NewCanaanite.com received the following letter. Send letters to editor@newcanaanite.com to have them published here.
***
Editor:
I have a strong objection to the plan to demolish yet another lovely and historic building in New Canaan. It’s a house located on 49 St. John’s Place.
Much of the character and beauty of St. John’s Place, like many of our most loved New Canaan streets, is created by vintage and antique homes, like this one, that can never be replaced if carelessly destroyed. Without older homes and buildings the streets of our town become unidentifiable as New Canaan, and we lose the physical representation of our history.
The house on 49 St. John’s Place is a colonial revival built in the 1890’s on land that was originally owned by the Weed family. It has an unusual asymmetrical design with the entrance to one side and a high front porch that wraps around the southeast corner. The construction of a house like this is part of a time gone by when craftsmen were around who could create details that just can’t be done today, economically or otherwise.
Most importantly, 49 St. John’s Place is specifically included in the Church Hill State Historic District which expands our Historic District to include some houses on St. Johns Place among others, and has been approved by the State Review Board.
We shouldn’t let another historic gem be destroyed. We need to care enough about our historic structures that add so much to our town – we mustn’t subtract them.
Sincerely,
Patricia Funt Oxman
New Canaan, Conn.