For Andy Tyska, president and founder of Bristol Marine, his company’s purchase of 18 Burnside Street and 1 Resolute Drive is a true homecoming.

“I have a wonderful connection to this building, from the first time I came to Bristol in 1993,” he said. “I lived across the street with a few of my college buddies and we started our first design business on the third floor here. We worked nights while working elsewhere for our day jobs…we had the spark in our eyes to run our own business.”
They worked on their own designs, eventually landed a client, then moved the offices over to the Poppasquash boatyard, where Bristol Marine’s headquarters are still located.

His college friends — all University of Michigan Naval Architecture graduates — stayed in Bristol and continue to grow their business, Bristol Harbor Group. “Their office is at the boatyard on Poppasquash where they have ten naval architects,” Tyska said. “Probably the highest concentration of naval architects anywhere on the East Coast.

“That connection to 18 Burnside is really important to me because it’s such a great building with incredible history and I’m just looking forward to being part of its continued preservation.”

Tyska closed on the two, adjacent properties about 6 weeks ago. The seller was naval architect and former Bristol Town Administrator and Town Councilor Halsey Herreshoff.

Preserving Herreshoff history
Once the site of America's Cup Hall of Fame (the sign still hangs out front), 18 Burnside currently houses some artifacts relating to Herreshoff family history as well as other items from Herreshoff Manufacturing history. Tyska is working with Herreshoff to curate and preserve his career and legacy. Some items will end up in the collection of the Herreshoff Marine Museum, while others are destined for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Hart Nautical Gallery in Cambridge, Mass.

“They had the original Hall of Fame inductees honored and recognized here,” said Tyska, indicating the first floor display area. “Since then, there have been a series of uses including Herreshoff Yacht Sales and workshop space.”

Bringing them back
Both 18 Burnside and 1 Resolute, which Herreshoff called “the annex” need restoration; the annex in particular has some structural deficiencies that will need to be addressed. For now, Tyska’s goal is to see the space buttoned up for the winter. His hope is to have some of it available for lease next year. “There's a lot of deferred maintenance that we're going to get started on…including the roof, the gutters and windows.” The cupola above the third floor is also a restoration priority.
“The big question is what are we going to do with it — we are planning a water-dependent working waterfront use.

“The first thing is stabilize the building and then as we're doing that, we're hoping that we can continue to get the word out there and establish some partnerships with some people that are interested.”
Tyska also intends for Bristol Marine to occupy some of that space, but their headquarters will remain at the Poppasquash boatyard. He thinks that the annex will appeal to lessees looking for light manufacturing space.

“There's such a demand and I think Joe Brito, what he has done at Unity Park is incredible and I think it represents what demand there is out there for manufacturing,” said Tyska.

“The Herreshoff museum has made incredible investments and a commitment to the thriving complex here, with mixed use, technology, manufacturing, and light industrial. I'm looking forward to building on what they've already established here by coming up with a creative use for the space.”