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 26 Fairfield Ave., owned by Charles L. Stafford, in the Compo Beach area. The HDC said, “This house is being cited as a sensitive, well executed renovation of an iconic Compo Beach bungalow. In the post-war evolution of Westport, the older distinctive character of certain neighborhoods of the town has been changed by redevelopment with much larger and more elaborate homes. … The Historic District Commission commends the owners of this property for recognizing and preserving this fine example of a modest beach cottage that embodies a past era and character of this neighborhood of Westport.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

By James Lomuscio

Big houses got big support at a Westport Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) public hearing tonight. McMansion defenders touted everything from the American Dream and property rights to the increased value of surrounding homes to less water runoff than small ranch houses.

The conversations even took philosophical turns when some begged the questions of how big is too big, and the precise definition of McMansion.

“They’re now part of the landscape in every neighborhood, and they’re not an intrusion anymore,” said Kenneth Camarro, a real estate agent.

A Fairfield resident, Camarro said his town’s zoning body explored limiting home sizes several years ago but backed off “because we would have created a large number of nonconforming structures.”

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 8 Raymond Place, off Riverside Avenue. The house is owned by Jeffrey and Miriam Rafalaf. The HDC said “the award acknowledges your outstanding effort to restore and preserve your 1920s house, which might otherwise have met with the wrecking ball. You demonstrated your appreciation for the historic value of the structure and provided an inspiring example to other property owners to save our historic and architectural heritage. You truly saw the soul of the house and had the vision and grit to go forward with a major renovation.” (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 known as the Jesup Alvord House c. 1832 at 90 Turkey Hill Road South, owned by James and Pamela Weil. The award includes the addition of the barn structure, created from salvaged materials and the installation of solar energy panels which are compatible with the original design of the house. The award announcement notes that “the house was moved from its original site and suffered a severe fire before it was restored to its original style.” (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 46 Kings Highway South. The house, which is known as the John Platt House and is one of the oldest in Westport, is owned by David and Andrea Cross. The award announcement notes “due to your responsible ownership, this Colonial home has been lovingly restored and serves as an important landmark building in Westport. This award is being given in recognition of the appropriate expansion of your home.”  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com