He was asked to recommend a director and surprised everyone by retiring from his position as horticultural taxonomist at Harvard's Arnold Arboretum to take the Vineyard job himself. The classic shingled caretaker's cottage near the road, once a 17th century inn on the long trip from Vineyard Haven to Gay Head, has been transformed into Spongberg's office with conference and library space. At the far end of the property, which includes 20 acres of gardens and 40 wooded acres, is a new entrance with parking for 50 cars, leading to a striking new visitors center. It was built on a shallow foundation using a structural design new to this country because they didn't want to hurt the roots of stewartia trees growing nearby. The visitors center features a heavy timber construction system with thick Douglas fir beams tapered like tree trunks.
Many large windows create an airy interior.
Nearby is a designated picnic area and another handsome building containing the Vineyard's most elegant public restrooms. The roofs of both buildings have a shed like single pitch that not only kept costs down, but directs rainwater to gutters that extend 2 feet beyond the edge of each building to make waterfalls. Each drains into a catch basin, which creates a small pool for a garden of water loving plants. Benches under the overhanging roofs allow visitors to sit outside and enjoy the waterfall when it rains. A large barn long used by barn owls is also being restored to provide classroom and exhibition space.