it’s always been. Originally he built a workshop/studio on the spot, later using it became Crescent Pond Gallery. Today, John, his wife, Pam, and their three adult children―Will, Noah, and Julia―have transformed the space into a one-of-a-kind summer cottage with the pole running through the middle redefining rustic living. For preservation-minded John and Pam, who have long worked to safeguard the vernacular island architecture, even more satisfying than their ocean view is the reaction of first-time visitors. “They think I restored the house, not that I built it,” John says. “They say it looks 100 years old.” To achieve the aged appearance, John designed an exterior compatible with the prevailing architecture. “I used natural materials and kept things simple,” he says. John employed construction techniques akin to those of the late 1800s, eliminating plywood and relying mainly on locally milled woods. He had windows custom made at a mill shop that’s been in business since the late 19th century, and crafted the outer walls using weathered white cedar shingles. John and Pam took an organic approach to the interiors as well. “The framing pays homage to the early fish market on Block Island,” John says. Pine-board floors and rustic furnishings in the living room suit the home’s beach finds―from the balusters fashioned from driftwood to a tree trunk-turned- coffee table. The Gasners dressed up the kitchen with a coat of crisp white paint on the walls and ceilings and steely blue gray on the floors. The lifesaving practice pole now serves as a pot rack before bursting up through the floor of the upstairs bedroom. Upstairs, on either side of the central common space, the children’s bedrooms have partial pine-plank walls. “It’s a narrow building, so I wanted to keep things as open as possible,” John says. In the primary bedroom, the bed is positioned to look straight through the common space to sweeping vistas of the Atlantic. “We wake up looking at the sunrise,” Pam says. “What could be better than that?” Registration Details RE.06786-STR, expiry date: 2025-12-29