Town officials are expected Tuesday to approve an approximately $150,000 contract to replace the roof on a historic structure located in Irwin Park.
Hundreds of people visit the Gores Pavilion each year through the New Canaan Museum & Historical Society, though major repairs have not been made to it for more than one decade, officials say.
Designed by Landis Gores, one of the Harvard Five architects who had been Philip Johnson’s associate on The Glass House, the Pavilion had been designed as a winter lodge and summer pool house for John Irwin and Jane Watson, and was dedicated in 1960 at surprise party arranged by Johnson in honor of Gores.
Under a 2007 agreement between the Historical Society and town, the municipality is responsible for major repairs to the Pavilion, including its roof, while the Historical Society pays for insurance, heat, utilities, and alarm systems. The 1,000-square-foot Pavilion is used as an art and architecture gallery.
This item appears on the agenda for the Aug. 3 meeting of the Board of Selectmen: “Gores Pavilion Roofing Project – Approval of a request from the Department of Public Works to enter into a contract with Alden Bailey for the removal and replacement of the slate roof, gutters and building painting for a cost of $138,310.00, plus a contingency of $13,800.00, for a total cost of $152,110.00.”
Historical Society Executive Director Nancy Geary called the Pavilion “an architectural gem that remains a critical part of the story of midcentury design in New Canaan.”
“I appreciate the town’s undertaking these much-needed repairs to keep it open for visitors and residents alike,” she told NewCanaanite.com.
In December 2019, town officials said they would apply for a Historic Restoration Fund Grant would provide matching funds for the roof project. About $60,000 of the work will be paid by the grant, according to the director of the Department of Public Works could not be reached for comment. The approved capital budget for the current fiscal year includes no funding for the building. The town’s Five-Year Capital Plan includes an approximately $38,000 earmark for fiscal year 2024.
Gores’s daughter, Liz Donovan, is a Town Council member.
Geary in a 2018 write-up described the Pavilion’s “enormous hinged glass façade and dramatic cantilevers.
“The façade columns draw their inspiration from Mies van de Rohe’s Barcelona pavilion,” she wrote. “The horizontal redwood boarding provides a heavy shadow pattern prevalent in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian houses, and a Prairie-style fireplace runs floor to ceiling. The galley kitchen looks out over what are now the walking trails of Irwin Park. The furniture was designed by legendary designer Jens Risom.”
The pool at the Irwin property was filled in when the town acquired the property from the heirs of IBM founder James Watson. The town had planned to demolish the Pavilion, but a small group of residents formed a Friends group and saved it.
[Note: This article has been updated with information from the director of Public Works.]
Anyone who has replaced a roof and painted a house knows that $152K is at least triple the price, if not more. I’m surprised that the town cannot see past there own nose.
there is a HUGE difference between slate and asphalt shingles. Let’s not compare apples to oranges next time.
Have you ever visited Gores Pavilion and toured both the indoor and outdoor spaces? It’s an architecturally historic building that will require great care and expertise in its rehabilitation/repairs — not to mention the need for high-end materials, like slate. They’re not just slapping on a coat of paint & a new roof. Luckily, grant money will help cover some of the cost. If you have done any significant home repairs within the past year, you’d be painfully aware of how expensive and scarce building materials AND contractors are these days.
What you guys are missing is the size of this building. It is only 1350 sq ft with large overhangs on the roof. It is a small project.
Agree – These contractors the town hires are way to much.