55 St. John Place
Ca. 1950 photo courtesy of the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society
Number 55 St. John’s Place, an elegant, Victorian home built in 1848 by Francis E. Weed had six owners before it became the property of Samuel Henry Watts, and his wife Bell McKerlie in 1946.
Mr. and Mrs. Watts were fixtures in the town and their home reflected their commitment to growing strong roots in the community. In 1929, Mr. Watts had purchased the property on Locust Avenue which housed the “Big Shop” shoe factory and supported the Township Realty Corporation that prohibited the site from ever being used as a slaughterhouse (the start of the Town’s strong history of planning and zoning requirements.) Mr. Watts also purchased the property on Park Street on October 23, 1941 which was formerly the home of the Community School and is now the parking lot.. Mr. Watts eventually sold both of these properties back to the town without profit. The Watts are credited with donating “a small portable house” to the Wildwood Nature Preserve that became known as “Sanctuary House” according to a New Canaan Advertiser article dated October 13, 1960.
The Watts’ expanded their footprint on St. John’s Place, purchasing the two lots behind their property in the 1950s from Catherine Gauss on what is now Oenoke Lane. Mrs. Bell Watts was an avid gardener and a greenhouse was installed on the property. In fact, there is a historic plate entitled “Mrs. Samuel Watts, Connecticut 13” dated 1914-1942 as part of the Smithsonian Collection Garden Club of America featuring delphinium and birdhouses from the property. The interior of the home was renovated “with Italian plasters” by European craftsmen.
In 1953, Samuel Henry Watts died at the age of 85. Mrs. Watts continued to live at the family home, where her greenhouse was part of the Garden Club tour in April of 1957. Mrs. Watts established a scholarship in memory of her husband that awards between $500-$5000 to a high school senior to use during their first year of college or vocational school. Mrs. Bell Watts died on May 10, 1970 and, following the directives of her will, the property was turned over to the First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan. The property was divided back to its original parcels (before the Gauss land was purchased) after a variance was successfully granted for the now non-conforming garage in November 1970. The property at 55 St. John’s Place was sold to Angela Morgan Stein and her husband Conrad H. Stein in December 1970.
The Steins were also long term residents at 55 St. John’s Place. Mr. Stein owned Conrad Stein Antiques in town on Elm Street. In 1979, a concrete pool was added to the property. The Steins owned the home until 1999 when Sasha Lawer and Mark Noonan purchased the property. The new owners added an addition in 2000 and added some modern amenities to the property, including plumbing and heating in the greenhouses. The Lawer/Noonan family were only the third owners in a century and sold the home in 2021 to Andrew E. Roth and Arianna Gold.
“New Canaan Now & Then” is presented in partnership with the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society.