Nostalgic about the closing of Westport’s Red Barn Restaurant? On Friday and Saturday you will have a chance to take a piece of the restaurant home to have a permanent memento.
Richard (l) and Frank (ChIch) Nistico Jr. in front of the Red Barm full service bar, which opened in March 2014 after a 30-year effort to get town approvals. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com
Norwalk’s Fairfield County Antique and Design Center announced that it would be holding an estate-liquidation sale for all the contents of the restaurant at 292 Wilton Road from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.each day. See pictures of items here.
“We will be selling all fixtures, kitchen equipment, signs, weathervanes, decorations, etc.,” an announcement said. “All are welcome starting at 8 a.m. on Friday. No early birds. Everything will be priced to sell. Own a piece of history from your favorite restaurant.”
The restaurant, owned by the Nistco family since 1983, closed last week after months of swirling rumors of its demise. (See WestportNow July 11, 2015)
The Nistico family later confirmed the closing in a brief note on the Red Barn website: “The Red Barn has officially closed. Thank you for your many years of patronage and support. From the Nistico Family.”
Once part of the Dunham Farm, the barn has been a restaurant since 1932. Harry and Dorothy Davega, under a lease from Ruth Dunham, operated the restaurant from at least 1953. (He died in 1968, and she died in 1983.)
Heirs of Ruth Dunham (she died in 1971 at age 74) did not want to continue leasing the business and sold it to the Nisticos in 1983. After extensive renovations, they opened the restaurant on Jan. 26, 1984.
Its 7,800-square feet includes six dining rooms, four fireplaces, and a patio on 3.6 acres.
According to town records, the Red Barn has not paid Westport property taxes since 2014 and owes $112,717.62 in taxes and interest.
