‘Now & Then’ is sponsored by Brown Harris Stevens Realtors Joanne Santulli, Karen Ceraso, Bettina Hegel and Schuyler Morris.
The parcel of land at 65 Locust Avenue was purchased in a few transactions in the late 1930s by the Cerretani family. On August 11, 1937 Amelina Cerretani purchased the largest parcel that is closest to Locust Avenue (only 400 feet from the road) from the New Canaan Savings Bank. On June 25, 1938, Ms. Cerretani purchased the easternmost portion of the land which was roughly 50 feet wide and included a right-of-way from Charles W. Bartow.
Charles Bartow was a descendant of one of the earliest families in town. His parents were Harriet Webb Seeley and Mr. George Bartow. George Allen Bartow was a direct descendant of Allen Clinton whose name is inscribed in the town hall for service during the Revolutionary War.
Mr. Charles Bartow was born on October 29, 1865 in Walton, New York. He married New Canaan native Ada Curtis in 1889. The Bartows had five children, including Gertrude (born in 1910) and Clinton Corties (born in 1895). Clinton Bartow became the caretaker of the New Canaan Bird Sanctuary and Wildwood Preserve. He had a long career (over fifty years) as a salesman for the W. Wirt Wickes Company, a wholesale coffee and tea firm. He was known for having the only telephone exchange in New Canaan, which was located in the Main Street bake shop that he owned. He was also known as the oldest volunteer member of the New Canaan Fire Company No. 1 and one of the oldest members of the Harmony Lodge, AF & AM. Prior to his death in 1957 he had lived in New Canaan for seventy years. As a member of the New Canaan Bird Sanctuary, he assisted with the newly formed “nature club” for school children in 1949 where he led tours for its members. Clinton Bartow died in 1967.
On June 14, 1952, Mr. Anthony Cerretani bought two additional parcels of land: one from Ella Luvina Brooks and the other from Giacomo and Gaetana Speranza. Ms. Ella Brooks was the daughter of Edwin Hoyt Bouton (for more information on the Bouton family see New Canaanite Now & Then dated September 19, 2024.) On December 15, 1952 a portion of this purchase was sold back to the Speranzas. This portion of the property was eventually sold to Philip Socci.Mr. Socci owned land north of 65 Locust Avenue and to the west of the property. In April 1958 the Cerretanis received approval from the Planning & Zoning Commission for a re–subdivision. The idea was that the elimination of the interior lot lines allowed for proper driveways and parking areas for the Cerretanis’ tenant, the Home Oil Company. The Home Oil Company was formed in 1934 and was managed by F.W. Robinson, a friend of Frank W. Weed (owner of Weed & Duryea). Their ads referenced that a bulk oil tank would be housed in New Canaan (on the Cerretani property) which was 20 feet high and 40 feet in diameter. The Home Oil Company also erected a second oil tank on property owned by the Stamford Masons Supply Company on Railroad Avenue, which was met with protest. Two years after its approval the tank was moved. Mr. Anthony Cerretani passed away on May 9, 1967 and Ms. Amelina Cerretani became the sole owner. In February 1971 Ms. Cerretani sought and received a variance that would allow the driveway to be moved and for the space no longer occupied to be used as parking for The Home Oil Company.
In December 1976 the property was sold to Cherry Street Associates and a new office building was erected in 1977. Prior to the office building being built the property was listed as “vacant” in the telephone books from 1934 to 1977. The office building was owned and managed by Gulick & Engelke and became the headquarters for Smith Corona, which had moved out from its Park Avenue headquarters in Manhattan. Smith Corona was the last typewriter company in the United States and outlasted other brands such as Royal, Remington and Underwood. At its peak in 1979, it employed 4200 people at its factory in Cortland, New York. The restructuring of the company began in 1983 and the company was purchased by Hanson PLC, a British conglomerate. In 1992 the company sales were $383.4 million which was down from $ 471.4 million the prior year. The company made a valiant attempt to stay current and introduced the first spell correction and dictionary in a portable computer in 1985 and the first personal word processor in 1986 but the efforts were in vain. There was some drama with the Smith Corona Company and in 1992 the Stamford Advocate reported that its rival, Brother Industries, had filed a claim that “alleged dumping of import products in the United States”. In 1995 Smith Corona filed for bankruptcy. The property owners, Gulick & Engelke d/b/a as Gulick Associates LLC were featured as contractors in a 2002 episode of “Extreme Makeovers: Home Edition” where they renovated a home in Bridgeport.
The property was sold for $4,500,000 on August 12, 2010 to 65 Locust Avenue LLC. In a tough lending environment, an aggressive two-year property management, maintenance and leasing program made the property a solid investment opportunity. The Bank of New Canaan provided the financing.The principals were not disclosed at the time of the sale. In August, 2016, RHYS facilitated the sale to Morina Associates LLC for $11 million, or $395 per square foot. At the time of sale, the 27,843-square-foot property was fully leased. Cory Gubner and Christian Bangert of RHYS represented the seller, while Bashkim Osmani of B&A Brokers Corp. represented the buyer in the deal.