An application for a permit to demolish the house at Westport’s 157 Riverside Ave., across from Saugatuck Elementary School, is in process. Built in 1933, the 1 1/2-story cape has 1,366 square feet and is situated on a .18-acre property. Because the house was built more than 50 years ago, the application will be reviewed by the Westport Historic District Commission.The house gained notoriety when the 70s rock band REO Speedwagon stayed there and released a song on their first album called “157 Riverside Avenue.” See YouTube clip here. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
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WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 48 North Ave.
An application for a permit to demolish the house at Westport’s 48 North Ave. is in process. Built in 1944, the two-story conventional has 2,604 square feet and is situated on a one-acre property. Because the house was built more than 50 years ago, the application will be reviewed by the Westport Historic District Commission. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
B.V. Brooks Dies at 84: ‘He Loved Life’
By James Lomuscio
UPDATE (adds memorial service details) From world travel to investing in Broadway shows to boating to tooling around on his motor scooter to creating crossword puzzles to taking weekly Latin dance lessons, B.V. Brooks, Westport’s iconic publisher and real estate magnate, was described by family members today as a man who loved life.
B.V. Brooks: publisher and real estate investor Contributed photo
Brooks, known as Dexter to family and friends, died Wednesday, two days shy of his 85th birthday, in a Mexican hospital following a heart attack, his family said. He was stricken with another heart attack three days earlier while on a cruise ship which had left San Francisco bound for the Panama Canal. (See family-provided obituary here.)
“He was taken to a hospital in Cabo San Lucas (a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula), and he was in and out of consciousness,” said Torrey D. Brooks of Weston, his son.
“He was in the hospital for several days, and he had rallied,” said Kay Brooks, B.V. Brooks’s wife of 25 years. “But on August 31st he had another heart attack, and he did not rally, and he died that afternoon.”
All Gone: 10 Hunt Club Lane
The house at Westport’s 10 Hunt Club Lane, off Maple Avenue North, has been demolished. Built in 1955, the two-story colonial had 2,632 square feet, was situated on a 1.04-acre property and changed ownership in July at $802.000. It was the WestportNow Teardown of the Day on May 31, 2011. A Westport woman told WestportNow that she wanted a cupola for her house like the one that she saw in the WestportNow photo. She said she contacted the owners who told her that if she was willing to go to the roof and remove it she is welcome to it. The woman said that her grandson offered to do that and he retrieved it for her. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Real Estate Report: Market Improving
By Judy Szablak
S&P’s Case-Shiller report has just come out and confirms what we already know in Westport—the market is improving.
This Georgian Colonial on 4 Pan Handle Lane is listed at $5,299,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Photo courtesy of Halstead Property
Even Fiserv’s analysis of home price trends notes that despite recent declines, prices are expected to stabiize across the country by early next year.
Westport has been ahead of the curve, and although our inventory is almost 20 percent greater than it was just six months ago, our sales have backed it up consistently, and we are certainly well on our way back to real estate normalcy.
Homes: There are 324 single family homes on the market, and their average list price is $2,187,596. These homes have been listed for sale an average of 131 days, and the median price remaining steady at $1,324,499.
Westport Property Transfers Aug. 15 – 19, 2011
Westport property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period Aug. 15 - 19, 2011:
Ellen and Thomas Granger to Echo Valley LLC, 23 Baurer Place Ext., $450,000
Calvin and Brenda Powell to Jeannie B. and Sara H. Tanguay, 20 Vani Court, $360,000
Richard Threshie to 19 Colonial Road LLC, 19 Colonial Road, $592,500
Kenneth T. and Barbara A. Utting to David H. and Stephanie Stallone, 20 Bobwhite Drive, $1,200,000
Comings and Goings: Bogey’s Closes
Bogey’s Grille & Tap Room, 323 Main St., has closed its doors after 17 years. A sign on the door says: “After 17 years of being in business, we regret to inform you that we have officially closed our doors. We had a great run and will miss serving all of you. Thank you very much for your patronage and loyalty over the years.” A Westport institution, Bogey’s was the last of a succession of restaurants on that corner starting with Crossroads, Oliver’s and A Stone’s Throw. It was under the ownership of Jim and John Stablein. Westporter Brendan Donahoe, who once was a bartender at Stone’s Throw, said, “No one knew about this. No one knew it would close.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Westport Property Transfers Aug. 8 – 12, 2011
Westport property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period Aug. 8 - 12, 2011:
Mark A. and Jane N. Rubenstein to Solvi and Mahyar Zarrinfar, 30 North Ave., $1,090,000
Eric and Dianne Wildman Burns to Julian F. and Caroline Bozeman, 15 Overlook Road, $967,000
Thomas A. Graf / Ileana Graf to Aurelien and Severine Pichon, 6 Hogan Trail, $827,000
John Hiden to Daniel A. and Shirah L. Sklar, 4 Cross Brook Lane, .9648 Westport, $801,000
Real Estate Report: Data Changes Look Positive
By Judy Szablak
The market is giving us interesting data this week, and it’s all good.
The iconic River Run estate on Easton Road is listed at $6,495,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Photo courtesy of Coldwell Banker Riverside/KMS Partners
There is an approximate 5 percent drop in inventory over just last week, and a slight increase in both median pricing and average pricing. That is a trend that I would hope continues. Minor incremental changes are a very good sign of a stabilizing market.
Interestingly enough, this past week showed an inordinate amount of rental activity. There were nearly as many status changes to the rental market as there were to the single family market.
A status change means that a particular home’s standing in the market changed somewhat. That could mean either a home was newly listed, a price got reduced or raised, a property came back on the market after being under deposit, it went into CTS status, pending status, sold status, or expired from the market without selling.
Comings and Goings: Theory Opens on Main Street
Theory, a women’s contemporary fashion apparel shop, has officially opened at Westport’s 89 Main St., the former site of Gap Body. According to Theory’s area manager, Shauna Leek, the New York-based organization has 20 shops throughout the United States located mainly on the east and west coasts. There is one other Theory shop in Connecticut located in Greenwich since 2002. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
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