635 Frogtown Road
Image courtesy of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society.
The New Canaan Country School campus has a long history of serving the needs of children and the majestic main campus building, Grace House in the Fields, has been an integral part of this legacy. Grace House was completed in April 1899. The columned portico was fronted by a dirt driveway lined with sugar maples. If you happen to drive up Frogtown Road, be sure to take notice of the size of these trees today.
The NCCS acquired the property from the Grace Episcopal Church of New York in May 1936 as a new campus, having outgrown its prior location on Seminary Street. At the time of the acquisition, the St. Luke’s School was renting the property from Grace Church and a brief discussion on potentially merging the schools was entertained. The purchase of the property was made possible by the parents of NCCS students who subscribed $41,000 for the purchase, which included a $15,000 cash payment and a mortgage of $70,000. The property, consisting of over 140 acres, allowed the NCCS Trustees to reserve 50 acres for the school while the remaining acreage was set aside to be ultimately sold. The architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon was engaged to draw up a long range plan for the use of the property, including remodeling Grace House in time to welcome students in the fall of 1936. The students were housed on the third floor of Grace House and were thrilled to see the Long Island Sound and a portion of the town of Stamford from their windows.
Grace Episcopal Church of New York purchased the property from William G. Davenport at the turn of the century with the intention of using the property as a vacation for underprivileged mothers and children from the Lower Eastside of Manhattan. The free two week vacations were sponsored by the vestrymen and their “Fresh Air Fund.”According to the Parish book of 1905, over 100 women and children were cared for over an eleven week period. The visitors were chaperoned by working girls, known as “cottage girls”, as they played in the overgrown fields, picked vegetables and as the summer waned apples in the orchard that reached across Frogtown Road. The children who enjoyed this vacation reportedly referred to the house on top of “Grace Hill” as looking just like the White House. Beyond Grace House a windmill occupied the space where current day NCCS vans are parked overnight. Another fond remembrance for these vacationers was singing “I Can See the Windmill” as they rode the bus up the hill from Stamford to begin their stay.
Prior to becoming a refuge for underprivileged children as Grace Church in the Field, the property was owned by William Y. Davenport. Davenport, who purchased the land from John Leeds in 1867, operated the land as a farm. Davenport’s children, John, Albert, and Fanny, were all born at the property.
An interesting article from the August 2, 1956 of the New Canaan Advertiser, relies on the importance of historic records to decide litigation between NCCS and an adjacent homeowner, John L. Rayward and his contractor, Allen J. Gelbin. Rayward had engaged famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for him on this site. NCCS sued for trespass because, it claimed, the builder was crossing through land that belonged to it. But Judge John R. Thim found that a passageway had existed since 1794 connecting Frogtown Road to Weed Street and dismissed the school’s lawsuit.
“New Canaan Now & Then” is presented in partnership with the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society.