John and Debby Hainline are honoring Westport’s heritage by displaying a Westport Historical Society plaque identifying their home as the Rufus Bennett house which was built in 1855. Moving from Chappaqua, N.Y. to Westport in 2003, the Hainlines purchased the house because they “thought it was very special especially with a beehive oven in the basement.” Prior to taking possession of their home, their daughter, designer Jill O’Shea, purchased the house in 2002 and saved the house from demolition by restoring it to its prior grace. Because of this restoration work, the house received a Westport Historic District Commission Preservation Award in 2002. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Bob Weingarten for WestportNow.com

The Westport Historic District Commission tonight honored nine Westport homeowners at a ceremony in the Town Hall Auditorium. The winners posed before an easel displaying photos of their homes. They included Barbara and Peter Powell who won the Helen Muller Award for a property in a local historic district as well as Jeffry and Miriam Rafalaf, Karla Quinn, Charles Stafford, David and Audrea Cross, Matthew Winlgus and Miryha Fantegrossi, James Weil, Ariane Mermod, and Thomas and Nancy Broadbent. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com

The house at Westport’s 5 Pumpkin Hill off North Avenue was demolished today. Built in 1959, the one-story ranch had 3,277 square feet, was situated on a 1.02-acre property, and changed ownership last month for $900.000. It was the WestportNow Teardown of the Day on July 20, 2010.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Among the nine winners of the Historic District Commission 2010 Preservation Awards to be presented in a Town Hall ceremony at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 18 is the house at 126 Morningside Drive South, owned by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Broadbent. In selection of this house for the award the HDC said, “This recently restored International Style house is one of the most significant modern dwellings in Westport. Designed by Erard Mathiesson (father of author Peter Mathiesson) of Irvington-on Hudson, N.Y., the dramatically sited house was built in 1937-1938 for Florimonde Du Sossoit Duke and is the earliest documented local example of the avant garde International Style.” This is the second house in Westport for which the Broadbents have been awarded an HDC Preservation Award. In 2005, they received the Preservation Award for restoration of their former historic residence at 66 Compo Road North. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Among the nine winners of the Historic District Commission 2010 Preservation Awards to be presented in a Town Hall ceremony at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 18 is the house at 101 Clapboard Hill Road at the corner of Maple Road South, owned by Ariane Mermod. The HDC said, “The Gideon Wakeman House c. 1782 is a landmark property in Westport. The Historic District Commission denied the waiver of delay when a demolition request was made several years ago.  Fortunately you purchased the property and saved it from destruction.” This is the second historic house in Westport,  the first being the house atop the hill at the intersection of Greens Farms Road and Beachside Avenue, that the owner has purchased and restored under the threat of its demolition.  Prior to relocating to Westport, Mermod restored a federal-style townhouse in New York City’s Greenwich Village. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Among the nine winners of the Historic District Commission 2010 Preservation Awards to be presented in a Town Hall ceremony at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 18 is the remodeled garage at 6 Gorham Ave., adjacent to the house (inset) owned by The Rev. Peter and Barbara Powell. The HDC cites the award as being given “in recognition of the outstanding design and execution of your recent conversion of the garage to an office-guest house. When additional space is needed, re-using and adapting an existing structure is a desirable preservation strategy. In this case, you have preserved the structure and some of its charming elements and enhanced the streetscape.” The Powells are the recipients of the Helen Muller Award which recognizes notable preservation of a property located within a local historic district—in this case the Gorham Historic District. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com