Now & Then

New Canaan Now & Then: The Zumbach’s Building

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‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. In 1967 the building at the corner of Pine and Grove was listed as owned by Railroad Avenue Corporation and then New Canaan Development. 

It remained under this ownership until July 1988 when the owners were listed as New Canaan Lumber Company. The corner was home to a few businesses prior to Zumbach’s and Pine Street Concessions.  Pine Grove Wines was operated by Charles Homer and is pictured in the same location as Zumbachs in the photo above. Mr. Homer, a Stamford native, was a plumber for 20 years prior to owning the wine store and was a volunteer fireman in Stamford. He sold the business to Robert and Aurelia McKenna in 1986, and died at the age of 62 in Florida on Dec.

Now & Then

New Canaan Now & Then: The James House

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‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The “James House” on Frogtown Road was built in 1965 and designed by an unknown architect. 

The original house was one story with a basement structure and had a square footprint with wood decks wrapping around the south and east sides. The house currently has a complicated roofline with a gable roof and deep eaves. Wood decks are found on the first floor. The current two car garage was incorporated into the footprint of the original house.

Now & Then

New Canaan Now & Then: The Matthew Fitch House

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‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The Matthew Fitch House was built in 1737. Mr. Mathew Fitch was the son of John II and Lydia Fitch, who were among the 24 founders of the Church in Canaan Parish. 

Matthew was born in May 1708 and married Jemima St. John, the daughter of Eber St. John.

Now & Then

New Canaan Now & Then: The Seely House

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‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The Colonial house at 605 Ponus Ridge was built in 1751 and in 2003 was documented as being the eighth-oldest house in New Canaan. 

The land at that time was a gift from Obadiah Seely to his son Obadiah Jr. and included four acres of land on what was then called “Ponasses Ridge.” Mr. Seely Jr. had married Abigail Crissy the year before, and they had one child at the time, Hannah Seely, born on Dec. 18, 1750. The Seelys went on to have five more children: Obadiah born in March 1753, John born in December 1755, Samuel born October 1760 (and died in 1764), another Samuel born July 1765, and Abigail born March 1767. 

The house constructed at the time was a typical center chimney Colonial house with a centered front door facing the road. In 1995 architect Richard Bergmann and historian George Nelson visited the property and discovered that the roof rafters showed framing for a center chimney which was removed at an unknown date due to remodeling.

Now & Then

New Canaan Now & Then: Woodsedge

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‘New Canaan Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris. The house located on Canoe Hill Road was originally a sixteen acre parcel of land that was a land grant to Colonel James Lockwood for his service to the King of England in 1683. 

The Rock School, currently an historic museum on the campus of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society, was once located on this original parcel of land that adjoined the property located at 481 Canoe Hill Road. 

The town’s property records indicate that the house on the property was built in 1750 and has undergone significant renovations throughout its history. The original house was constructed farther from the road than was customary at that time. It was expanded in 1858 into a Victorian house. The remnants of that 1858 structure serve as the rear part of the current home, which includes a family room, kitchen, pantry, laundry room, back porch.