Salem Attraction Plans to Relocate Historic Buildings, Confront Rising Sea Levels

The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts, plans to relocate several historic buildings inland to shield them from rising sea levels and flood risk linked to climate change.

Officials with the historic site told The Salem News that the plan follows years of studying climate projections, precipitation patterns, storm intensity, and sea-level rise to take proactive measures rather than wait for disaster.

The initiative aims to relocate five buildings away from the water. The first move of the Counting House is targeted for 2030 and includes campus upgrades such as elevating utilities and strengthening the seawall.

“An average high tide of around 10 feet is about 2 or 3 feet from the top of our sea wall, or about a foot and a half from the top during those higher king tides,” The House of the Seven Gables' director of preservation, Paul Wright, told The Salem News.  “We've had a couple of storm surges and near misses that can push 2 to 3 feet into the harbor pretty easily, and it's come over the top of the seawall a couple times (in the last three years). Fortunately, the water hasn't come across the lawn to any of the buildings yet.”

The organization is seeking grants and donations to implement its 50-year climate adaptation plan. In 2022, The House of the Seven Gables received a $509,919 grant from the state to study site conditions and create the plan. For fiscal year 2026, The House of the Seven Gables was awarded approximately $176,190 from the state to cover permitting and final designs for a portion of the planned phase one actions.

Built in 1668, The House of the Seven Gables was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 2007. The site, Nathaniel Hawthorne's birthplace and The House of the Seven Gables, draws more than 100,000 visitors annually, according to its website. Last September, Newsweek magazine named The House of the Seven Gables the No. 1 historical home tour in the nation.