New Canaan Beautification League Dedicates ‘Carol West Seldin Barn’ at Lee Garden

The New Canaan Beautification League’s plan to convert a shed in the Lee Garden—itself constructed using parts of the Lees’ family home, including the fireplace and the hardwood floors—into a barn for the organization’s volunteers began as Carol Seldin’s vision, according to NCBL President Nancy Malling.

Yet as the plan stood in 2019, “our budget only allowed for a bare bones renovation,” Malling told more than 75 people gathered Saturday at the 2.7-acre garden on Chichester Road on a clear, sunny afternoon. 

“Last June, Carol made her final wish,” Malling said during a dedication of the lovingly renovated shed as the ‘Carol West Seldin Barn.’

Malling continued: “She asked that all donations in her memory be given to the organization that she loved. As I thought about the best way to honor her deep commitment to NCBL, my focus was to make some renovations or improvements to the Lee shed—to go the last mile for Carol. When I brought this idea to Peter Seldin, he asked me to think bigger … As he said, ‘If Carol’s name is attached to this project, it should be done right.’ Carol’s vision and Peter’s unqualified support created the Carol West Seldin Barn that we dedicate in her honor today. On behalf of all of the New Canaan Beautification League volunteers, we are very grateful to have a home.”

A certified master gardener and past president of the NCBL whose motto, “Gardens are for sharing,” is printed on a plaque inside the renovated barn, Seldin died June 6, 2024 following a courageous battle with lymphoma. She was 74.

The Lee Garden at 89 Chichester Road that Seldin loved, a hidden gem of New Canaan that’s owned by the New Canaan Beautification League, was in full bloom for the springtime dedication ceremony. It features ephemerals, ferns, herbaceous plants, an extensive collection of specimen azaleas and rhododendrons.

Malling offered special thanks to: Tony Wiszniewski and A.W. Construction, LLC, which worked six months on the project. I have worked with him and his subcontractors on many of my own home improvements; Andrew Loglisci, Loglisci Water Gardens, who designed and installed the water feature using many large stones sourced at Lee Garden; Tim Pickering of Modern Plumbing, who did all the new plumbing for the kitchen and bath in the barn; and Faith Kerchoff, Lois Himes and Kathy Kwiatkowsi, the leaders of the Lee Garden Volunteer Committee.

Addressing the crowd gathered to honor his late wife, standing in front of an Eastern White Oak tree just outside the barn, Peter Seldin thanked the NCBL and its volunteers, Malling and the “contractors and the tradesmen who skillfully and efficiently translated that concept into reality and did it by the target completion date.”

“They have done an excellent job,” Seldin said.

He added: “Having lived in New Canaan for 38 years, I observed that—and it sounds maybe a little cliche—that there really are two types of people in New Canaan. There are those who’ve lived in our town for many years, or maybe only a few, and those people just passed through. And then there are the others who make their mark on this town, who help New Canaan to become an even better place to live, to raise a family and yes, to retire. My wife Carol certainly planted a few seeds of her own and left her mark on New Canaan. And this barn will help everybody to remember her and everything she worked so tirelessly to accomplish. And many of you here are also making your mark, and our town is all the richer for the efforts of all of you. So today we honor Carol and I salute all of you.”

Affixed to the wall just inside the barn itself—beautifully renovated with exposed beams, hardwood floor, fireplace, naturally lit main room with built-in bookshelves full of gardening books, kitchenette and bathroom—is a plaque honoring Carol West Seldin, “remembered for her leadership, her tireless enthusiasm for our many projects and her unparalleled generosity.”

Peter Seldin noted during his remarks that the barn will serve “the organization, the community, and also the education of gardeners in the county.”

“There have already been master classes held in the barn over the last month, and it is really living up to the concept of what we wanted it all to be,” he said.

NCBL member Faith Kerchoff said that the organization has a core of about 12 to 18 volunteers who work in the Lee Garden.

“ ‘Gardens are for sharing,’ as we know from Carol, but also gardens are for sharing and teaching, which George Lee used to say,” Kerchoff said prior to presenting Malling with a special gift for her efforts.

She

continued: “So our mission here is to care for this beautiful garden, almost three acres, and to teach about it and to preserve it. This was George [Lee]’s wish too. We could not have done this project without Carol and Peter [Seldin] and without Nancy and Jim [Malling] … They’re the true general contractors of this job. The Lee Garden ladies can take credit for the garden, and you get credit for the building. We look forward to many wonderful master garden workshops and days in this beautiful garden.”

Located at 89 Chichester Road in New Canaan, the Lee Garden is open to the public from dawn to dusk every day. Admission is free. Guided walking tours for groups of 6-10 can be arranged from early April through June. To schedule a tour of the Garden and for information about volunteer opportunities in the Garden please email faithkerchoff@hotmail.com.