Around Town

Va Va Vroom: Carriage Barn Arts Center Embraces, Celebrates Waveny Heritage in Upcoming Exhibition

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Since starting as co-directors of the Carriage Barn Arts Center 18 months ago, Eleanor Flatow and Arianne Kolb have noted how visitors to the Carriage Barn gallery react strongly when they learn of its original function at Waveny. Though locals tend to know well the grounds, mansion and individual outbuildings at the park, Kolb said, the way that those pieces fit together and tell the story of the Lapham family—the longtime owners of the property through the first half of the 20th Century, who kept horses, carriages and cars in the Barn—animates the familiar landscape and structures in new, profound ways. “When we explain what the space was used for, people have an ‘a-ha’ moment, where it makes sense in the bigger picture,” Kolb said. Starting next month, Carriage Barn Arts Center/New Canaan Society for the Arts will pay homage to that heritage in a new exhibition. “Va Va Vroom!

Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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One of New Canaan’s most prominent homes—the stately ca. 1910 Colonial at 275 Main St. (on the left as you climb toward the crest of the final hill toward town)—is hitting the market Tuesday at $2,695,000. From a website featuring the property, owned by Denise Gannalo: “The house on Main Street that you have been waiting for. This turn of the century timeless classic has been lovingly restored, renovated and updated with up to the minute elegance and detailed character.

News

‘A Beacon of New Canaan History’: Closely Watched Valley Road Antique Hits Market at $2.25 Million

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A ca. 1750 home that New Canaan open space advocates and historic preservationists have been watching closely for several months hit the market this week at $2.25 million. The “Grupe-Nichols-Brown House” at 1124 Valley Road—itself a well-preserved antique structure—also sits on 4.43 acres adjacent to a large, accessible New Canaan Land Trust property that fronts Grupes Reservoir. It’s owned by the first taxing district of Norwalk. Chris Schipper, president of the Land Trust, called the house “a beacon of New Canaan history.”

“It has stood there for over 250 years and is at the center of what was once a 200-acre farm that extended all the way across the Wilton line, so it is definitely an important preservationist property,” Schipper said.

Government

Limestone Fireplace at Waveny House Poised for $17,500 Cleaning, Thanks to New Canaan Preservation Alliance

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The grand fireplace that welcomes visitors to Waveny House is getting a $17,500 brush-up and restoration, thanks to the local nonprofit group that advocated successfully for New Canaan to pursue listing the beloved mansion and park grounds on the National Register of Historic Places. No government funds, state or federal, will be used to restore the limestone fireplace in the Great Hall at Waveny. The New Canaan Preservation Alliance has donated to the town $27,830 that it raised during a 100-year anniversary celebration of the historic Waveny House in 2012, and the major portion of that money will be used to restore the fireplace, officials said Thursday. “I’m excited to get this thing going and it will be a real nice addition when you walk into that building to see that fireplace in good shape,” First Selectman Rob Mallozzi said as the Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 to allocate the funds, during a special meeting held in the Training Room at the New Canaan Police Department. Restoring the fireplace has been a goal of the NCPA since it began last spring navigating town approvals for a separate effort—the National Register listing.

Government

Preservationists Respond to Town Council’s Concerns about Listing Waveny on National Register of Historic Places

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The local nonprofit organization advocating to list Waveny—the main house, outbuildings and grounds—on the National Register of Historic Places, said in an open letter to town officials that its own members are seeking only to serve as fundraisers and expert advisors on the hugely popular public park. In a Dec. 5 letter to the Town Council, New Canaan Preservation Alliance President Rose Scott Long addressed the municipal body’s concerns about the nonprofit’s “authority, control and involvement” in overseeing capital projects or improvements at Waveny. “The Alliance would have no authority or control, but would like to be involved as a fundraising entitiy and as a source of preservation knowledge and expertise either from within the Alliance or by facilitating networking between the Town and entities with preservation expertise,” the letter said. It follows the Town Council’s Nov.