BRICC award-winning landscape architect creates a new design for a historic home, inspired by a family’s childhood memories of Hyannis Port summers.

Sometimes visions of dream homes are intrinsically shaped by childhood memories. Many of us can envision such a place—and often it’s a summer place—where we were young, innocent of care, and simply happy in a landscape of unrestrained natural beauty—a place like Hyannis Port’s Squaw Island.

Once described by a summer resident, a member of the locally renowned Humphreys family of Pittsburgh, as the “ultimate summer paradise for children,” Squaw’s magic is a natural consequence of its unique seaside location, set off by a narrow causeway that winds out to a private island. This is a magical Cape Cod getaway where kids can sail, clam, ride bikes, and savor nature’s glories all summer long.

Squaw Island has been a celebrated summer community for decades. One of Hyannis Port’s most famous residents, JFK, once had a home here.

Landscape architect, Bernice Wahler of Bernice Wahler Landscapes of Sandwich says that when she was approached by a couple who wanted to remodel a historic, yet outdated home and landscape in part of Hyannis Port’s historic district into an expansive oasis for their family, she understood the importance of the couple’s Hyannis Port summer memories.

Wahler explains that at every step in the project’s long completion, she and her team of designers were guided by the location’s historic roots. “Hyannis Port is a historical gem that also offers enchanting sunsets and stunning waterfront vistas,” says Wahler. “This turn of the century home with majestic views of the sound is...