What happened
On Friday, October 25, 2024, WCAI employees were told that WGBH had entered into an agreement to sell the historic Captain Davis House at 3 Water Street in Woods Hole. This location has been the home of WCAI since the radio station went on the air in 2000.
Before WGBH purchased it in 2009, the building was owned briefly by the Children’s School of Science. For many years before that, it housed the Job Shop, a local printing business.
For decades, this signature historic building at the head of Water Street has been home to a vibrant commercial space that brings value to the village. To lose it as such a space would be damaging to the life of the village.
Each of the few historic buildings along Water Street is a resource that, once taken into private use, can not be replaced.
Update, Nov 28
Some community members have put together an independent website dedicated to the effort to keep WCAI in its historic broadcast home. It’s called SaveWCAI. Lots of good info and links – check it out!
Update, Nov 24, 4:30pm
The Woods Hole Community Association board formed an executive committee to review the conditions proposed by the Buyer to an assignment of the Buyer’s interests in the Purchase and Sale Agreement to the Woods Hole Community Association.
Update, Nov 10, 9:30am
We wanted to update everyone on recent developments regarding the Captain Davis House at 3 Water Street, but first wanted to give you all a big thanks for all your emails and pledges of support. It’s greatly encouraging to live in a community that pulls together and clearly cares.
You have made a big difference!
We are pleased by WGBH Board Chair Susan Goldberg’s recent letter, which many of you received, as it opens up possibilities for the property and the community.
Please know that we are working with all interested parties to fully restore trust and keep lines of communication open.
We will update you as new developments occur.
Find Out More:
The Little Station That Could – Jay Allison, Atlantic Public Media
Please Keep WCAI Right Where It Is – Transom
Select Board Asks That WCAI Remain In Woods Hole – Falmouth Enterprise
Neighborhood Rallies Against Proposed Sale of CAI Building – Vineyard Gazette
Woods Hole rallies around public radio station – MV Times
GBH selling longtime home of WCAI, Cape and Islands radio station, to cut costs – Boston Globe
After pushback, GBH says it’s open to selling CAI’s historic Woods Hole HQ to community group – GBH
Join the cause: make a pledge
Purchasing the historic Captain Davis House for Woods Hole will take money. We are asking for signed pledges of financial support. For legal reasons, we need these to be communicated as a signed pdf file.
Here’s the link to the pdf form for making a pledge.
Please return the form to: woodshole@woodsholecommunityassociation.org
The Woods Hole Community Association Board of Trustees has voted to start this campaign with a pledged contribution of $300,000.
Fulfillment of all pledges is conditional upon the Community Association purchasing the building. Without a purchase, no money is collected.
Thank you!
What Else Can I Do?
Send an email! Yeah, it’s that simple. Right now, we want WGBH to know what the building itself and WCAI mean to the community. Here’s information on who to send your email to and some suggestions for what would be helpful to say: Send an email
Have a question? Know somebody else who wants to get involved? Email us at savewcairadio@gmail.com
What is the Woods Hole Community Association proposing?
The Community Association has voted to put up $300,000 of its own money to start a campaign to buy the Captain Davis house. It’s a little bit of a far-fetched idea: that the community can raise the $1.7 million to buy this building, and that WGBH would even pause in the sale process long enough to allow the community a chance at it. But jeez. We should try, right? Enough people love Woods Hole, and enough people believe in the public radio station. So… here’s our pitch:
Captain Davis House in Woods Hole: What is it, and why should the community work to save it?
Why is the property significant?
The historic Captain Davis House stands at the head of Woods Hole village, between the public library and a favorite open lawn for gathering. Since 2000, it has housed the public radio station WCAI, a service of WGBH. Originally built around 1840, the structure was given an historic renovation in 2009, using $267,000 in Community Preservation funds, and supported by community donations. As an historic, commercial structure on Water Street, it has long provided cultural value to village life.
What’s the problem/situation?
WGBH owns the building and asserts that WCAI has had a budget shortfall (this has been disputed) necessitating the sale of the building and the move of WCAI to an as-yet undisclosed location. Donors, WCAI staff, and the community were not notified of the sale and have been prevented from pursuing other solutions to keep WCAI in its home. The sale, to a private commercial buyer, would mean both the direct loss of the radio station and that yet another historic building in Woods Hole – with adjacent public lawn and gathering space – is removed from the community.
What is the proposed solution? What would the Community Benefits be?
We propose that through donations the Woods Hole Community Association becomes the buyer of the building. This would increase the likelihood of WCAI remaining in its home, while continuing to bring widespread benefits to the immediate village community and all of Cape Cod. This solution would also allow the community to retain the building in perpetuity and to make certain that whomever the tenant may be, the building remains available to benefit the community directly.
How will the property be utilized/maintained after the purchase? (Plan A/Plan B)
Our first choice would be for WCAI to remain the tenant, bringing to the community the value of a vibrant, award-winning public radio station renowned for its innovative programming (The Moth, This I Believe, and nationally recognized reporting). Buying the building outright would allow us to set a tenant rent that covers operational costs, but makes it attractive for WCAI to continue in the space. Understanding that we can’t simply count on WGBH, we propose also identifying and developing a tenancy that provides a cultural value to the village, and whose operations can be made feasible by a reasonable rent.
Why is WHCA the right organization to do this?
The Woods Hole Community Association by definition represents the community and its related interests. The Community Association has a long history of owning and operating historic buildings within the village and making them available for the widest possible community uses. The Community Hall, the Old Fire Station, and the Woods Hole School all represent the success of that model, each enhancing the life of the community.
What will happen if WHCA doesn’t do this?
WCAI will go away. The library will be cut off farther from the village, with a loss of access from the Pie hill. The lawn adjacent to the Davis House will become private property, and the rear lot will be used for commercial parking, increasing the automobile traffic. The historic Davis House will no longer be publicly accessible. A public good will be replaced by a private, profit-driven business.
Each of the few historic buildings along Water Street is a resource that, once taken into private use, cannot be replaced.
