By Thane Grauel
WESTPORT — The future of one of the town’s oldest houses appears in flux.
The owners of a 1756 house along the Saugatuck River — a structure older than the nation itself — are seeking to add another house to the property through a text amendment to the zoning regulations.
Whether that means the historic house at 125 Riverside Ave. would survive or be lost to other scenarios presented by the applicant, Rick Constantini of FLB Law, remains to be seen.
The 0.42-acre property, according to land records, is owned by the Nancy Richmond Coley Estate and Andrew F. Coley. It sits roughly across Riverside Avenue from Assumption Church and Burr Road, on the west bank of the Saugatuck River.
An application filed with the Planning and Zoning Commission seeks a text amendment to zoning regulations, more specifically the Historic Residential Structure regulation 32-18.
“Under the current regulations, the owner would be permitted to demolish the existing structure and construct a new residence with a 2,698-square-foot footprint,” the application states.
“The proposed text amendment would give the owner of the Subject Property … a new vacant lot with no historic residential structure. Under this scenario, the owner would be able to preserve the existing home while also developing a new lot.”
A “Lot Scenario Demonstration” document filed with the Planning and Zoning Commission shows what the property might look like under various scenarios, including the proposed text amendment. They include the existing house plus a new one with an accessory dwelling unit, and what a whole new construction might look like with the historic house gone.
The town’s Historic Resource Inventory states the house was built in 1756. It is in the Riverside Avenue Historic District.
The application is not yet listed on an agenda for the Planning and Zoning Commission, which meets next on Jan. 22.
Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 35 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.
Please don’t take our wonderful historical places away and make Westport look more like a city instead make it remain it as a New England town. I am shocked that the Historical Society would approve plan like this. Very sad and disappointing.
I think there is an error in this story. I don’t believe this property is in the Lincoln Street-Riverside Avenue Local Historic District. If it was, or if it was designated as a Local Historic Property, changes to this house would be subject to approval by the Historic District Commission. I think it is unlikely the Commission would approve of the demolition of this historically significant house. These are important designations owners should consider if they want to insure that their historic properties are preserved.
I tried to buy this house.
It is historic but I believe the owner of it never wanted it to be constrained by historic rules.. so it’s possibly not registered ? But I’m not sure. I did not buy it because the seller ( not the actual owner was looking for a hugely inflated number)
the house is stunning inside.
Might be the most magnificent example of a 1700’s home I have ever seen.
Albeit tiny and it was pretty obvious someone would look to build adjacent
They should be forced to not just keep but maintain the existing structure.
It would be a crime to let this fall down. It is in great shape.
Perhaps many have not noticed that those entrusted with historic preservation have abdicated that responsibility on the altar of….wait for it , DEI. The Westport Historical Society became The Westport Museum of History and Culture? Plaques around town were removed and replaced with politically correct narratives and trash removal in the streets of our town took a back seat to rainbow sidewalks. The beautiful Tavern on Main historic building was modernized to the point that it looks like a dozen other restaurants around Fairfield County. So, what are we to do? We must voice our objections, show up at town meetings, talk to our neighbors and take back our culture. Do you really want to live in a once beautiful town that celebrates every culture except yours? Think about it.
It seems the Left side of town has got it’s knickers in a bit of a twist. I am seeing quite a spate of comments from the usual suspects as well as a few other representatives of the righteously indignant on the subject of Victoria Wylie’s letter. I must say, the tenacity with which these individuals cling to their leftist ideologies despite the disastrous last three and a half years is impressive, if not admirable. I suspect they believe it makes them appear to be selfless, wonderful, generous paragons of virtue. I’m talking about you Darcy. I read your comments in an article by the esteemed Westport Museum, about your positive experiences with the homeless in some blighted community and the beauty that we, the altruistically deficient, are missing. Here’s an idea…move there and be surrounded by such beauty every day. After reading the entire cloying article I thought I might need an insulin shot and I don’t even have diabetes. As to the role of historical societies in towns, obviously they should exhibit interest and exert influence on their town’s planning and zoning boards to preserve their town’s architectural treasures. The problem is we don’t have an historical society, we have an organization dedicated to promoting individuals like Darcy Hicks, presumably some kind of town treasure (?).