News

100 Years Later: Smith Ridge Homeowners Mark Historic Milestone for 1740s-Built Antique

By |

The “ghosts” of 1328 Smith Ridge Road began appearing soon after Jennifer Holme and David Markatos bought the historic home 16 years ago. A ca. 1742-built, wood shingle-clad house whose rich history stretches back six decades before New Canaan’s incorporation, the prominent maroon-colored structure sits close to the road—as is common for antiques—and is one of the last homes that northbound motorists pass before crossing into New York State. Holme, who works in finance, and Markatos, a lawyer, are northern Westchester natives and the house was the first they purchased together as a married couple. “What happened was, sort of serendipitously, whenever there was a high school reunion or things like that, we’d get letters in the mailbox from people who used to live here asking if they could stop by,” Markatos recalled on a recent afternoon, standing in front of an original mantle in this lovingly preserved front room (likely a classic salt box in its original construction).

Now & Then

SEARCH: History of New Canaan Street Names

By |

 

 

NewCanaanite.com has partnered with the New Canaan Historical Society on a digital Street Names Database that lets readers look up the origins of local street names online. With information drawn from a 1960 annual of the member-supported Historical Society, the searchable database is a drop-down menu (above) that captures information on how New Canaan streets got their names, in a snapshot from that year. The Historical Society has taken the further step of building out a completely updated list—should residents seek information that’s missing from the database (such as more modern street names) or want to review in greater detail what’s included in it—and that’s all available in the organization’s research library at 13 Oenoke Ridge Road (top of God’s Acre). We’ve created a new category, all the way on the right on the main navigation bar on the homepage called “Bookmarks” where we’ve filed this Street Name Database, so you can find it easily next time you’re looking:

This is a fluid database: If you have any memories, photos or information to share about street name history in New Canaan, please feel free to post a comment on this article or email editor@newcanaanite.com and we’ll incorporate it into the appropriate entry.

News

‘Consonance’ on Carter Street: Owners of Historic Silvermine Home Seek To Re-Assemble Barn

By |

Charles Robinson, owner and resident of one of New Canaan’s oldest and most prominent homes, has a ready analogy to explain the philosophy that he and his wife Sarah embrace as they make improvements to their property. In the nearly 20 years that the Robinsons have owned the 1737-built classic Connecticut saltbox at 4 Carter St.—long known to scores of New Canaanites as “the pumpkin house,” for its former painted color when clapboarded—the couple has taken great pains to respect the antique’s craftsmanship, heritage and aesthetic, preserving and achieving a harmony and consistency with the home that Charles refers to as “consonance.”

“Let’s say you are given a Bentley and it is a 1968 Bentley, the real deal, and it comes with all its flaws but there is also the original leather and handcrafted Bentley engine and all the panels are hand-beat it has been painted with real lacquer,” Robinson said on a recent morning, standing in a clearing on the south side of his property where, until last year, an irreparably sagging barn had stood. “When you have that and you are going to go to put new tires on it, instead of just saying, ‘I am going to go down to Mavis Discount Tire,’ you will stop first and say, ‘I at least better find out what kind of tires were original, and does it pay to do that from the standpoint of value, or am I better off from a safety and utility perspective to get radials and, if so, what radials?’ When you have something that is genuine and you know it is valuable, you stop before you just go paint it pink. You catch yourself and say, ‘With every move I make, I can hurt this if I do not do it as close to right as possible.’ ”

With that in mind, the Robinsons on Tuesday night will seek a Special Permit from the Planning & Zoning Commission that, if granted, will see them erect with some slight modifications an antique barn from Hancock, Mass., that they purchased and had disassembled and which now sits in a weather-protected pile in their yard. Technically, the permit they’re seeking is for a detached “garage” that will exceed 1,000 square feet—see page 53 of the regulations here.

News

Letter: ‘Thank You’ from Chamber for Successful Sidewalk Sale

By |

On Saturday July 18th the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce hosted the 50th Annual Village Fair and Sidewalk Sales. Thousands of bargain hunters and their families came downtown for a day of fun! With over 125 participating merchants and vendors there was plenty of entertainment, food and of course, bargains galore for everyone! The day, like any other big event, takes months and months of planning. The Chamber would like to thank our sponsors; William Raveis Real Estate, People’s United Bank, Karl Chevrolet, New Canaan YMCA, Bankwell, Kempo Academy of Martial Arts, Stamford Hospital, NC Parking Dept., NC Historical Society, the Pop UP Park Committee and the New Canaan Advertiser.

Around Town

Farewell, Margaret: Oenoke Ridge Family Loses Well-Loved, 300-Year-Old Apple Tree

By |

“You will always be in our heart … because in there you’re still alive.” —Angelina Hubertus, 8, writing to the apple tree ‘Margaret’ in her diary

The Hubertus family cannot say just how or when it settled on ‘Margaret’ in naming the apple tree by the driveway of this lovingly landscaped 4-acre Oenoke Ridge Road property. Yet at some point for Gregory and Linda Hubertus, and their 8-year-old daughter Angelina, Margaret’s eyes, nose and lips took shape in the tree’s knobby trunk, and there is something in the tree’s bearing and bark (the plant is estimated to be 300 years old) that animates, gives an impression of a living thing that is more than passive. Straightaway after purchasing this upper Oenoke property last summer and moving into its 1810-built house, the Hubertuses found themselves gathering near Margaret, turning toward her—Angelina and her friends pedaling their bikes around the tree last fall, family golden-doodle Barley playing on the snow piled up near the tree this winter, and Gregory just weeks ago voicing a plan to relocate some outdoor furniture in her ample shade. “Everybody loves this apple tree,” Linda told NewCanaanite.com on a recent morning.