WELCOME NEW CANAAN A GUIDE FOR NEWCOMERS
COMPLIMENTS OF THE NEW CANAAN BOARD OF REALTORS速
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Architectural & Interior Design
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 8
LETTERS OF WELCOME From Arlene Bubbico, president of the New Canaan Board of Realtors ; Robert E. Mallozzi III, First Selectman; and Tucker Murphy, Executive Director, New Canaan Chamber of Commerce ®
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TIME TRAVEL This is how New Canaan evolved from an early New England settlement of farmers and shoemakers to the sophisticated suburban community it is today.
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DRIVER’S SEAT Here’s a snapshot of the governing system that keeps New Canaan running smoothly.
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WELLNESS FACTOR Because New Canaan residents have access to highly ranked medical facilities and fitness programs, they get quality care of body and mind.
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NATURAL PLAYGROUND It’s not far from Manhattan, and New Canaan with its beautiful parks and outdoor spaces is close to nature.
Published by Moffly Media Publisher: Jonathan Moffly Editor: Jeanne Craig Art Director: Molly Cottingham Production Director: Kerri Fice Account Executive: Hilary Hotchkiss Contributing Writer: Judy Ostrow
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CREATIVE TWIST New Canaan may be a relatively small town in size, but it’s big on arts and entertainment.
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THE EDUCATION EQUATION With top-ranked public schools and excellent private institutions, New Canaan has many fine lessons to impart.
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PLAY IT UP Whether your passion is ballroom dancing, tending a garden or hitting the links, there’s a club in New Canaan for your favorite pastime.
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4 • welcome to new canaan
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 42
THE HEART OF NEW CANAAN New Canaan’s walkable village is the town’s crown jewel and discovering its charms is effortless.
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HELPING HANDS Residents in this town always find the time to make community service a priority.
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SOCIAL NETWORK New Canaan has more than its share of cultural events, benefits and entertainment options for residents of all ages.
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HOUSES OF WORSHIP There are many places for the faithful to gather, and some of these buildings are historic landmarks.
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NATURAL ARTISTRY How did an icon of American architecture approach landscape design? As a tour at the Philip Johnson Glass House reveals, he took it to a high art.
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LIST OF REALTORS®/INDEX OF ADVERTISERS NEW CANAAN IN A NUTSHELL Here’s a brief history of our town in a tidy timeline.
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6 • welcome to new canaan
TOWN PROFILE
letter from the president
WARM WELCOME I
am honored to have the opportunity to welcome you to our special town of New Canaan. As a Realtor®, it’s my privilege to offer homes for sale in such a unique village and to have the opportunity to share with you all that I love about it. New Canaan encompasses some 22 square miles and is bordered by Darien, Norwalk, Stamford, Wilton and Pound Ridge, New York. In addition, it’s located close to Manhattan, just 41 miles away. With a population just under 20,000, this community has become a popular place to call home. While the downtown village is known for the variety of fine shops, restaurants and services, New Canaan is also home to numerous historic landmarks, including Waveny House built in 1912 for the family of Lewis Lapham, one of the founders of Texaco. It sits in Waveny Park, where you’ll find children’s sports activities, a town swimming pool, paddle courts, a dog park and the senior center at Lapham Community Center. Other interesting locations include the Little Red Schoolhouse—the
8 • welcome to new canaan
last one-room schoolhouse in use in Connecticut—and the Philip Johnson Glass House. Our town’s education system is one of the best in the country. New Canaan High School, for instance, has produced outstanding athletes and leaders in business, communications and the arts. For those who prefer a private education, New Canaan has a number of private and parochial schools ranked among the finest in the East. The New Canaan Library is the hub of the community and boasts a broad series of educational programs for adults and children, plus computer classes, book clubs and cutting-edge technology. New Canaan offers programs for infants to seniors and every age in between. Our residents work hard to ensure we all have the opportunity to enjoy life here. Services and facilities for seniors include Waveny Care Center, New Canaan Inn, Staying Put and Getabout, which provides van transportation. Our young residents are entertained and enriched by the best recreational programs
for miles around. For active families, public and private clubs offer riding, swimming, tennis and golf. New Canaan also is a great place to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Our town boasts a number of open spaces and parks, including 250 acres at Waveny, 24 acres at Mead Memorial in the heart of town, and 36 acres at Irwin Park. There’s also the New Canaan Nature Center, Mill Pond and Kiwanis Park with its man-made beach. We’re also proud of our local arts community that includes the Town Players of New Canaan, Summer Theatre of New Canaan, Silvermine Arts Center, New Canaan Society for the Arts and numerous dance and performance schools and studios. New Canaan truly is a community with something for everyone. We’re pleased to welcome you.
Arlene Bubbico President New Canaan Board of Realtors®
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letter from the first selectman
PRIDE OF PLACE G
reetings from New Canaan. I hope it’s evident as you explore our lovely town why it's earned the nickname, “The Next Station to Heaven.” Ideally situated at the end of its own Metro-North Railroad branch line, New Canaan remains a haven from the hustle and bustle of the I-95 corridor. Easy access to major Fairfield County communities and Manhattan make this an ideal location for commuters and families alike. One of the biggest draws in New Canaan is the downtown business center. It’s a true village setting that conjures up images of our Colonial New England heritage, yet it offers a sophisticated mix of retail shops and restaurants that rivals any experience anywhere. Our homes and properties are well maintained and most of our churches are found within a short walk from town, on a hilltop setting affectionately known as God’s Acre. It’s not just the downtown village that makes New Canaan so special. This is a place that’s filled with the spirit of volunteerism and involvement. There are hundreds of organizations here that serve the needs of the town through the efforts of residents who are generous with their time and talents. These services are diverse, from the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps to our parent teacher councils. Combined, these
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organizations make New Canaan the unique community it is. Working in unison with our board of selectmen, town council and board of finance, all of our community assets ensure that New Canaan operates efficiently and in the best interest of all. New Canaan residents are perhaps most proud of their excellent school system, which is always the priority of an annual budget discussion. The town supports education to the greatest extent possible. While we strive to keep taxes at an affordable level, we all recognize that the investment in our children’s education is a moral responsibility and not an option. The same philosophy holds true in the financial support of the emergency services, human services, recreation and public works departments of New Canaan. Low taxes, a picturesque New England village, excellent schools and public services, along with a responsive government, have been the recipe for success here in New Canaan. I hope you will join our community. And drop by to say hello when you do! I look forward to meeting you.
Robert E. Mallozzi III First Selectman
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letter from the chamber of commerce
ABOUT TOWN I
would like to welcome you to New Canaan, which is a special community in so many ways. The mission of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce is to connect the community with commerce. We do this every day as we promote the quintessential New England downtown experience through local events. Residents will often say how proud and fortunate they feel to live here. New Canaan was incorporated in 1801 and was originally known as Canaan Parish. Today, this vibrant and charming town remains distinctive for its manicured landscapes and grand architecture. With a reputation as a wonderful place to raise a family, New Canaan is also rich in history and it boasts a bustling downtown that is an enjoyable place to shop, play and dine. It's also a fabulous place to visit. Ranked a top walking town in Fairfield County, our village offers residents and visitors an array of retail options. Boutique shops line the streets and share the stage with high-end commercial stores. Here you’ll
12 • welcome to new canaan
find cutting-edge fashion, top-of-the-line home goods, one-of-a-kind gifts and everyday lifestyle products and services. Dining options abound, from breakfast nooks, pubs and bistros to ethnic food to fine dining. The food scene is quite extraordinary. Community activities include the Annual Village Fair & Sidewalk Sale, a 45-yearold summer event that continues to bring out the entire town. Dazzling fireworks at Waveny Park are a Fourth of July tradition. The Halloween Parade is a trick-or-treater’s delight, and the popular Holiday Stroll is a favorite for children of all ages. We invite you to visit New Canaan. Experience a New England town with a style and sensibility that is all its own, but here for all to enjoy.
Tucker B. Murphy Executive Director New Canaan Chamber of Commerce
Keith E. Simpson Associates, Landscape Architects, welcomes new homeowners to New Canaan and thanks New Canaan Realtors for recommending us to property owners for more than thirty years. Thinking of making changes to your property?
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history clockwise from right: Students break for lunch outside The Little Red Schoolhouse in 1953; the Benedict-Eels-Thatcher house is the oldest home in New Canaan; vintage wheels on a parade route through town
TOP: NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY; BOTTOM: JANE BIELES
TIME TRAVEL W
ith its gentle valleys along the Five Mile and Silvermine Rivers, its woods, fields and stone walls that enhance the landscape, New Canaan is home to about 20,000 residents. The rural geography that attracted the first European settlers still provides this sophisticated suburban community with a beautiful country setting for its many fine residential neighborhoods.
THE EARLY DAYS Most New England towns set up their original settlements around a common pasture that has become familiar to us as the green. But the 18th-century settlers of the 22.2-square-mile area that became New Canaan scattered their houses widely, moving to the north “country” portion of the two towns of Stamford and Norwalk, where they still
New Canaan evolved from an early New England settlement of farmers and shoemakers to the sophisticated suburban community it is today voted, paid taxes and attended religious services. In 1731, with the population increasing, the households were granted their first identity as Canaan Parish by the colonial legislature, enabling the settlers to form a Congregational church and build a meetinghouse. The well-kept patch of grass at the entrance to the business district—where Main Street, Park Street and Oenoke Ridge meet— is New Canaan’s unique version of the traditional green. Positioned across Park Street from the current Congregational Church, and now also flanked by the First Church of Christ Scientist to the south and west and St. Michael’s Lutheran Church to the east, this space has been known for more than two centuries as God’s Acre. It was purchased in 1773 by two members of Canaan Parish for the use of all parish residents as a burying ground, only now it functions as
welcome to new canaan • 15
a readily identified landmark and site of the town’s annual holiday tree and menorah. The first minister hired by Canaan Parish was the Reverend John Eells, whose home still stands on Carter Street, adjacent to the Silvermine district of New Canaan. Built in 1724 and known today as the Benedict-EellsThatcher House, it’s the town’s oldest home and is currently a private residence. It’s one of a number of antique houses that still stand on Carter Street and in the surrounding area, though many have been significantly modified over the years.
TOWNSHIP AND GROWTH Seventy years after Canaan Parish was designated, the Connecticut General Assembly granted the petition of the everincreasing number of parish residents, and in May 1801 incorporated the town of New Canaan—New because the town of Canaan in Litchfield County had been incorporated in 1739. As the state decreed, New Canaan held its first town meeting on June 29, 1801, and a town government was organized with three of its prominent citizens. Captain Isaac Richards, Dr. Joseph Silliman and Col.
16 • welcome to new canaan
clockwise from left: God’s Acre today; Cody’s Drugstore on Main was in business for 120 years; the railroad station, a key element in the town’s growth, now and then
Joseph Seely were appointed first, second and third selectmen. Town history began in earnest. While most of New Canaan’s early inhabitants farmed for their own needs, many householders also had useful trades—weaver, shoemaker, carpenter—with the work or goods involved enabling families to barter or earn cash to obtain materials they couldn’t grow or make themselves. In the early to mid-1800s, shoemaking was a profitable and widespread industry. Businesses centered around the process—bark mills, tanneries and shops where shoemakers’ apprentices assembled the various shoe parts and often boarded—started to spring up around what is now the town’s center and business district. As early as 1818, a newspaper report credited the town with an annual output of
approximately 50,000 pairs of shoes. With the bustling shoe trade and more businesses opening in what was becoming a commercial center, in 1825 the town voted an extra tax of 2.5 cents on the dollar for a year to finance the building of the first town hall, known locally as the Town House. It currently serves as the library on the campus of the New Canaan Historical Society. One critical factor for the town’s growth was the completion of a railroad branch line to New Canaan in 1868; it travels the same route today. With the station and terminus on Elm Street (which was then called Railroad Avenue), the train ran to Stamford, connecting from there to the Connecticut shore towns and New York City. The rail line location ensured that the surrounding properties would evolve as the town’s hub,
THIS PAGE: TOP LEFT, BARBARA CLEARY’S REALTY GUILD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS, NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPPOSITE PAGE: NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
history
and it also created a convenient mode of transportation for agricultural products and manufactured goods out of town to the larger commercial centers. Most significantly, train service became the pathway for a new generation of residents, lured from the cities by New Canaan’s country charms. Captains of industry, bankers and prosperous merchants built large new summer homes, many of them along two of the town’s ridges—Smith and Oenoke—with panoramic views. Wanting to socialize among themselves, the newcomers founded the New Canaan Field Club, and then its successor, the Country Club of New Canaan. Many of the part-timers grew to love the place, and eventually made New Canaan their year-round home. Perhaps this first wave of estate building inspired the town’s widespread reputation as “The Next Station to Heaven.”
MODERN TIMES The 20th century brought more change, but New Canaan’s population grew slowly, and many working farms remained; the 1930 census recorded 5,456 residents. However, this gentle pace began to accelerate with the opening of the Merritt Parkway in 1938, with three exits to roads leading into town. The improved accessibility prompted an influx of new homeowners.
Following the Great Depression, when many farms were sold off, and the post-World War II era, when housing demand expanded, a large portion of New Canaan’s open land became available for development—and develop it did. Among those who set their sights on creating new housing options were a group of architects from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Philip Johnson, Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Eliot Noyes and Victor Christ-Janer all moved to New Canaan before 1950. The homes they built for themselves and for others, along with designs by their Modernist colleagues, have made New Canaan the site of the largest inventory of what have become known as Mid-Century Modern houses in the Northeast. Johnson’s own iconic Glass House on Ponus Ridge is now a national landmark and a popular museum, and good economic circumstances have made the restoration and preservation of many other pieces of New Canaan residential history a reality. The town continues to evolve, as its rural beauty remains unchanged. New homes now rival the size and presence of those vintage summer estates along Smith and Oenoke Ridges. But comfortable homes of all sizes and vintages share the rolling fields and rocky outcrops. For empty nesters and families starting out, a variety of
Philip Johnson in 1949
condominiums have now become attractive options; most are centrally located. As always, New Canaan today fulfills its promise for great schools and extensive and reliable town services. It boasts a lively retail district with century-old businesses like Walter Stewart’s market and Weed & Duryea sharing sidewalk space with chic clothing shops, design boutiques, art and antique galleries and highly rated restaurants. As convenient as ever to New York City, it promises a future enhanced by the same amenities that graced its past—natural beauty and a relaxed and appealing community. •
Weed & Duryea, one of town’s oldest businesses, opened in 1868.
welcome to new canaan • 17
town government
DRIVER’S SEAT
Here’s a snapshot of the governing system that keeps New Canaan running smoothly
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ew Canaan’s government has evolved from the original and traditional New England structure that was used in 1801. It consisted of a town meeting, plus an executive body of three selectmen. Today’s town government is a more complex system that accommodates New Canaan’s growth and the needs of a modern community, but the three-member board of selectmen—consisting of the first selectman and two other members who are elected every two years—stills acts as the executive body for the town. The board directs the administration, setting policy and conducting daily business. The town clerk and treasurer, along with the first selectman (who holds a full-time, paid position), are the town’s executive officers. Replacing the town meeting system is a town council that consists of 12 at-large members. This representative body is responsible for ordinances and appropriations. Council members serve for four years, and half of the council comes up for re-election every two years. Overseeing the fiscal affairs of the town is the nine-member board of finance, one of just a handful of finance boards in the state that are appointed by the Board of Selectmen. The First Selectman acts as the chair of this body. Among other responsibilities, the board reviews and approves the annual budget, and sets the tax rate. For its size and residential character,
18 • welcome to new canaan
New Canaan’s tax rate is low when compared with other towns, but at the same time, the town has an enviable reputation for the quality of its school system and provides a high level of amenities and services to its townspeople. New Canaan has historically been a well-managed municipality, and enjoys Moody’s highest Aaa rating. The town’s grand list is one of the highest in the state relative to its population. About two-thirds of its residents are active registered voters, with just over half registered as Republicans, 20 percent as Democrats, 28 percent unaffiliated and the remainder enrolled in minority parties. With a major renovation in progress as this publication went to press, the new Town Hall
offices, located on Main Street, will be sure to reflect the care and stewardship of the town government for the people it serves. (A rendering of the renovated building is shown at the bottom of the page.) For more information on town departments, their functions and personnel, visit New Canaan’s official website at www.newcanaan.info. •
Rendering of the new Town Hall
health + fitness
WELLNESS FACTOR Because New Canaan residents have access to highly ranked medical facilities and top-flight fitness programs, they get quality care of body and mind
I
n New Canaan, you’ll find yourself situated for convenient access to a range of services that allow you to develop and maintain good health. Located geographically between two excellent hospitals, and with a wealth of programs for exercise and fitness, the town offers its residents numerous options for quality care at any age. Close to the town’s southern border, NORWALK HOSPITAL is a 328-bed, notfor-profit, acute-care community hospital with more than 500 physicians on its active medical staff, many of whom trained at
College of Physicians and Surgeons. Now in the process of constructing a brand-new, state-of-the art medical facility, the hospital has numerous recognitions for its services and specialties, which include cancer care, heart services, orthopedics and women’s health. Stamford Hospital’s main campus on Shelburne Road is part of a regional network of the hospital’s facilities that includes Tully Health Center and Darien Imaging Center. Both Stamford and Norwalk hospitals are verified as Level II trauma centers by the American College of Surgeons. The town of New Canaan runs its own VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE CORP (it’s 100 percent volunteer), which provides 24/7 service, 365 days a year. EMTs are
PHOTOS: COURTISY OF NORWALK HOSPITAL AND SILVER HILL
Silver Hill
the nation’s leading medical schools and hospitals. It is also a teaching facility of the Yale University School of Medicine, and ranks among the nation’s leading hospitals in providing top-notch surgical and heart attack care. Norwalk Hospital, an affiliate of the Western Connecticut Health Network, also operates a walk-in care facility, as well as blood draw and imaging services, on East Avenue in New Canaan. West of town is the 305-bed STAMFORD HOSPITAL a member of the New YorkPresbyterian Healthcare System and a major teaching affiliate of the Columbia University
Norwalk Hospital
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state-certified (recertified every two years), and the Ambulance Corps has a contract with Norwalk Hospital to provide the services of a paramedic around the clock; the paramedic stationed at the corps headquarters at all times responds to emergency calls in the organization’s fly car, which follows the ambulance to all calls where such services may be required. The
22 • welcome to new canaan
corps’ three ambulances provide emergency transportation to Norwalk and Stamford hospitals, at no cost to residents. Within the town’s borders is a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility for older adults and those affected by illness and injury. WAVENY CARE CENTER offers short- and longterm stays, and adult day care. The center also includes a special long-term unit for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of memory loss, called The Village at Waveny Care Center. Respite care, geriatric evaluation and home care services are part of the center’s newly named Life Care Network, all described on the center’s website. Also in New Canaan is SILVER HILL, a nationally recognized, nonprofit hospital for the treatment of psychiatric and
addictive disorders. Built in 1931, it’s located on a beautiful 42-acre country campus. Beyond medical and other health needs is a wide range of offerings for improving and maintaining fitness and well-being. The NEW CANAAN YMCA, for instance, has served the fitness needs of the town’s residents for 60 years and continues to provide programs for all ages. Around town, there are personal training services, specialized programs in yoga or Pilates, and a range of other options for exercise, improving nutrition and increasing wellness. Some of these local names include OXYGEN FITNESS on Pine Street and 360 FITNESS on Grove Street, although there are a number of others. See a sampling of resources in the chart below. •
MEDICAL & HEALTHCARE
LOCATION
PHONE
WEBSITE
NORWALK HOSPITAL
34 MAPLE ST. NORWALK
203.852.2000
NORWALKHOSPITAL.ORG
STAMFORD HOSPITAL
30 SHELBURNE RD. STAMFORD
203.276.1000
STAMFORDHOSPITAL.ORG
VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE CORPS
182 SOUTH AVE.
203.594.3535
NCVAC.ORG
WAVENY CARE CENTER
3 FARM RD.
203.594.5200
WAVENY.ORG
SILVER HILL HOSPITAL
208 VALLEY RD.
866-542-4455
SILVERHILLHOSPITAL.ORG
FITNESS & WELL-BEING
LOCATION
PHONE
WEBSITE
NEW CANAAN YMCA
564 SOUTH AVE.
203.966.4528
NEWCANAANYMCA.ORG
HEALTH & FITNESS INSTITUTE (AT TULLY HEALTH CENTER)
32 STRAWBERRY HILL CT. STAMFORD
203.276.4567
STAMFORDHOSPITAL.ORG/HEALTHFITNESS-INSTITUTE.ASPX
360 FITNESS
45 GROVE ST.
203.966.6166
BE360FIT.COM
FITNESS TOGETHER
33 EAST AVE.
203.966.1044
FITNESSTOGETHER.COM/NEWCANAAN
GO FIGURE STUDIO
18 ELM ST.
203.966.8662
GOFIGURESTUDIO.COM
INFINITY FITNESS
70 PINE ST.
203.987.6449
INFINITYFITNESSGYM.COM
KEMPO ACADEMY OF MARTIAL ARTS
16 FOREST ST.
203.594.6886
KEMPOKARATECT.COM
MOVEMENT DESIGN PILATES
11 BURTIS AVE.
203.972.3438
MOVEMENTDESIGNPILATES.COM
OXYGEN FITNESS
22 PINE ST.
203.920.1400
OXYGENFITNESSCT.COM
PRYORITY WELLNESS CENTER
167 SOUTH AVE.
203.594.1552
PRYORITYWELLNESS.COM
SARASWATI’S YOGA JOINT
12 BURTIS AVE.
203.594.9060
SARASYOGAJOINT.COM
The strength of a
Regional Center for Health It is the strength of patient-centered care combined with innovative procedures and advanced medical technology. The strength of partnerships and collaboration with the region’s leading physicians. And the strength of a never-ending mission to bring access to the highest quality care to every community we serve. This is the strength that makes Stamford Hospital The Regional Center for Health. 1.877.233.WELL (9355)
StamfordHospital.org
parks + recreation
NATURAL PLAYGROUND It’s not far from Manhattan, and New Canaan with its beautiful parks is also close to nature
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Waveny Park
Performing Arts Center and The Carriage Barn Arts Center, which is used for art exhibits. MEAD MEMORIAL PARK is another year-round outdoor public space. Located on Park Street, it features lighted and unlighted baseball fields and tennis courts, picnic areas, baseball batting cages, a popular playground and a lighted pond where residents can skate in winter. The Lodge at Mead Park offers food service for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with an open-air eating area and terrace overlooking the ball fields. Open June through August, KIWANIS PARK is the town’s original swimming facility. At its
core is a large, spring-fed manmade pond that’s surrounded by a sandy beach. In addition to swimming, the park has a pavilion with snack bar and picnic area, as well as a regulation size basketball court and play structure. Located at the intersection of Weed Street and Wahackme Road, 36-acre IRWIN PARK draws joggers and walkers. While you’re out there burning calories, be sure to check out the restored Gores Pavilion on the property as it’s an example of the Mid-Century Modern architecture that New Canaan is so famous for. Gores Pavilion is maintained by the New
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE NEW CANAAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ew Canaan boasts a number of wellappointed parks, each with special features for residents who like to experience nature and enjoy the great outdoors. Playing fields, tennis and paddle courts, running and hiking trails, swimming pools and spots for relaxation all have a place in the town’s inventory of pretty places for public recreation. Some of the facilities require permits, which are available to residents through the town’s Recreation Department. With 250 acres, WAVENY PARK is the town’s largest park, anchored by Waveny House at its center. The mansion, built in 1912 for Texaco founder Lewis Lapham, houses the Recreation Department and has been the setting for many weddings (the space can be rented) and a number of films. (It’s Tudor-style exterior was used to depict Cortlandt Manor on the soap opera All My Children and figured in the 2004 remake of The Stepford Wives.) There’s something at Waveny for nearly everyone. The park contains three and a half miles of jogging/walking trails; fields for soccer, baseball and softball; the artificial turf Water Tower Field; and lots of open space. There are also platform tennis courts and Waveny Lodge, the adjacent paddle hut. The swimming facility features a 50-meter lap pool, a kiddie pool and pavilion. Residents with canine companions enjoy SPENCER’S RUN, a dedicated dog park. Waveny is also home to the Powerhouse
parks + recreation NEW CANAAN PARKS NEW CANAAN RECREATION DEPARTMENT 677 SOUTH AVE., WAVENY HOUSE 203.594.3600 WAVENY PARK 677 SOUTH AVENUE MEAD PARK 241 PARK STREET IRWIN PARK 848 WEED STREET
Bristow Bird Sanctuary
Canaan Historical Society, which sponsors events and exhibits MILL POND PARK has a large pond that’s frequented by ducks during the warmer months. The pond is lit for ice skating in winter; in April each year it’s stocked with fish for the annual George Cogswell Memorial Fishing Derby that’s open to children ages 15 and under. Off Old Stamford Road, tucked away in the woods, is the BRISTOW BIRD SANCTUARY, a tiny jewel of a park. It’s not just for watching birds, as there are walking trails and benches for contemplation. (One way to find it is to walk through a gate at Mead Park, behind the baseball fields.) Another small treasure among local facilities is the OLIVE AND GEORGE LEE MEMORIAL GARDEN, three acres of woodland gardens located on Chichester Road. It was entrusted to the Garden Center of New Canaan by the late George Lee and is maintained by the New Canaan Beautification League. For a quick diversion, children will like the playground at ED DIXON MEMORIAL PARK off Hoyt Street. No discussion of great outdoor spaces would be complete without an admiring mention of BLISS PARK, the 40-acre nature preserve on
Oenoke Road that was donated to the town by Susan Bliss. On the park grounds is the nonprofit NEW CANAAN NATURE CENTER, home to ongoing programs of nature education for residents of all ages and the location of the Fall Fair, a longstanding New Canaan tradition. Trails and grounds are open from dawn to dusk and admission is free to the public. Visitors are welcome to enjoy an arboretum and a variety of gardens, including the Sally Waters Herb Garden, James L. Crider Memorial Bird and Butterfly Garden, the Swallen Wildflower Garden and Susan B. Hanson Memorial Naturalists’ Garden. Youth sports have an important place in the town’s recreational activities. In addition to New Canaan High School’s strong and respected teams, various local organizations field teams in many age groups for youth and flag football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, baseball, softball and travel basketball. THE NEW CANAAN YMCA has a variety of instructional programs for children. Among the offerings at this outstanding facility are basketball, gymnastics, tae-kwon-do, flag football, baseball, golf, squash and racquetball. The YMCA and most teams have websites with information about registration and schedules. •
KIWANIS PARK OLD NORWALK ROAD AT HOLLY ROAD MILL POND PARK MILLPORT AVENUE & EAST AVENUE BRISTOW BIRD SANCTUARY OLD STAMFORD ROAD & OAK GROVE PLACE OLIVE & GEORGE LEE MEMORIAL GARDEN 89 CHICHESTER ROAD ED DIXON MEMORIAL PARK HOYT ST. & E. MAPLE ST. NEW CANAAN NATURE CENTER 144 OENOKE RIDGE • 203.966.9577 NEWCANAANNATURE.ORG
YOUTH SPORTS NEW CANAAN YMCA 564 SOUTH AVENUE • 203.966.4528 NEWCANAANYMCA.ORG NEW CANAAN BASEBALL & SOFTBALL NEWCANAANBBSB.COM CHALLENGER BASEBALL (FOR CHILDREN 5 THROUGH 18 WITH CHALLENGES IN DARIEN AND NEW CANAAN) DYBS.ORG NEW CANAAN SOCCER ASSOCIATION WWW.NEWCANAANSOCCER.ORG NEW CANAAN FOOTBALL (ALSO OFFERS CHEERLEADING PROGRAMS) NEWCANAANYOUTHFOOTBALL.ORG.LEAG1.COM NEW CANAAN FLAG FOOTBALL LEAGUE NCFFL.INFO NEW CANAAN LACROSSE ASSOCIATION NCLAX.ORG NEW CANAAN YOUTH FIELD HOCKEY NEWCANAANYOUTHFIELDHOCKEY.COM NEW CANAAN TRAVEL BASKETBALL NCBAHOOPS.ORG
26 • welcome to new canaan
arts + culture
CREATIVE ITWIST IV VEE
New Canaan may be a relatively small town in size, but it’s big on arts and entertainment
I
t’s no secret that New Canaan residents are lovers of art and creatures of culture. The area’s visual beauty and proximity to Manhattan attract creative types as well as their fans. World-class violinist Aaron Rosand has called New Canaan home, and celebrated sculptor Solon Borglum had roots here, too. Nearly a century ago, Borglum helped found the SILVERMINE ARTS CENTER, a major creative hub that began as an artist’s colony. Today, the center’s school teaches about 4,500 students annually and has more than 300 members, with five galleries that showcase contemporary exhibitions. A few years ago, Silvermine opened a sculpture walk on the grounds. It’s no wonder this venue is considered by many to be the epicenter of visual arts in Fairfield County. It receives 12,000 visitors each year and has been named Best Gallery in Moffly Media’s Best of the Gold Coast awards. Exhibitions, held every six weeks, are free and open to the public. The music scene also is flourishing with the WAVENY CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY. Well into its fourth decade, the organization engages talented, burgeoning musicians to perform at the Carriage Barn Arts Center, many of whom go on to successful careers in world-class venues. The 19th-century historic stone Carriage Barn is renowned for its outstanding acoustics. THE CARRIAGE BARN ARTS CENTER, run by the New Canaan Society for the Arts and located on the grounds
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Silvermine Arts Center
of Waveny Park, is the venue for up to eight premier art exhibitions each year, including three major juried events—the annual photography show among them. The lovely, open space lends itself to all manner of events, and is available for rental, with funds raised dedicated to supporting arts programs. The Carriage Barn Arts Center also offers educational programs for children, which include outreach classes to youth in Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford.
RESOURCES ARTS FOR HEALING 203.972.2982 • ARTSFORHEALING.ORG BUTLER FINE ART 203.966.2274 • BUTLERFINEART.COM CARRIAGE BARN ARTS CENTER 203.972.1895 • CARRIAGEBARN.ORG HANDWRIGHT GALLERY & FRAMING 203.966.7660 • HANDWRIGHTGALLERY.COM HEATHER GAUDIO FINE ART 203.801.9590 • HEATHERGAUDIOFINEART.COM MRK FINE ARTS 203.972.3115 • MONICARICHKOSANN.COM NEW CANAAN DANCE ACADEMY 203.972.9174 • NCDACADEMY.COM
NEW CANAAN NATURE CENTER 203.966.9577 • NEWCANAANNATURE.ORG NEW CANAAN SCULPTURE ASSOCIATION 203.966.9181 NEW ENGLAND ACADEMY OF DANCE 203.972.3265 • NEADANCE.COM PERFORMING ARTS CONSERVATORY OF NEW CANAAN 203.966.6177 PERFORMINGARTSCONSERVATORY.COM ROCKWELL ART & FRAMING 203.594-7177 ROCKWELLARTANDFRAMING.COM SILVERMINE ARTS CENTER 203.966.9700 • SILVERMINEART.ORG SCHOOL OF ROCK NEW CANAAN 203.594.7870 NEWCANAAN.SCHOOLOFROCK.COM SUMMER THEATER OF NEW CANAAN 203.966.4634 • STONC.ORG THE NEW CANAAN LIBRARY 203.594.5000 • NEWCANAANLIBRARY.ORG THE OUTBACK, NEW CANAAN TEEN CENTER 203.594.3074 • NEWCANAANOUTBACK.ORG THE STUDIO PERFORMING ARTS 203.966.7056 THESTUDIOPERFORMINGARTS.COM TOWN PLAYERS OF NEW CANAAN 203.966.7371 • TPCN.ORG WALTER SCHALK SCHOOL OF DANCE 203.762.7508 • WALTERSCHALK.COM WAVENY CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY WAVENYCHAMBERMUSICSOCIETY.BLOGSPOT.COM
30 • welcome to new canaan
Performance arts have a big following in New Canaan too, and a long history in town—community theater productions date as far back as the 1880s. You can catch popular musicals and plays for children at the SUMMER THEATER OF NEW CANAAN, where regional performers act alongside Broadway pros to provide top-notch, professional productions. A main draw of the organization is the education program. It offers a junior company for middleschoolers, internships for high school and college students, plus a program for those with special needs. Summer is the main season, with productions executed in an open-air theater with tent. For a drama fix, check out the TOWN PLAYERS OF NEW CANAAN at the POWERHOUSE THEATER in Waveny Park. This venue became a dedicated theater in 1983 after serving as a power plant for Thomas Hall’s Prospect Farm. Today, it boasts 115 seats and recently renovated sound and lighting systems. Another stone in the foundation of the town’s commitment to culture is the NEW CANAAN LIBRARY. Its modest size belies the scope of its services. With a large collection of both print and digital resources, the library is on the forefront of technology in the county. It’s committed to the community’s intellectual life, too, as the event schedule proves. The library regularly
hosts author talks, lectures, workshops, painting, sculpture and photography exhibits, as well as a range of children’s programming. Yet even with all of the options for intellectual stimulation, the library is a great place to just kick back and relax, with its friendly staff, numerous working areas and comfortable seating. You can’t have a discussion about the town’s culture without mentioning the NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. It boasts eight museums and historical buildings, seven of which date to the 19th century or earlier. Thus, visitors can learn of the town’s rich history in a special way. The Historical Society also houses a research library and has a busy schedule of events, programs and exhibitions. One of the most popular events hosted by this nonprofit is the annual Ice Cream Social, featuring the New Canaan Town Band, antique cars, vintage games, costumes and, of course, ice cream! The Augusta Simon Room showcases the paintings of longtime resident Augusta Simon, who depicted historical New Canaan using memory and photographs. Founded in 1889 by New Canaan’s first families, members of the Historical Society are dedicated to preserving this community gem that is now well into its fifth generation. These are just a few of the fabulous resources around our town that are guaranteed to inspire you. •
PHOTOGRAPH BY JANE BEILES
NEW CANAAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 203.966.1776 • NCHISTORY.ORG
New Canaan Library
COUNTRY DESIGN We offer complete design services and the largest selection of design sources in Fairreld County, including an extensive fabric library. Designers welcome. CARPETING · WALLCOVERINGS · UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE · FABRIC · ACCESSORIES · LIGHTING
150 Elm Street New Canaan, CT 203.966.9131 Monday - Saturday 10-5
schools
THE EDUCATION EQUATION With top-ranked public schools and excellent private institutions, New Canaan has many fine lessons to impart
T
hough small in size and charmingly suburban in character, New Canaan has traditionally placed a high value on education. It offers a broad range of opportunities for learning, from preschools to courses in adult education, which rival and surpass the options available in much larger towns. Once upon a time, New Canaan’s public education system consisted of eleven small districts with tiny schools—the Little Red School House on Carter Street, built in 1868 and closed in 1957, was one of these. Today, the three elementary schools, middle school and high school that comprise the town-wide district are ranked as high-performance institutions. They’re in the top echelons
32 • welcome to new canaan
of public education in the state and nation. With about 4,100 students—more than 82 percent of the town’s school-age children attend public school—the district boasts a 97.7 percent graduation rate. More than 96 percent of graduates pursue postsecondary education, many at the country’s most competitive colleges and universities. In 2013 the district ranked first in the state, based on the frequency of top-tier performance on the Connecticut Mastery Tests (CMT, grades 3 through 8), and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT, 10th graders). In all subtests, elementary students in New Canaan public schools performed
schools at the top of the reference groups. The class of 2013 performed admirably on their SATs, too, with a mean total score of 1,774 out of 2,400 points. NCHS students consistently score among the highest in the state. The district has also been recognized by the College Board for its increase in participation in the Advanced Placement Program. In 2013, 94 percent of all students who sat for AP assessment earned a passing score of 3, and 46 percent earned a top score of 5. New Canaan has been singled out by Forbes Magazine and other organizations that rate upscale communities for the quality of its public schools. Underlying the noteworthy student statistics is a rich academic and arts curriculum, a robust program of extracurricular activities, including sports, and a Board of Education that retains a highly trained teaching staff, with more than 93 percent holding a master’s degree or above. It’s obvious that teachers, administrators and support staff all take seriously the district motto: “Continuously working to develop learners and citizens who
have the competence, character and courage to change the world.” Supplementing the academic program and its rigorous standards, the elementary schools offer before and after-school programs; Saxe Middle School runs its after-school programs with school, town and private agencies. Other after-school choices include a kindergarten through sixth-grade program at the New Canaan YMCA. Another one run by the Day Care Center of New Canaan serves the same grades. In addition to New Canaan’s strong K-12 public program, choices are rich for a preschool program. Prior to entry into kindergarten, children can be enrolled for early education at a dozen local nursery schools, including a specialized and inclusive preschool program run by the district and hosted at West School. New Canaan also has private and parochial schools: New Canaan Country School, serving preschool through grade 9; St. Luke’s School for grades 5 through 12; and St. Aloysius School, kindergarten through grade 8. There
are several other private school options in adjoining communities (see resources), including King Low Heywood Thomas (also known as King) in Stamford. Outside of school, there are many opportunities for educating the whole child. Silvermine Arts Center offers classes in a wide range of media and there’s training in music and dance in town. While the school district’s adult education program is carried out in conjunction with Stamford Public Schools (stamfordadulted .org) the Lapham Center at Waveny Park is the setting for dozens of mind- and lifeexpanding courses for grown-ups, from music instruction and art history to foreign languages and cooking. For those interested in higher education, several options can be found within a short commute. Norwalk Community College, Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, the University of Connecticut at Stamford and Fairfield University are all nearby. •
NEW CANAAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
LOCATION
PHONE
EAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
54 LITTLE BROOK ROAD
203.594.4200
SOUTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8 FARM ROAD
203.594.4300
WEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
769 PONUS RIDGE ROAD
203.594.4400
468 SOUTH AVENUE
203.594.4500
NEW CANAAN HIGH SCHOOL
11 FARM ROAD
203.594 .4600
BOARD OF EDUCATION WWW2.NEWCANAAN.K12.CT.US
39 LOCUST AVENUE
203.594 .4000
MIDDLE SCHOOL SAXE MIDDLE SCHOOL
HIGH SCHOOL
welcome to new canaan • 33
schools
34 • welcome to new canaan
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
LOCATION
PHONE
WEBSITE
NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE 9
635 FROGTOWN
203.972.0771
COUNTRYSCHOOL.NET
ST. LUKE’S SCHOOL GRADES 5 THROUGH 12
377 NORTH WILTON RD.
203.966.5612
STLUKESCT.ORG
ST. ALOYSIUS SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 8
33 SOUTH AVENUE
203.966.0786
STALOYSIUSSCHOOL.NET
JUST NEXT DOOR
LOCATION
PHONE
WEBSITE
CANAAN RIDGE SCHOOL PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE 4
2810 LONG RIDGE RD., STAMFORD
203.322.7191
CANAANRIDGESCHOOL.ORG
CONNECTICUT FRIENDS SCHOOL PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE 8
317 NEW CANAAN RD. WILTON
203.762.9860
CTFRIENDSSCHOOL.ORG
KING PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE 12
1450 NEWFIELD AVE., STAMFORD
203.322.3496
KLHT.ORG
THE LONG RIDGE SCHOOL PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE 5
478 ERSKINE RD., STAMFORD
203.322.7693
LONGRIDGESCHOOL.ORG
PEAR TREE POINT SCHOOL PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE 5/6
90 PEAR TREE POINT RD.
203.655.0030
PTPSCHOOL.ORG
DARIEN
We’re very Thoreau. At our vernal pond, students observe frog life cycles, make their own maps and discover great literature. Our 75-acre campus means no child is left inside. No wonder our graduates go to their top choice of schools.
New Canaan Country School Begin Here, Go Everywhere
635 Frogtown Road • New Canaan, CT 06840 203-972-0771 • admissioninfo@countryschool.net www.countryschool.net An independent school for Beginners through Grade 9
Start Your Journey A co-ed college preparatory school serving students PreK-12.
1450 NEWFIELD AVENUE STAMFORD, CT (203) 322-3496, EXT. 350 ADMISSION@KLHT.ORG WWW.KLHT.ORG
welcome to new canaan • 35
schools
PRESCHOOL & NURSERY SCHOOLS
LOCATION
PHONE
WEBSITE
DAY CARE CENTER OF NEW CANAAN
156 SOUTH AVE.
203.966.9247
DAYCARECENTERNC.ORG
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH NURSERY SCHOOL
178 OENOKE RIDGE
203.966.5234
FPNS.NET
NEW CANAAN COMMUNITY NURSERY SCHOOL
77 OLD NORWALK RD.
203.966.3010
NCCNS.ORG
NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL
635 FROGTOWN RD.
203.972.0771
COUNTRYSCHOOL.NET
NEW CANAAN NATURE CENTER PRESCHOOL
144 OENOKE RIDGE
203.966.9577
NEWCANAANNATURE.ORG
NEW CANAAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS PRESCHOOL
769 PONUS RIDGE
203.594.4598
NCPS-K12.ORG
PLAYLAND NURSERY SCHOOL & DAY CAMP
802 PONUS RIDGE
203.966.2937
PLAYLANDNURSERYSCHOOL.COM
TODDLERTIME NURSERY SCHOOL
23 PARK STREET
203.972.3111
TODDLERTIMENS.ORG
TOT SPOT
87 OLD STAMFORD RD.
203.972.3161
TOTSSPOTNEWCANAAN.COM
UNITED METHODIST PRESCHOOL
165 SOUTH AVE.
203.966.3176
MNSKIDS.ORG
Y’S LITTLE OWL NURSERY SCHOOL
564 SOUTH AVE.
203.966.4528
NEWCANAANYMCA.ORG
36 • welcome to new canaan
“We used to be little fifth graders running around the halls. It was impossible to imagine what we were going to look like and where we would be going. Now, we have grown friendships we will cherish forever. How blessed we are to have called St. Luke’s our home.” Graham Mink ’13
Beyond
University of Wisconsin, Division I and Nationally Ranked Rower Quote & Photo from Graham’s Upper School “Meditation” Speech
St. Luke’s is a college-preparatory, secular day school for grades 5-12. info@stlukesct.org | 203.801.4833 | www.stlukesct.org
The day camp with the away camp atmosphere Communication, Collaboration, Creativity Leadership Skills for the 21st Century
Transportation provided
Swimming, Archery Boating, Fishing Baseball, Karate Zip-Line, Tennis Theater, Arts Science, Golf Lacrosse, Soccer Basketball, Gaga Music, Special Events
Providing a safe, fun, instructional summer for campers ages 3-14
www.campplayland.com Located: 802 Ponus Ridge Owners / Directors Gary and Steve Bloom
(203) 966-2937 info@campplayland.com
welcome to new canaan • 37
clubs
PLAYIT UP
Whether your passion is ballroom dancing, tending a garden or hitting the links, there’s a club in New Canaan for your favorite pastime
B
THE NEW CANAAN BEAUTIFICATION LEAGUE was founded (as the Garden Center of New Canaan) in 1939. Started with the purpose of beautifying the community and educating its members about gardening and horticulture, it continues to follow that mission today; membership is open to all, from novice to experienced gardener. Monthly lectures and programs are held October through June, and unless otherwise noted, the public is welcome. The group also sponsors garden tours, field trips and beautification projects around town. Organized in the seventies for men who are winding down their careers and want to have some fun in each other’s company, the SENIOR MEN’S CLUB OF NEW CANAAN is open to men age 55 and up. The club’s monthly schedule is packed with offerings, starting with Friday morning meetings with a speaker and a lunch every fourth Friday. Also on the roster are sports and active outings— tennis, paddle, golf, biking and walking—plus a mystery book club, “Couth Trips” for cultural exploration near and far, and much more. For those who enjoy an elegant social evening— with dinner, dancing and a fantastic band—the NEW CANAAN DANCE CLUB has been hosting these events since 1965. Dancing skill is not a prerequisite
38 • welcome to new canaan
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eing able to gather with like-minded friends is part of what the good life in New Canaan is all about. The town has a varied assortment of membership clubs for learning, sport, relaxation and social connection that fill the need for pleasant company throughout the year.
clubs for participating in three dinner dances a year—two are cocktail attire events, one is the traditional holiday black-tie affair. All dances are held at local country clubs, in New Canaan and surrounding communities. The club currently has a membership of more than 100 and welcomes newcomers and longtime residents alike. Dating back to 1893, when a group of New Canaan families established it as a field club on Oenoke Ridge, THE COUNTRY CLUB OF NEW CANAAN is one of the nation’s oldest country clubs. Its membership soon outgrew its first limited space, and the club moved in 1897 to its current location adjoining Smith Ridge. That year, four playable golf holes were built, and a series of improvements over time resulted in an idyllic local institution. In addition to a beautiful 18-hole course, the club offers its members use of a pool, tennis courts, paddle tennis, a squash facility, well-appointed locker rooms, a pro shop and fine and casual dining facilities.
New Canaan Mounted Troop
THE NEW CANAAN WINTER CLUB was organized in 1957, when a handful of local families got together to create a facility that would guarantee a place for hockey practice and games, and also provide ice time for figure skaters. Not only does the club have a fastidiously groomed rink (the season runs from Thanksgiving until March), but it also maintains winter skating on adjacent Hardon Pond. Programs for skills development are extensive, and there are hockey teams for skaters from kindergarten through adult. Consult the club’s website for comprehensive information. Members of the NEW CANAAN FIELD CLUB enjoy tennis and aquatic activities in spring and summer, paddle tennis from fall through spring and year-round social events. Facilities include
welcome to new canaan • 39
clubs RESOURCES NEW CANAAN BEAUTIFICATION LEAGUE 203.972.3410 • NEWCANAANBEAUTIFICATION.ORG NEW CANAAN DANCE CLUB NEWCANAANDANCECLUB.VPWEB.COM NEW CANAAN FIELD CLUB 164 SMITH RIDGE ROAD 203.966.6879 •NC-FC.COM NEW CANAAN MOUNTED TROOP 22 CARTER STREET 203.966.0634 • NEWCANAANMOUNTEDTROOP.ORG NEW CANAAN WINTER CLUB 604 FROGTOWN ROAD 203.966-4280 • NCWINTERCLUB.COM SENIOR MEN’S CLUB OF NEW CANAAN SMCNC.ORG THE COUNTRY CLUB OF NEW CANAAN 95 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD • 203.966.3513 CCOFNEWCANAAN.ORG
ten Har-Tru tennis courts, four lighted platform courts, a 25-meter, six-lane pool with a diving well, wading pool and playground for the littlest members, and social pavilions for entertaining. A performing arts program for younger members and activities for small children are offered in the summer. Located on fifteen picturesque acres on the New Canaan-Wilton border, THE LAKE CLUB offers its members facilities and programs for tennis, paddle tennis, swimming, diving and canoeing. Members also participate in a number of club-sponsored events in summer, plus paddle socials during the winter season. For a family’s young equestrians, the NEW CANAAN MOUNTED TROOP is the last remaining unit of the Junior Cavalry of America, and takes as its mission the building of leadership, responsibility and confidence. The troop provides a hands-on learning experience, emphasizing teamwork. The curriculum focuses on skills and equine care. Most horses and ponies are owned by the troop, and its state-of-the-art facilities on Carter Street provide a beautiful setting for members from ages 7 and up, who learn and experience the joys of horsemanship. As these are all membership organizations, requirements and application processes vary from club to club. With so many local clubs for enthusiasts of all kinds, you’ll be able to keep busy doing the things you love. •
40 • welcome to new canaan
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THE LAKE CLUB 165 THAYER POND ROAD/WILTON 203.762.5600 • THELAKECLUB.ORG
Welcome to New Canaan!
Honesty. Integrity. Service. Trust. Since 1927.
261 Elm St., New Canaan, CT
1-800-321-5275 Mon & Thurs ........... 8 am - 8 pm Tues, Wed, Fri ......... 8 am - 6 pm Saturday ................. 8 am - 5 pm
www.karldirect.com
Rolph ScaRlett 1 8 9 1 - 1984
BUTLER FINE ART 134 E LM S TREET , N EW C ANAAN , CT 06840 203-966-2274 WWW . B U T L E R F I N E A RT . COM
GEOMETRIC ABSTRACT, GOUACHE ON PAPER, 10
1/4
X
12
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1944
welcome to new canaan • 41
downtown
THEOF HEART HNEWEART CANAAN The walkable village is the town’s crown jewel, and discovering its charms is effortless
W
hen the first investors in the New Canaan Rail Road Company christened their branch line to Stamford on Independence Day in 1868, they had no way of knowing what they had set in motion. Their intent was to open the sleepy little town that surrounded the new terminal to commerce, and perhaps attract a few summer visitors. The result was much larger, and more enduring, than they could have imagined back then. The station—a landmark that’s still as picturesque today as when the first train departed—has become the town’s epicenter. Because New Canaan is the train’s first stop and a rider’s best chance of finding a good seat, the line is a big draw for residents who commute to New York City. However, the area that surrounds the station is far more than a retail hub. This pedestrian-friendly district has a wealth of offerings to enhance every facet of the good life, for townspeople and visitors of all ages. The modest grid of walkable, two-lane streets is lined with a tempting assortment of restaurants, plus an impressive variety of independent, family-owned shops, top-notch national retailers and a range of service businesses, all in just a few village-scaled blocks. Here, without flashy signage or fastmoving traffic, everything is contained in well-kept, humanscaled and incredibly charming storefronts—some more than a century old. It’s no wonder that film and photo scouts have found the town to their liking for print and television ads, as well as movies. If there were awards for Most Beautiful Village
42 • welcome to new canaan
downtown Chef Brian Lewis at Elm
in America, New Canaan would undoubtedly win a top prize. On any weekend, locals will see plenty of New York license plates alongside their neighbors’ Connecticut tags. With a village center so compact and full of things to do, it’s easy to spend a day or evening (or both) in New Canaan without ever moving the car.
FOODIE’S FAVORITE A walk through the village center will reveal many dining options; the town’s growing reputation as a foodie’s paradise is part of the reason that so many out-of-town and even out-of-state patrons wind up in
New Canaan. On Main Street, CHING’S TABLE, with its varied menu of Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai flavors, has been widely recognized as one of the state’s best Asian restaurants. Nearby on Forest Street, you might want to treat yourself to a meal at GATES; the style is Mediterranean, Sunday brunches are legendary and this colorful place has been serving up lunch and dinner, seven days a week, for more than 30 years. On a warm evening, sit outside at CAVA WINE BAR & RESTAURANT, which features many Italian menu items, and, as its name suggests, a great selection of wines. If Southwestern flavors stir your taste buds, another beloved New Canaan
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Pimlico
Here, without flashy signage or fast moving traffic, everything is contained in incredibly charming storefronts— some more than a century old.
institution, TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD, can satisfy a yen for nachos, margaritas and more. For locavores, THE FARMER’S TABLE is tiny in square footage, but offers widely praised, big-flavored and ever-changing menus made with farm-fresh, mostly Connecticut-grown and raised ingredients. BALDANZA on Elm has a mouthwatering selection of meals made from organic ingredients. Another specialist in seasonal, locally sourced cuisine is Chef Brian Lewis and his team at ELM on the village thoroughfare that shares the restaurant’s name.
Boulevard 18
downtown
Looking for a friendly pub? Try CHERRY STREET EAST. A charming French bistro? BOULEVARD 18 on Main is a great stop. A few yards farther down the street, an imposing brick structure looks as if it might be a bank. In fact, it was, until 2001, when the owners morphed the high-ceilinged interiors into a magical setting for THALI, where Chef Prasad Chirnomula creates his unique presentations of Indian cuisine. The pastime of dining out in New Canaan may not have begun at the ROGER SHERMAN INN, but this beautiful spot nestled just outside the central district has been a go-to place for romantic dinners and special occasions for many decades. Originally built as a private home in the 1700s, then expanded and remodeled in the mid-1800s, it was first opened as an Inn in 1925. It is now owned by restaurateurs Joseph and Nes Jaffre, and features an elegant menu with many fine French favorites, as well as lighter options for dining in the cozy bar. There’s a deli, diner or pizza shop on nearly every street—JOE’S on Locust Avenue was the first pizzeria in town, opening its
New Canaan’s downtown has carefully protected its small-town scale, all the while maintaining its unique style. doors in 1967— and they make up another segment of the village’s food offerings. Takeout counters at these restaurants also ensure the convenient reality of no-cook meals for many busy households. If you’re browsing the latest bestsellers at ELM STREET BOOKS, don’t forget ROSIE next door—accessible right through the bookstore—for a snack, lunch, take-home dinner or sweet dessert. It’s hard to stroll anywhere in the village where the aromas of something delicious don’t tempt a close look.
STAYING POWER One facet of New Canaan’s village charm is the longevity of many of its businesses. VARNUM’S PHARMACY, which recently moved
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44 • welcome to new canaan
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welcome to new canaan • 45
A kitchen by Deane
from its old quarters on Main Street to a new location on East Avenue, opened in 1854 and is the oldest independently owned and continuously operated pharmacy in the country. WEED & DURYEA, a hardware and lumberyard, does business with local builders and contractors in the same location where it was moved by Francis Weed late in the 19th century. WALTER STEWART’S MARKET, founded in 1907 by the great-grandfather of the store’s current proprietor, is still the primary grocer for many New Canaan families. And FRANCOS WINE MERCHANTS opened its doors at its current location on Elm Street the day Prohibition ended, in December 1933. The Francos take pride in offering a wide selection of boutique and well-known wines and spirits. One part of the retail district’s appeal is the preservation of what makes it special; at the same time, the town accommodates changes
46 • welcome to new canaan
that help this community hub thrive. New Canaan’s mix of big brands and independent purveyors of specialty merchandise gives the village center a vibrancy that would be hard to duplicate elsewhere. Billboard names such as J. CREW, RALPH LAUREN and ANN TAYLOR have a presence here, but their village shops, by design, fit seamlessly side by side with smaller boutiques and pocket-sized eateries. New Canaan’s downtown has carefully protected its small-town scale, all the while maintaining its unique style. For clothing, FAMILY BRITCHES caters to the casual-but-sophisticated country customer, with inventory for men, women and boys. WALIN & WOLFF has a sensational selection of high-end women’s shoes for all occasions. THE WHITNEY SHOP has furnished layette items and unique gifts for weddings, anniversaries and housewarmings for a few generations, with a selection that manages to delight, year after year. These stores are joined by a number of specialty shops that fill most homeowners’ needs. A Saturday stroll will amp up your wish list. For fine jewelry, visit HENRY C. REID. You’ll find antiques and quality consignments at SEVERED TIES, while THE LINEN SHOP has a great assortment of bed and bath linens. Home furnishings are at any one of half a dozen stores catering to interior design shoppers, including COBBLE COURT, THE SUMMER HOUSE, PIMLICO and COUNTRY DESIGN, which also offers design, construction and renovation services. For the children, a variety of clothing shops, two
Pop Up Park
toy stores, plus MACKENZIE’S for candy and GELATISSIMO ARTISAN GELATO or BASKIN ROBBINS for something cold, give them special stops to look forward to. There’s so much to see and the walkable shopping district makes it incredibly easy to browse and discover.
TAKE A STROLL Walking around town for the sheer joy of it is yet another possibility. Flanked at one end of Main Street by the Historical Society—where Main intersects with Oenoke
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welcome to new canaan • 47
downtown
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RESOURCES New Canaan is a world-class shopping and dining destination. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find. RESTAURANTS BOULEVARD 18 62 MAIN STREET 203.594.9900 BOULEVARD18.COM CAVA WINE BAR & RESTAURANT 2 FOREST STREET 203.966.6946 CAVAWINEBAR.COM CHEF LUIS 129 ELM STREET 203.972.5847 CHEFLUIS.NET CHERRY STREET EAST 45 EAST AVENUE 203.594.1515 CHERRYSTEAST.COM CHICKEN JOE’S 151 ELM STREET 203.972.2100 ORIGINALCHICKENJOES.COM CHING’S TABLE 64 MAIN STREET 203.972.8550 CHINGSTABLECAFE.COM CONNECTICUT MUFFIN CO. 108 MAIN STREET 203.972.7557 CONNECTICUTMUFFIN.COM GATES RESTAURANT & BAR 10 FOREST ST. 203.966.8666 GELATISSIMO ARTISAN GALATO 26 FOREST STREET 203.966.5000 GELATISSIMOARTISANGELATO.COM JOE’S PIZZERIA 23 LOCUST AVENUE 203.966.2226 JOESPIZZANEWCANAAN.COM LOCALI PIZZA BAR & KITCHEN 32 FOREST STREET 203.920.1440 NEW CANAAN DINER 18 FOREST STREET 203.594.7595 PRDFAMILY.COM PINOCCHIO PIZZA 115 MAIN STREET 203.966.8805
48 • welcome to new canaan
ROGER SHERMAN INN 195 OENOKE RIDGE 203.966.4541 ROGERSHERMANINN.COM
SKIRTIN AROUND 7 ELM STREET 203.801.9669 SKIRTINAROUND.COM
ROSIE 27 ELM STREET 203.966.8998 ROSIECATERING.COM
SUBURBAN COUTURE 110 MAIN STREET 203.438.5237 SUBURBANCOUTURE.COM
SOLÉ 105 ELM ST. 203.972.8887 ZHOSPITALITYGROUP.COM/SOLE
TOGS 66 ELM STREET 203.972.2871 TOGSCT.COM
SUSHI 25 25 ELM STREET 203.966.1009
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TEQUILA MOCKINGBIRD 6 FOREST STREET 203.966.2222 TEQUILAMOCKINGBIRDNC.COM THALI 87 MAIN STREET 203.972.8332 THALI.COM THE FARMER’S TABLE 21 FOREST STREET 203.594.7890 FACEBOOK.COM/FARMERSTABLE VICOLO PIZZA & TRATTORIA 62 MAIN STREET 203.966.4966 VICOLOPIZZATRATTORIA.COM
SHOPPING CLOTHING FOR HER ANN TAYLOR 59 ELM STREET 203.966.0354 ANNTAYLOR.COM
JOS. A. BANKS 70 MAIN STREET 203.966.3993 JOSBANK.COM FAMILY BRITCHES 39 ELM STREET 203.966.0518 FAMILYBRITCHES.COM JACK SPADE 143 ELM STREET 203-966-5272 JACKSPADE.COM JACK WILLS 136 ELM STREET 203.920.4149 JACKWILLS.COM J.CREW 24 ELM STREET 203.966.5142 JCREW.COM RALPH LAUREN 51 ELM STREET 203.972.3114 RALPHLAUREN.COM
DOROTHY MANN 78 ELM STREET 203.972.8589 DOROTHYMANN.COM POTPOURRI DESIGNS/ LYN EVANS 103 ELM STREET 203.972.3620 WWW.LYNEVANS.COM SARA CAMPBELL 137 ELM STREET 203.966.5488 SARACAMPBELLWEBSITE.COM
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Ridge—and at the other end by the town’s large and always busy public library, even a short amble will reveal some local treasures. The Historical Society’s collections can literally introduce a visitor to the fabric of New Canaan, via its extensive archives of antique clothing. The library offers many ways to connect with a passion: Readings by bestselling (and often local) authors; lectures; Monday movies; book groups; and children’s story hours are just a few of its many programs. In between, the dedicated merchants and businesses in the village center are always developing ways to tempt a visit. In addition to an annual sidewalk sale that features delightful bargains, New Canaan has preserved its traditional Holiday Stroll on the weekend after Thanksgiving and added such entertainments as the Taste of the Town Stroll in August to welcome residents back from their vacations and celebrate the many flavors of its restaurants. In summer, watch for the Pop-Up Park at South and Elm, with its chairs, tables, umbrellas and entertainment. •
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FOR CHILDREN CANDY NICHOLS 99 MAIN STREET 203.972.8600 CREWCUTS (J. CREW FOR CHILDREN) 1 ELM STREET 203.801.0164 JCREW.COM LITTLE JOHN’S 120 ELM STREET 203.966.2466
COFFEE ROASTER ZUMBACH’S GOURMET COFFEE 77 PINE STREET 203.966.2704 ZUMBACHSCOFFEE.COM
SEAFOOD FISHTALES SEAFOOD 53 EAST AVENUE 203.966.6300 FISHTALESSEAFOOD.COM FJORD 22 EAST AVENUE 203.966.2200 FJORDFISHMARKET.COM
WINE & SPIRITS
RALPH LAUREN CHILDREN’S STORE 115 ELM STREET 203.966.2035
FRANCO’S 130 ELM STREET 203.966.9571 FRANCOSWINE.COM
SHOES
NEW CANAAN WINE MERCHANTS 36 PINE STREET 203.972.0100 NEWCANAANWINE.COM
NEW BALANCE NEW CANAAN 128 MAIN STREET 203.801.0050 STORES.NEWBALANCE.COM SHOES ‘N’ MORE 121 ELM STREET 203.972.8484 SHOESNMORE.COM WALIN & WOLFF 33 ELM STREET WALINANDWOLFF.COM
FOOD GOURMET/HEALTH/ SUPERMARKET BALDANZA MARKET & CAFÉ 17 ELM STREET 203.966.4000 BALDANZABC.COM GARELICK & HERBS 97 MAIN STREET 203.972.4497 GARELICKANDHERBS.COM NEW CANAAN HEALTHFARE 2 MORSE COURT 203.966.5400 NEWCANAANHEALTHFARE.COM WALTER STEWART’S MARKET 229 ELM ST. 203.966.4848 STEWARTSMARKET.COM
HOME DÉCOR FURNISHINGS ACCESSORIES ANTIQUES DONALD RICH INTERIORS & ANTIQUES 114 MAIN STREET 203.966.5433 ODESMITH & RICHARDS 3 SOUTH AVENUE 203.966.1189 SALLEA ANTIQUES 66 ELM STREET 203.972.1050 SALLEAANTIQUES.COM
CONSIGNMENT SILK PURSE 118 MAIN STREET 203.972.0898 THESILKPURSE.COM SEVERED TIES 111 CHERRY STREET 203.972.0788 SEVEREDTIESANTIQUES.COM
DESIGN/INTERIORS
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COBBLE COURT INTERIORS 13 SOUTH AVENUE 203.972.7878 COBBLECOURT.COM
MACKENZIES 7 SOUTH AVENUE 203.972.1277 MACKENZIESNEWCANAAN.COM
COUNTRY DESIGN 150 ELM STREET 203.966.9131 COUNTRYDESIGNONLINE.COM
50 • welcome to new canaan
DESIGN SOLUTIONS 146 ELM STREET 203.966.3116 DSNEWCANAAN.COM PIMLICO 48 ELM STREET 203.972.8166 PIMLICOHOME.COM THE SUMMER HOUSE 32 FOREST STREET 203.594.9550 THESUMMERHOUSECT.COM WHITNEY SHOP 100 ELM STREET 877.966.4566 THEWHITNEYSHOP.COM (ALSO BRIDAL REGISTRY, CHILDREN’S CLOTHES & FURNISHINGS)
FINE ART BUTLER FINE ART 134 ELM STREET 203.966.2274 BUTLERFINEART.COM HEATHER GAUDIO FINE ART 21 SOUTH AVENUE 203.801.9590 HEATHERGAUDIOFINEART.COM
GIFTS/ HOME ACCESSORIES TEN THOUSAND VILLAGES 96 MAIN STREET 203.972.9046 TENTHOUSANDVILLAGES.COM/ NEWCANAAN THE GLASS HOUSE VISITORS CENTER + DESIGN STORE 199 ELM STREET 203.594.9884 THEGLASSHOUSE.ORG WAVE 107 MAIN STREET 203.966.1778
KITCHEN/HOUSEWARES CONSIDER THE COOK 145 ELM STREET 203.966.5055 CONSIDERTHECOOK.COM
LINENS THE LINEN SHOP 21 ELM STREET 203.972.0433 THE-LINEN-SHOP.COM
OTHER MERCHANDISE/ SERVICES AUTO DEALERSHIP KARL CHEVROLET 261 ELM STREET 203.920.4770 KARLCHEVY.COM
BARBER COLONIAL BARBER SHOP 15 SOUTH AVENUE 203.966.0912
BOOKS
PENNYWEIGHTS 124 ELM STREET 203.966.7739 PENNYWEIGHTS.COM
LUMBER/HARDWARE WEED & DURYEA/NORTHEAST BUILDING SUPPLY 21 GROVE STREET 203.966.2673
MOVIE THEATER
ELM STREET BOOKS 35 ELM STREET 203.966.4545 ELMSTREETBOOKS.COM
NEW CANAAN PLAYHOUSE 89 ELM STREET 203.966.0600 BOWTIECINEMAS.COM/ LOCATIONS/PLAYHOUSE
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PHARMACY
EARTH GARDEN 89 ELM STREET 203.966.5673 EARTHGARDENFLOWERS.COM
VARNUM’S 44 EAST AVENUE 203.966.4575
JEWELRY
NEW CANAAN SHOE REPAIR 28 CROSS STREET 203.966.3166 NEWCANAANSHOEREPAIR.COM
HENRY C. REID & SONS 72 ELM STREET 203.966.8705 HCREIDJEWELERS.COM
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STATIONERY M MILESTONES 32 FOREST STREET 203.801.0020 MMILESTONES.NET PAPYRUS 32 ELM STREET 203.801.0126 PAPYRUSONLINE.COM
TOYS NEW CANAAN TOY STORE 94 PARK STREET 203.966.2424 NEWCANAANTOYSTORE.NET THE TOY CHEST 101 MAIN STREET 203.972.0007
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welcome to new canaan • 51
service organizations
Pura Vida
Horizons
HELPINGHANDS N
ew Canaan is known for its exceptional schools, picturesque downtown and convenient commute to Manhattan, but those are just a few of the fine things this village has to offer. New Canaan residents also are devoted to serving the community, which is why this town is home to an army of serviceminded volunteers and numerous nonprofits committed to helping those in need. NEWCOMERS CLUB OF NEW CANAAN It was founded in 1957 to help new residents become better acquainted with their town, to find like-minded friends and to feel at home. Today, the organization does much more than coordinate social events for its members. This group of energetic residents also plans and executes fundraisers, including one of the largest in the county, the Homes for the Holidays house tour, which draws as many as 1,000 visitors each year. newcanaannewcomers.com
52 • welcome to new canaan
MEALS ON WHEELS By providing nutritious meals five days a week for eligible town residents, Meals on Wheels, a 38-year-old organization, ensures that anyone with a debilitating illness or disability is properly fed. Meals, which are prepared by a professional chef and the staff of Waveny Care Center’s dietary department, can be tailored to specific needs. mowofnc.org STAYING PUT IN NEW CANAAN This group is committed to helping seniors live independently in their own homes while maintaining active lifestyles. Volunteers offer seniors opportunities for friendship as well as assistance—they’ll provide rides to appointments and stores, for instance, and do odd jobs around the house. In addition, the nonprofit, which was founded in 2007, organizes more than 70 social events each year to keep seniors in touch with one another. Membership is open to residents age 50 and older. stayingputnc.org
New Canaan residents always find the time to make community service a priority
YOUNG WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF NEW CANAAN The YWL works in conjunction with key charities in Fairfield County. Every year, the group identifies three organizations that embody its giving theme; those groups receive the proceeds from a variety of fundraising events organized by YWL members, including the annual Easter Egg Hunt at Waveny Park and the Holiday Market. These events are enjoyed by the community and they benefit countless people in surrounding towns. ywlnewcanaan.org NEW CANAAN CARES This group offers more than 100 educational programs and services to enhance the health and well-being of residents of all ages. There are youth programs, discussion forums for parents and services that benefit the community, such as the Local Prevention Council, which supports drug-prevention efforts. Classes are held in the evenings and led by a professional staff. newcanaancares.org
NEW CANAAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Perplexed about the process of philanthropic giving? This foundation provides professional counsel to ensure your gift has more impact. When working with NCCF, participants engage with a professional staff to configure their gift. NCCF makes sure your donations go toward services you have targeted. newcanaancf.org
founding in 1923, JLSN (the local chapter serving Darien and New Canaan, among other towns) has made a big impact. The Women’s Crisis Center and the LockwoodMathews Mansion Museum are among more than 88 organizations the group has helped establish. jlsn.org YMCA The New Canaan YMCA is home to a number of programs aimed at youth development, social responsibility and healthy living. For youngsters, the Y also offers sports teams and instruction, swim classes, art school, preschool and summer camp programs, plus Red Cross baby-sitting and lifeguard courses. The YMCA sponsors international outreach programs, too. newcanaanymca.org PURA VIDA Here’s a service organization that develops leadership skills in students and exposes them to the realities of the Third World. Pura Vida, a club based at New Canaan High School, encourages students to tackle real-world problems, such as childhood poverty in places like Costa Rica, Haiti and Southeast Asia. Club members engage in fundraising efforts as well as service trips, where they do things like build shelters. All is executed with the goal of improving the lives of children who are orphaned, abandoned, hungry or victims of sex trafficking. puravidaforchildren.org
JUNIOR LEAGUE OF STAMFORD-NORWALK The Junior League engages in charitable activism to develop the community and promote the advancement of women. Members plan targeted, high-impact projects that really make a difference. Since its
HORIZONS AT NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL Horizons is an academic achievement program that offers lowincome public school students a chance to participate in programs at high-achieving schools. Founded in New Canaan in 1964,
GETABOUT Founded in 1980, Getabout is New Canaan’s guaranteed-free transportation service for seniors and for those who have disabilities or are recovering from injuries. Operating eight hours a day, Monday through Friday, Getabout’s wheelchair accessible vans enable citizens to get where they need to be— grocery stores, medical centers, movies—safely and on time. 203-972-7433 SLOBS Don’t let the acronym fool you. SLOBs—Service League of Boys—is really an organization of motivated kids. Based out of New Canaan High School, the club promotes service, leadership and stronger bonds between boys and their parents. Members sign up with a parent and volunteer for a certain number of hours per year. In the past, the boys have stocked shelves at the New Canaan Food Pantry and bowled with the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford. SLOBS is open to boys in grades 9 to 12. newcanaanhighschoolslobs.org
SLOBs
Horizons has grown substantially; in 1997, the program became Horizons International. Horizons at New Canaan Country School offers its flagship six-week summer program of academic, artistic and recreational activities. New Canaan’s campus also offers programs for high school students and parents. horizonskids.org KIWANIS In 1915, Kiwanis International, a volunteer organization formed in Indianapolis, coined its mission: to change the world one child and one community at a time. Since then, the organization has spread to 80 nations and diversified into a number of sub-clubs based on age and niche. Dedicated to helping children around the globe, members engage in service projects and volunteer activities that raise money for scholarships and beneficiary programs such as UNICEF. New Canaan’s Kiwanis chapter recently celebrated its 75th anniversary. facebook. com/kiwanisclubofnc EXCHANGE The Exchange Club of New Canaan is the largest Exchange Club in the state. Every year, the group raises money for a variety of local charitable organizations. Several programs— including the Parent Aide Program, the Exchange Club Parenting Skills Center of Stamford, and the network of Exchange Club Child Abuse Prevention Centers—all provide assistance for families afflicted by child abuse. Members of this club declare themselves representatives of human dignity and compassion. newcanaanexchangeclub.com
National Charity League
service organizations
ROTARY Like all of the Rotary clubs present on all six inhabitable continents, The Rotary Club of New Canaan’s main goal is the worldwide elimination of polio. Rotarians engage in multiple service projects that are dedicated to benefitting domestic and international organizations. Thanks in part to this organization, the disease is now eradicated in all but three continents. Rotarians continue to join the club for its ongoing polio efforts and sustained values of professionalism, ethics and camaraderie. newcanaanrotary.org NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE The New Canaan chapters of the National Charity League provide an opportunity for mothers and daughters to do charity work and strengthen family bonds. Founded in 1947, the NCL includes more than 180 chapters nationwide. Mothers and daughters (grades 7 through 12) embark on a six-year program of philanthropic work. Supporting one another the whole time, each pair is immersed in the experience of setting and accomplishing goals as a team. nclnewcanaan.org; nclnewcanaanparish.org
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
RED CROSS The New Canaan Chapter of the American Red Cross is among the most active in the country, having received recognition as a high-performing chapter several years in a row. The chapter offers classes in first aid and CPR, sponsors blood drives, spreads awareness about current health issues and consolidates global disaster relief. The American Red Cross represents a network of more than 600 chapters that provide compassionate care to people around the world. redcross.org/ct •
Young Women’s League
GRASSROOTS EFFORTS These influential nonprofits were created by local residents in the wake of personal experiences that changed their worlds VOICES OF SEPTEMBER 11TH New Canaan resident Mary Fetchet founded this nonprofit following the attack on the World Trade Center and the loss of her 24-year-old son Brad, who was killed that day. This organization offers relief for families of the victims, providing case management and support groups, among other things. Voices also helped to create the 9/11 Living Memorial Project, an interactive tribute that preserves the stories of September 11th. voicesofseptember11.org MULTIPLE MYELOMA RESEARCH FOUNDATION The MMRF was established in 1998 by New Canaan resident Kathy Giusti and her twin sister, Karen Andrews, after Giusti was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. MMRF raises funds to accelerate the development of next-generation treatments that could lead to a cure. Residents regularly participate in the annual MMRF Race for Research 5K Walk/Run in New Canaan and the fall gala. themmrf.org
PuraVida
54 • welcome to new canaan
MIKEY CZECH FOUNDATION Jennifer and Steve Czech of New Canaan organized this grassroots nonprofit after losing their young son Mikey to a rare brain tumor in 2008. The foundation spreads awareness about pediatric brain cancer and consolidates research funding. The foundation dedicates itself to approving grants for research nationwide. Ultimately, the foundation hopes to establish a world-class pediatric research laboratory at Harvard Medical School. mikeyczech.org
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welcome to new canaan • 55
happenings
SOCIAL NETWORK Glass House Summer Party
New Canaan has more than its share of galas, benefits and entertainment options for residents of all ages
New Canaan Cares Kitchen and Home Tour
I
n a town so full of active and civic-minded people, there’s an impressive variety of events for everyone to enjoy, from blacktie balls to vintage car shows, home and garden tours, and an old-fashioned Fourth of July fireworks display. Here’s a listing of some of the town’s most popular annual happenings.
JANUARY • Photography Exhibition at the Carriage Barn Arts Center • New Canaan Land Trust Annual Membership Meeting
FEBRUARY • Historical Society’s Valentine Tea for Children • Beautification League’s Victorian Valentine Tea • Winter Farmer’s Market • Outback Winter Fundraiser
MARCH • Horizons at New Canaan Country School Gala Benefit • Kiwanis Club St. Patrick’s Day Dinner
APRIL • Easter Egg Hunt at Waveny • The George Cogswell Fishing Derby • Young Women’s League Spring Fashion Show • Caffeine & Carburetors Kickoff Event • Maritime Aquarium Gala • Time for Lyme Benefit
56 • welcome to new canaan
happenings Patti Hansen and Keith Richards at Silvermine Arts Center
YWL’s Holiday Market Harry Connick Jr. at the Staying Put benefit • Stepping Stones Museum Kaleidoscope Ball
MAY • Memorial Day Parade • New Canaan Cares Kitchen and Home Tour • May Fair and Strawberry Festival • Junior League of Stamford/ Norwalk Spring Benefit • Carriage Barn Arts Center Benefit
JUNE
Paul Simon joins Connick
JULY • Fourth of July Fireworks at Waveny Park • New Canaan Village Fair and Sidewalk Sale
AUGUST • Taste of the Town Stroll • Restaurant Week
SEPTEMBER • New Canaan Library’s Literary Luncheon
• Secret Gardens Tour for the New Canaan Nature Center
• Silvermine Arts Center Opening Reception for Fall
• New Canaan Dog Days of Summer
• New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing
• Zerbini Family Circus hosted by the YMCA and Kiwanis Club
• Rotary Club’s Annual Lobster Fest
• The Glass House Summer Party
OCTOBER
• Always Remember Gala, Voices of September 11
• Summer Theater of New Canaan Season Opener
• New Canaan Nature Center’s Harvest Festival
NOVEMBER
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Race for Research
• Halloween Parade
• Silver Hill Annual Gala
• Silvermine Arts Center Fall Gala
• New Canaan Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Luncheon
• Spooktacular at East Elementary
• Young Women’s League Holiday Market at Waveny
• Historical Society’s Ice Cream Social • Waveny Summer Concert Series (June through August)
Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Always Remember Gala
• Gridiron Club Annual Roast
• Family Centers’ Road to Hope 5k
• The Mikey Czech Foundation’s Fall Benefit
• Breast Cancer Alliance Lunch
• New Canaan Turkey Trot
• Spirit of New Canaan Luncheon
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Fall Gala
• Newcomers Club Homes for the Holidays House Tour
• Holiday Lights Fundraiser • Annual Turkey Bowl: New Canaan vs. Darien
DECEMBER
• New Canaan Holiday Stroll and Lights Festival • Annual Rotary Christmas Tree Sale • New Canaan Mounted Troop Annual Review Ceremony • Historical Society’s Holiday Tea and Open House
welcome to new canaan • 57
community
HOUSES OF WORSHIP I
n the early eighteenth century, a cluster of Congregational Church members in the northern reaches of the towns of Norwalk and Stamford started petitioning their church elders to allow them to establish their own parish. When their request was finally granted in 1731, establishing Canaan Parish for these members, it was the genesis of the town of New Canaan that would be incorporated 70 years later. While the original meeting house of New Canaan’s Congregational Church is long gone, the current landmark church building, dating to 1843, is close to its first location at what is now the intersection of Park Street and St. John’s Place, overlooking the starting points of Main Street and Oenoke Ridge. The church also overlooks a grassy triangle that has been called God’s Acre from a time early in the town’s history, after it was purchased by some Congregational Church members as a burial ground. This little patch of grass functions for modern New Canaan in a way similar to the greens of older neighboring villages, whose large grassy town centers were designed in the 17th century as common pasture land. As New Canaan’s population has grown, so too have the number of houses of worship, including three—St. Michael’s Lutheran Church, the First Church of Christ Scientist and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church—that are just a short walk from God’s Acre. The St. Mark’s Episcopal Church building is notable for its contemporary architecture; it was designed by modernist architect Willis N. Mills and built in the early 1960s. Services for the town’s Lutheran congregation are held in the historic 1833 church building that was purchased by the parish from St. Mark’s after the Episcopalians’ new church was constructed; “Old St. Mark’s” was renamed St. Michael’s. The active churches listed here are joined by assemblies of many other denominations in Norwalk and Stamford, assuring that newcomers will find a spiritual home in keeping with their own traditions. •
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COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH OF NEW CANAAN 174 CHERRY STREET 203.966.0711 FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENTIST 49 PARK STREET 203.966.0293 • CHRISTIANSCIENCECT.ORG/NEWCANAAN FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NEW CANAAN 178 OENOKE RIDGE 203.966.0002 • FPCNC.ORG GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH 365 LUKES WOOD ROAD (SUNDAY SERVICES ARE HELD AT SAXE MIDDLE SCHOOL) 203.966.7600 • GRACECOMMUNITY.INFO ST. ALOYSIUS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 21 CHERRY STREET 203.966.0020 • STARCC.COM ST. MARK’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 111 OENOKE RIDGE 203.966.4515 • STMARKSNEWCANAAN.ORG ST. MICHAEL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH 5 OENOKE RIDGE 203.966.3913 • STMICHAELSLUTHERAN.ORG THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS 682 SOUTH AVENUE 203.966.5849 THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF NEW CANAAN 23 PARK STREET 203.966.2651 • GODSACRE.ORG UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF NEW CANAAN 165 SOUTH AVENUE 203.966.2666 • UMCOFNEWCANAAN.ORG
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welcome to new canaan • 59
NATURAL ARTISTRY 60 • welcome to new canaan
the glass house
by suzanne gannon
photographs by stacy bass
How did an icon of American architecture approach landscape design? As a tour at the Philip Johnson Glass House in New Canaan reveals, he took it to a high art
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T
here’s a photo of Philip Johnson shot in 1964 in which he is sitting, cross-legged, on a tatami mat on the floor of the pavilion he designed for the pond on his New Canaan property. In the photo Johnson looks to be in the midst of a picnic. There are a bowl of leafy salad, half a cantaloupe and a bottle of wine. Open-faced and beaming, the foremost modernist architect of his time appears sublimely relaxed and at ease, afloat in a bucolic idyll of his own design. From that spot Johnson could survey the splendor of his land, a 49-acre parcel he acquired in pieces gradually, beginning in 1946 with his partner of 45 years, art critic and curator David Whitney. It was on this land that he would break ground on The Glass House, his private residence and also an archetype for modern architecture for decades to come. Independently wealthy from a stash of Alcoa stock he received from his father, and older than his peers by the time he earned his architecture degree from Harvard—he’d already served as curator at the Museum of Modern Art— Johnson approached The Glass House and its lush grounds as a lifetime opus, playing the role of architect and client simultaneously. In shaping them he relied on influences from the areas of study that intrigued him most, including history, art, pop culture and landscape design.
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opening spread: Among the stunning views are the allée of maples, the viewshed of trees, the lawn, and pavilion near Lincoln Kirstein Tower. opposite page: The pool has geometric form. this page: Grass (bottom left) mimics an English manor; pine cones, ferns and flowers (bottom right) are carefully chosen.
The vista he would have taken in from the location featured in the 1964 photo, perhaps one of the most dramatic on the property, consists of a tumbling cascade of rocks framed by tall trees and spilling downward toward the pond across the face of a 65-foot slope from the foundation of The Glass House. The house appears to hover atop a promontory he built to achieve as deep a viewshed as possible into the distant woodland that abuts the pond. This view and many others that are equally spectacular are among the visual highlights in store for visitors during a special series of tours at The Glass House that focus
on architecture, landscape and art. “Johnson was familiar with the open landscape of Ohio, where he grew up, but he loved New England and especially Connecticut,” says Maureen Cassidy-Geiger, one of the guides for the tours. She is a former curator for the Frick Collection and a member of the faculty at Cooper-Hewitt Museum and Parsons The New School for Design. A formal protectorate of the National Trust for Historic Preservation since 1986 when Johnson turned it over, The Glass House and its surroundings remain very much as they were up until Johnson died in
the glass house
2005 at age ninety-eight. (Whitney followed later the same year.) Together with Whitney, Johnson practiced a form of landscape design in which he edited out—rather than added in—trees, shrubs and plants, some of them native, some of them not, in order to elevate each of the vistas to the level of high art. The view from the promontory under The Glass House—one among many that are at once serene and arresting—is just as much the work of his deft hand as the eleven architectural structures he designed on the site, and yet it appears entirely naturalistic, the epitome of a rambling English manor. In truth, the effect was achieved after much
“He wanted to be the master of all he could see, to infinity.” — Maureen Cassidy-Geiger debate. Johnson and Whitney are said to have argued so intensely over each of the individual trees that would be cut down that on the day the tree removal team arrived, the men took up separate posts and shouted directions to the crew through megaphones. In many ways Johnson predicated his design on organizing principles such as procession, compression and release— meaning that he directed, with visual cues, both the eye and the moving body through a series of spaces shaped by the elements within them. The driveway under the pine canopy, for instance, eventually spills a visitor out into the open meadow down below.
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The landscape tours encourage visitors to see Johnson’s structures within the context of the surrounding landscape. Through a series of “pause points,” they will have the chance to linger in order to “notice, discover and study the view,” according to Cassidy-Geiger. One pause point is the pristine swimming pool, a shocking shot of turquoise in the manicured green “lawn-carpet,” (the term used on the tour) and the rectangular concrete deck that glances off its circumference. The geometric construction is a bold reference to Russian art of the 1930s and ’40s. The lawn on which the pool and deck sit is the only grass on the estate that
Johnson insisted be frequently mowed. Another pause point is the pond pavilion, with its mossy patina. Then there are the Lincoln Kirstein Tower, which Johnson called “the staircase to nowhere,” along with the stone wall that widens on one end, and the rock outcropping down near the grove of skunk cabbage and willows, which serves as a place to sit and ponder a gurgling brook. “He wanted to be the master of all he could see, to infinity,” says Cassidy-Geiger. During the detailed two-hour tour of the grounds, guests are allowed to venture to at least two spots that until recently were off limits to the public: Calluna Farms, an
the glass house
1890 farmhouse and gardens that Whitney bought in 1981 and restored and used for his experimental plantings, and Grainger, a 1735 timber-framed house that served as a hot-weather retreat for Johnson and Whitney. Grainger’s exterior is painted in a black-matte paint custom-made by Donald Kaufman and Taffy Dahl, and it features both an etched-glass window by Michael Heizer and a stone-walled garden to which Whitney transferred the peonies and irises he originally planted at Calluna. Adjacent to Calluna is a flat garden, more like a multicolored tapestry, of succulent hens and chicks—Sempervivum—that is
planted inside a perimeter centered with an asymmetrical crucifix. All of it is constructed of the Stony Creek rose granite Johnson used in 1978 when he designed the iconic AT&T Building on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. After a two-hour stroll around the grounds the architect called home for nearly sixty years, it will become readily apparent to a visitor that, though he may not have been a native, Johnson was able to thrive in his adopted homeland because he was free to contrive his surroundings into his very own Shangri-La. Says Cassidy-Geiger, “It is handcrafted by man and yet it looks like the work of God.” •
opposite page: The 49-acre property includes a footbridge spanning a brook and Whitney’s garden at Calluna Farms. above: Views of The Glass House from a meadow studded with cattails
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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
LIST OF REALTORS
®
Barbara Cleary’s Realty Guild
Lynne Leonard Realty 203.966.7738
203.966.7772
MilliganRealty.com Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices New England Properties 203.966.7970
203.966.6900
New Canaan Homes & Estates 203.979.3440
Brotherhood and Higley 203.966.3507
Charter House Realty Chris Hussey Real Estate
203.966.3737
EARTHSCAPES ....................................................................14
HTG INVESTMENT ADVISORS, INC. ......................... 51
SBG Realty Sisson Realty 203.966.9587
The Relocation Group 203.324.5300
203.324.9600
DAVIDSON, DAWSON & CLARK, LLP .....................55
203.656.4993
Higgins Group Keller Williams Prestige Properties
COUNTRY CLUB HOMES ............................................... 51
HOBBSCARE ........................................................................ 21
203.515.4574
203.226.0300
CHARLES HILTON ARCHITECTS ............................ 2, 3
HENRY C. REID & SON ....................................................19
Halstead Property 203.966.7800
CHARISSE PHOTOGRAPHY .........................................55
RealtyQuest Real Estate Sales & Services
Dagny’s Real Estate 203.858.4853
CAMP PLAYLAND .............................................................37
DEANE, INC. ...........................................................................5
Real Estate Information Center 203.358.5138
Coldwell Banker Previews International
CALIFORNIA CLOSETS .................................................... 9
COUNTRY DESIGN ............................................................ 31
Peacock Properties 203.966.6220
203.966.2116
BUTLER FINE ART ............................................................ 41
COBBLE COURT INTERIORS ....................COVER 2, 1
New England Properties 203.326.0081
203.966.1348
BROOKS & FALOTICO ASSOCIATES, INC. ........... 25
William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty
IVEY, BARNUM & O’MARA, LLC ................................. 51 JABLONSKI ASSOCIATES ...............................................11 KARL CHEVROLET ........................................................... 41 KARP ASSOCIATES ...........................................COVER 4 KEITH E. SIMPSON ASSOCIATES ...............................13 KING SCHOOL ....................................................................35 MANFREDI GREENWICH .................................................7 MICHAEL SMITH ARCHITECTS .................................. 27
203.966.2633
Kelly Associates Real Estate
NEIL HAUCK ARCHITECTS ............................COVER 3
William Raveis Real Estate
NEW BALANCE NEW CANAAN ...............................55
203.655.8238
203.966.3555
NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL ...................... 35 NEWCOMERS CLUB OF NEW CANAAN ............. 59 PEAR TREE POINT SCHOOL ......................................49 PIMLICO .................................................................................49 RUDY’S LIMOUSINE .........................................................59 SEVERED TIES ................................................................... 45 SILVERMINE ARTS CENTER ........................................47 ST. LUKE’S SCHOOL ........................................................ 37 STAMFORD HOSPITAL ...................................................23 THE LINEN SHOP ..............................................................47 THE SUMMER HOUSE ....................................................45 THE WHITNEY SHOP ......................................................59 TODDLERTIME NURSERY SCHOOL ........................37 TOTALCARE ........................................................................ 29 WALIN & WOLFF ..............................................................47 WESLEY STOUT ASSOCIATES ..................................49
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timeline
NEW CANAAN IN A NUTSHELL
A lot has happened in the town of New Canaan over the past two centuries. Drawing from two histories published by the Historical Society—New Canaan: Texture of a Community (various authors, 2001) and Portrait of New Canaan (Mary Louise King, 1981)—we offer this timeline (albeit highly selective) of fun facts and tidbits. 1731 Connecticut’s colonial General Assembly permits formation of Canaan Parish. 1733 Yale grad John Eels becomes the first Parish minister at an annual salary of $313. 1781 At the end of the Revolutionary War, 213 men of Canaan Parish are known to have served; 22 lost their lives as a result of their service.
1787 Following the passage of the General Toleration Act in Connecticut in 1784, Methodist services are held in Canaan Parish.
1799 The Rock School, New Canaan’s oldest schoolhouse, is built. 1801 The General Assembly incorporates the town of New Canaan in May. 1804 Benoni St. John opens a tiny general store at the corner of Main and Elm streets, the humble beginning of the shopping district.
1810 The Shakers buy Stephen Fitch’s New Canaan farm on Carter Street, creating the sect’s sixteenth community.
1818 With many town residents plying the shoemaking trade, 50,000 pairs of shoes are reported as New Canaan’s output for the year.
1825 The first Town Hall is built. 1845 Residents of New Canaan raise $500 for the town’s first fire engine and form a volunteer fire company.
1854 1868 1868 1877 1887 1887 1893 1897
The New Canaan Drug Store (now Varnum’s) opens its doors. Carter Street School, now known as the Little Red Schoolhouse, is built. The first railroad train departs the Carpenter Gothic-style depot in New Canaan. Town leaders vote permission for a horse drinking trough, installed midway up Brushy Ridge Road. A Free Reading Room, first iteration of the town public library, opens on Elm Street.
1901 The town celebrates its centennial with a parade and picnic for 3,000 marchers. 1903 The first locally owned automobile arrives in New Canaan, while Lewis H. Lapham buys Prospect Farm from Thomas Hall and renames it Waveny.
1907 Walter Stewart buys a grocery store; the business continues today. 1916 Carols are sung as the first Christmas tree is lighted at God’s Acre on December 24. 1923 The New Canaan Playhouse on Elm Street opens its doors with a showing of Down to the Sea in Ships.
1924 Maxwell Perkins, the legendary editor at Charles Scribner’s Sons, writes to F. Scott Fitzgerald about his new home at 63 Park Street.
1927 The first high school is opened in New Canaan; public school students formerly attended in Stamford.
1933 Francos Wine Merchants opens for business, the day Prohibition ends. 1938 The Merritt Parkway opens, creating greater accessibility to New Canaan. 1946 The Kiwanis Club buys a gravel pit on Old Norwalk Road and creates a man-made pond for public swimming in landlocked New Canaan.
1949 Architect Philip Johnson builds his iconic Glass House on Ponus Ridge. 1953 New Canaan High School’s mascot officially becomes the ram. 1967 The Rams beat rival Darien High School’s football team, after a drought in this matchup stretching back to 1945.
1969 Mrs. Ruth (Lapham) Lloyd offers the major portion of her family’s Waveny estate to the town.
1994 Rick Moody publishes The Ice Storm, a best-selling novel set in New Canaan in the 1970s.
New Canaan consolidates its eleven district schools into a single school district.
1996 Director Ang Lee begins shooting segments of the film version of Moody’s novel. 2011 New Canaan school district designated by Forbes Magazine as the second highest-
Later incorporated as the Country Club of New Canaan, the New Canaan Golf Club opens four holes of a nine-hole course for play.
2013 The current Town Hall is closed for renovation and scheduled to reopen in 2015.
Francis E. Weed opens a lumberyard on the west side of Grove Street.
performing in the nation in the housing price category of $800,000 and above.
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profile
THEBIG PICTURE New Canaan is unique because it offers an alluring mix of suburban sophistication, small-town ambience, natural beauty and a Colonial New England heritage. It has other benefits, too. Served by the Merritt Parkway and Metro-North Railroad, the town is conveniently located to key metropolitan areas in the Northeast, including Manhattan and Boston, which is just 152 miles away.
TOWN PROFILE Population:
19,642
Households:
6,681
Median Age:
42
Median Household Income:
$191,750
Median Home Price:
$1,202,000
Town School Enrollment:
4,191
Residents with Bachelors Degree or more:
76%
Distance to New York City:
41 miles
SOURCE:
Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC)
Artist, historian, filmmaker and former New Canaan resident Brian Kammerer created this painting in 1993. Titled “New Canaan Memorial Day Parade,” it’s one in a series of 10 paintings that focus on annual town events.
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