News

Open Space Advocates, Preservationists Eye 4.43-Acre Property with ca. 1750 Home That May Soon Hit the Market

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The owner of a ca. 1750 home on 4.43 acres on upper Valley Road says that the structure may soon go on the market—a noteworthy prospect for historic preservationists as well as the New Canaan Land Trust, which owns and maintains walking trails on an abutting property that also fronts the Grupes Reservoir. The first taxing district of Norwalk purchased 1124 Valley Road in February 2006 for $2.25 million, with the idea that it may move to that site an inconspicuous treatment plant now located near Silver Hill Hospital, according to James Fulton, the district’s attorney and owner of the parcel, as trustee. “We bought it and over the years, the more we considered it, we decided it probably wouldn’t be cost-effective to use it as part of the utility operation, which is why for years we’ve rented it out to residential tenants,” Fulton said. Though the district hasn’t made any firm decisions, “we are considering marketing the property for sale,” he added.

News

All Eyes on Roger Sherman Inn with New Prospect of Sale, Development

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As news spread this week of the Roger Sherman Inn hitting the market at $6 million, one major question that preservationists and other locals are asking concerns the Oenoke Ridge property’s future—specifically, whether the inn itself could face the wrecking ball, to be replaced by a housing complex of some sort. Mimi Findlay, chairman emerita of the New Canaan Preservation Alliance notes that in recent years, New Canaanites have lost the Melba Inn on Park Street, Maples Inn on Oenoke and Silvermine Tavern. “So sad for New Canaan, architecturally, culturally and personally—where do my in-laws stay when visiting us?” Findlay told NewCanaanite.com in an email. Though the 1.8-acre property at 195 Oenoke Ridge Road cannot be subdivided because it’s in a one-acre zone, Town Planner Steve Kleppin said, concerns linger about development under the Affordable Housing Appeals Act, a state law that allows developers to skirt local planning decisions by designating a certain percentage of units in a proposed development as affordable. The law is triggered in municipalities where less than 10 percent of the housing stock is considered “affordable,” by the state’s definition.

Government

Town Council to Preservationists on Waveny House: ‘The Public Needs Time’

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Saying any change to New Canaan’s most treasured asset merits inclusive and careful consideration, town officials on Wednesday called for a full public vetting of a proposal to place Waveny House on the National Register of Historic Places. In thanking the nonprofit New Canaan Preservation Alliance for its drive, research and conscientiousness in gathering information on what inclusion on the register could mean for the town (more on that below), members of the Town Council also agreed to proceed slowly in order to inform and hear from residents. Chairman Bill Walbert said that when New Canaan deals with a “treasure” such as Waveny House, “the public needs time to digest things.”

“As much as your group is absolutely to be commended for all the volunteer work you do to move this ball forward and the sincere interest you take in the historic facilities in this town, to preserve them for all of us—thank you so much–I think a political reality is when dealing with Waveny House, the public needs time to digest things,” Walbert said during a special meeting of the Town Council, held in the Douglas Room at Lapham Community Center. Ultimately the Town Council decided that it would further research what inclusion in the National Registry entails, offer the matter up for public hearing and make a formal decision no sooner than September. Addressing the council, NCPA President Rose Scott Long described inclusion on the National Register as “largely ceremonial” though “it does increase the recognition of an area’s historic relevance and encourages preservation.”

The nonprofit group in 2012 held a 100th anniversary celebration at Waveny House, attended by the actor Christopher Lloyd, a Lapham who grew up there.

News

Future of 1735 Ferris Hill Road Home Concerns New Canaan Preservationists

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Local preservationists say they’re concerned for the future of an antique home in New Canaan that changed hands in November. The 1735 home at 8 Ferris Hill Road—or 441 Canoe Hill Road (same parcel)—sits on 2.14 acres that sold six months ago for $1.25 million, tax records show. Town officials say the new owner had pursued a special permit that would’ve allowed him to build a second house on the same property—but that the application since has been withdrawn. “We’re very concerned, we are anxious but we have no solution, because at the moment there are no ordinances to protect the house in this situation,” said Mimi Findlay, founding president of the New Canaan Preservation Alliance, a nonprofit organization. Renderings posted on real estate websites depict what would be a new, 7,700-square foot home on the property—and a note that the 1735 home could be used as a guest or pool house.

News

New Canaan Preservation Alliance Recognizes Homes, Property Owners at Awards Ceremony

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Silver Hill Hospital, itself a collection of architecturally important buildings, bought River House—the structure closest to the road, seen first on the right for motorists traveling north on Valley Road—in 1945. For years, it served as the residence for the psychiatric hospital’s president. In the mid-1980s, Silver Hill started using it as a house for patients, and about two years ago, staff members realized that a reconfiguration was needed, according to Liz Moore, the hospital’s COO. “But we wanted to maintain the architectural integrity of the house because it’s just so beautiful,” Moore said form the ballroom at the Country Club of New Canaan on Sunday evening as dozens of residents and town leaders gathered for an event recognizing that preservation-minded mentality. “We are using the architect, Richard Turlington, that we’ve used for a number of our projects and the same construction team that we’ve also used on a number of our projects,” Moore told NewCananaite.com.