The owners of a widely discussed 1933-built home on Colonial Court on Tuesday paid for and picked up a permit to demolish the structure, following objections from neighbors, a town-imposed delay and talks with an appointed government body that encourages preservation of significant local buildings.
Members of the Historical Review Committee opened talks with Michelle Cardone, whose elderly mother Sandra owns the home at 9 Colonial Court, after an application to demolish the house was filed last October with the New Canaan Building Department.
The next month, after several neighbors voiced concerns about the proposed demolition, the Committee imposed a 90-day delay on the demo, as allowed by local ordinance.
Michelle Cardone said at the time that her mother, who purchased the house in 2018, now requires single-floor living, and that they had consulted with architects about ways the home could be preserved in a remodeling versus building anew on the .3-acre parcel.
In January, as the end date of the demo delay neared, Committee members suggested renovation projects that preserved the original house.
Yet the permit was issued this week to Sandra Cardone, with Wilton’s Brian Smith listed as contractor and Canaan Construction Ltd listed as applicant. The permit cost $565 and the demolition will cost an estimated $30,000, it said.
Sandra Cardone purchased the 2,444-square-foot house for $1,285,000 in November 2018, tax records show.
In filing a letter of objection to the proposed demolition, the owners of six other houses on Colonial Court said “[t]he stone cottage with a pitched slate upper roof, copper lower roof and copper gutters serves as an anchor point for our small street of ten homes.”
“These elements combined with New Canaan architect Walter Kirby resulted in a uniqueness with few peer designs in our village/town,” their letter said. “He is known for other unique architectural designs in New Canaan. Although some of the older public buildings in New Canaan were constructed this way, it is very rare to find a home like this one, which sets the tone and is the anchor for our street. The distinct features of this home are not common these days which makes it even more desirable and special. The charming home, with its very old and beautiful trees (some 200 years old), was factor in our decisions to make Colonial Court our home.”
The letter closed, “We believe this [demolition] application is deserving of scrutiny for all the benefits it provides to the immediate neighborhood and the town in preserving the aesthetic nature and what we believe, historic value to the community.”