Connecticut’s Historic Character Lost (Westport, Ridgefield: new house, floor, garage)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hartford and West Hartford are pretty well preserved.
The New construction in CT (MA and RI too) is not painfully generic as it is in points NJ and south. Although, you pay for it... new construction is 2-3x more expensive in New England than say, NC or TN.
I lived in Northern NJ for many years and there is a type of development one sees in the NE, including CT. Some of it works like this:
1. Farm or woods converted to office park. Trees are planted all around enormous parking lots surrounding a three story building with strip windows. Residents are comforted by the trees and told the "character" of the community is being preserved.
2. Ye Olde Dutch Bank or Ye Olde CVS. These are all along the road and use gambrel roofs over drive-thru pharmacies.
3. Ye Olde Dutch Townhouses behind Ye Olde Dutch Shopping Center. This is where the "affordable" housing goes and where the police visit most often.
4. Casa Grotesqua. A McMansion of 6,000 SF with 7 different types of windows and enormous driveway where 7 SUVs are parked next to a moveable plastic basketball net.
5. Ye Olde Mill or Ye Old School condominium with Ye Olde Charming Name "Olde Woods Condominium". Gutted 19th C. building that once made useful things and employed most of the community now the home of retired people and stay-at-home Tik Tok influencers.
And there you have it, 2021 in historic preservation.
I lived in Northern NJ for many years and there is a type of development one sees in the NE, including CT. Some of it works like this:
1. Farm or woods converted to office park. Trees are planted all around enormous parking lots surrounding a three story building with strip windows. Residents are comforted by the trees and told the "character" of the community is being preserved.
2. Ye Olde Dutch Bank or Ye Olde CVS. These are all along the road and use gambrel roofs over drive-thru pharmacies.
3. Ye Olde Dutch Townhouses behind Ye Olde Dutch Shopping Center. This is where the "affordable" housing goes and where the police visit most often.
4. Casa Grotesqua. A McMansion of 6,000 SF with 7 different types of windows and enormous driveway where 7 SUVs are parked next to a moveable plastic basketball net.
5. Ye Olde Mill or Ye Old School condominium with Ye Olde Charming Name "Olde Woods Condominium". Gutted 19th C. building that once made useful things and employed most of the community now the home of retired people and stay-at-home Tik Tok influencers.
And there you have it, 2021 in historic preservation.
This made me chuckle, because it’s so true in Ridgefield, CT. I do appreciate the Ye Olde CVS style though - much nicer than a big ugly box with red trim.
5. Ye Olde Mill or Ye Old School condominium with Ye Olde Charming Name "Olde Woods Condominium". Gutted 19th C. building that once made useful things and employed most of the community now the home of retired people and stay-at-home Tik Tok influencers.
And there you have it, 2021 in historic preservation.
I believe something similar to that is about to happen to the old G&B mill in Georgetown.
A law was passed in Trumbull about 10 years ago says you can not change the exterior of a historic house on the State Main Roads in the town. You can open up a business in a historic house and change the interior on some of the main roads but not the exterior.
"The proposed use for residential properties in residentially zoned areas determined to be historically significant that do not contain a pre-existing nonconforming use shall be limited to residential and professional office uses as described in section 2.1.4 of these regulations. Proposed uses shall take sole access from a road designated as a State Highway by the Connecticut Department of Transportation."
It has to get a review by the historical society in Trumbull.
"The structure or group of structures proposed for adaptive reuses must either have a pre-existing nonconforming use and/or have been determined to be of potential historic significance by a Historical Review Committee/Demolition Review Committee to be created by the Town. The determination of potential historic significance by this Committee shall adhere to standards established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation." https://www.trumbull-ct.gov/Document...f-Trumbull-PDF
If left up to zoning boards alone....... bye bye historic houses.
This made me so sad. The New Hartford House has stood at the center of New Hartford for more than 120 years. Such a beautiful building. Reports this morning showed the building completely gone in a pile of rubble. So sad. Jay
It looks like the owner of the historic but now demolished New Hartford House has plans to build a new structure in its place. The proposed building will replicate some of the historic details of the original structure. That includes the original buildings distinctive clock tower. Gone will be the ornate second floor porch across part of the facade. Also where the original New Hartford House was 2 1/2 and 3 stories, the new building will be 3 1/2 stories to accommodate a retail first floor and three levels of apartments above. While not as distinguished as the original, it certainly is a good step in that direction. Jay
It looks like the owner of the historic but now demolished New Hartford House has plans to build a new structure in its place. The proposed building will replicate some of the historic details of the original structure. That includes the original buildings distinctive clock tower. Gone will be the ornate second floor porch across part of the facade. Also where the original New Hartford House was 2 1/2 and 3 stories, the new building will be 3 1/2 stories to accommodate a retail first floor and three levels of apartments above. While not as distinguished as the original, it certainly is a good step in that direction. Jay
I wish we’d do what Europe does. Historic buildings are rebuilt to a T.
Sorry about that. Thought it was for everyone. Here’s some excerpts:
Quote:
CONNECTICUT
A 2021 fire destroyed a cherished landmark. Now there’s hope for the New Hartford House.
By Don Stacom
Hartford Courant
•
Jul 21, 2022 at 6:00
By adding an additional floor of apartments, the owner of the fire-ravaged New Hartford House believes he can replace the 124-year-old landmark with something that looks very similar.
Dhaval Patel is pursuing a plan that would put up a new mixed-use building on the same site in New Hartford’s center, replicating many of the original structure’s distinctive feature.
Patel gave town officials a preliminary look at his idea last month, and they’re hoping that he will file a formal zoning application before the summer ends.
During the information presentation in June, though, Patel’s consultants said they still must ensure that the plan is financially feasible and that financing will be available.
Residents have been clamoring for redevelopment of the property, with widespread preference for something that would re-create the unique appearance of the original.
The three-story brick and wood New Hartford House defined the town center and was known for its distinctive clocktower as well as the second-story covered balcony that stretched above the Main Street sidewalk.
For nearly 30 years it housed Chatterly’s, a popular restaurant that was the heart of New Hartford night life.
“Everybody in town looks at it as the center of New Hartford,” town Historical Anne Hall said the day after an early morning fire tore through the building on Aug. 10 of last year. “You’ll see that building on postcards going all the way back.”
No residents were hurt, but apartment tenants and first-floor businesses lost virtually everything in the blaze.
Patel and the town brought in contractors to haul away truckloads of debris, and the property has been a grass field ever since.
The Town of New Canaan is restoring its historic The Playhouse on Elm Street. The nearly century old movie theater has been closed for two years since its previous operators, Bow Tie Cinemas, walked away from their lease of the theater. Nice to see that the town is doing that. It is a beautiful building. Jay
This was a good 1800’s house preservation effort. I’m honestly not sure of the backstory but I’m guessing it was more pressure from the city that got it done, rather than a generous developer.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Jay
