Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

Boston, MA
Key Elements
  • New construction on piles over water
  • Site utility design 
  • City of Boston permitting  

After sustaining extensive fire damage, the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum chose to construct a new facility located on piles within the Fort Point Channel at Congress Street. The new museum continues to preserve and interpret the Boston Tea Party in a two-story bridge house located on a pier, and a 200-foot floating barge, totaling 18,700 square feet. The pier building contains a retail store, two re-enactment meeting rooms, and offices. Three historic replica ships surround the floating barge, which houses a museum on the first floor and a Tavern/Tea Room on the second level. 

Nitsch worked directly with the Museum to design the building utilities. We provided permitting services including Chapter 91 with the Department of Environmental Protection, as well as filings with the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, Boston Conservation Commission, Boston Transportation Department, and Boston Public Works Department. Nitsch also prepared an ALTA/NSPS land title survey. 

Key Collaborators

Owner: Historic Tours of America 
Architect: McManus Architects and Margulies Perruzzi Architects 
Maritime Engineering: Childs Engineering Corporation 
Permitting: Epsilon Associates 
Construction Manager: Suffolk Construction 
Contractor: Lee Kennedy Co.