‘Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris.
Built in 1930, the Colonial-style home was originally owned by Gerhard F. Behre, the eldest son of John H. Behre.
Mr. Behre attended Williams College, settled in Brooklyn, and spent summers in New Canaan. From 1925 to 1952, he worked at the New Canaan Savings Bank, first as the secretary, then treasurer, and finally president in 1946.
He married the youngest daughter of Edward Brady Lawrence and Fannie Maria Davenport of New Canaan in September 1916 at the Congregational Church of New Canaan. The Behres were active in the community and supporters of “Camp Kiwanis.” The Behres moved to Oak Street after they sold the property on Wahackme Road. Mr. Behre died in 1952, and his wife died in 1988.
The property was sold in 1945 to Edwin Eberman for $50,000 (with a $20,000 mortgage), who added a studio and garage in 1951 and a pool in 1960. Mr. Eberman was an artist and designer. He earned a degree from the Carnegie College of Fine Art in 1927 (Carnegie Mellon University today). Together with Albert Dorne, Mr. Eberman began the Famous Teachers School in Westport where he acted as art director. His career spanned many decades: he was the art director of Arts & Decorative Magazine from 1933 to 1935; art director for McCalls from 1936-1938, and art director at Look from 1941-1946. Mr. Eberman’s wife, Janet, was honored in 2001 for 20 years of service to the New Canaan Sewing Group. An interesting note is Ms. Eberman gifted to the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society a 1879 gown of ivory taffeta with lace sleeves that was worn by her grandmother Alice Augusta Hawken.
Mr. Eberman provided the drawings for the Advertiser column “Landmarks”. In May 1966 Mr. Eberman’s waterfall and rock garden were part of the Garden Center’s Pool and Terrace Tour. When I met with resident Faith Kerchoff regarding the Lee Gardens (see previous column), she shared two interesting details: Mr. Lee and Mr. Eberman were friends, and Mr. Lee shared his azalea cuttings. Mr. Eberman would draw pictures of the neighborhood Trick or Treaters in their costumes on Halloween. Now that’s a treat!
In May 1984 the property was owned by Dana Clay Ackerly. Mr. Ackerly was an associate at Hawthorne, Ackerly and Dorrance which Dunn & Bradstreet listed as being the successor to the firm John Higgins formed in 1926. Mr. Ackerly was a native New Yorker who spent his summers in New Canaan. He served in World War II in the Cavalry Unit of the U.S. Army. Mr. Ackerly was a graduate of Williams College and Yale Law School. He served as prosecutor in the Town of New Canaan Town Court and later as Associate Town Judge. He was a long-time chairman of Save the Children and Waveny Care Center. Mr. Ackerly died on August 5, 2008 at the age of 88. His second wife, Rae Ackerly, died in 2018.
In June 1990 the property was purchased by J. Pierce O’Neill. Mr. O’Neill was the chief business officer for the United States Tennis Association. He attended Boston College and the Westminster School. In 1990, alterations and an addition were added to the property for an estimated cost of $60,000. The construction work was done by H. Bernie & Sons.
Mr. O’Neill sold the property to Charles J. Scarborough in 2011 for $4.6 million. “Morning Joe” was the co-host of the MSNBC morning show with his fiancee Mika Brezezinski. Mr. Scarborough was a former Florida congressman and was named in 2011 “Time 100” as one of the most influential people in the world. The current owners purchased the property in July 2018.