WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 83 Turkey Hill Road South

11 thoughts on “WestportNow Teardown of the Day: 83 Turkey Hill Road South”

1. Shameful, disgraceful – like that c.1800 home recently.

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2. The charm of Green’s Farms is rapidly fading.
   I have lived in the area for over 25 years and it pains me to see so many homes similar to this one become a lost memory.
   This area that had been known for its quaint homes and bucolic settings has been ravaged by oversized houses with very little charm.

   MaryAnn Meyer

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3. The charm of WESTPORT is rapidly fading!!  It is very, very sad…….
   And how many banks can one town need??!??!??
   I drove through New Canaan today, reminded me of what Westport used to be like………..

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4. And still no move to create tax incentives to buy and maintain our architectural heritage.

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5. Tragic for so many reasons, not the least of which are economic. Failing to preserve or enhance the character of the town, through the careful preservation its historic properties, will likely ultimately diminish,or fail to maximize, the property values overall. 

   Nantucket offers a superb example of what can happen when there’s a clear vision in place, which is supported by strict guidelines…the community thrives and property values soar. 

   Whatever one’s starting point here, Westport is wonderful. But, to those of us who have historical perspective, we understand what was, what is and what’s likely to come if what we, as a community, fail to be consious and deliberate about what we choose to promote vis-a-vis our guidelines and incentives.

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6. What can we do to start the appropriate town body on that road?

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7. I, and I’m pretty certain I’m not alone, am concerned primarily with what is going down – secondarily with what is going up.  Although architectural appeal is a consideration, the idea here is to protect some existing buildings which have historical architectural value.  A new Victorian is not the same as an actual one.

   That said, building regulations and guidelines are also important – our height guidelines are several feet above neighboring towns – one element that results in houses with a distorted visual impact.

   I believe we need some financial incentives to make putting additions on older homes and maintaining them more attractive than tearing them down.

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8. Many people need to realize that selling a home like this is not always an easy decision. because of our economy, so many long time westporters will be forced to sell their family homes which have been generations in the making, in order to provide a better quality of life int he long run. It is also unrealistic to expect that there “this old house” junkies lining up to buy properties and finance the renovation of many treasure like this. so the sad reality is that this is going to be a constant in ou rlived going forward…some will be more acceptable than others…but still a Sad fact.
   Little gems like the one picture may go, but they will never be forgotten!

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9. Therein is the problem, this concern for “what’s going down” as opposed to what is going up.  Thomas Jefferson, responsible for all that is good in American architecture from a historical perspective, described residential architecure in this country as “happily perishable.”  And wondered further how “taste is to be formed in our countrymen?”  in matters of architecture.  The hopeless pursuit of preserving these insignificant pieces of wooden design is displacing what should be a real imperative to this town of guiding what comes in their stead.

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10. It’s less the seller than the unconscientious purchaser I will never understand, someone to whom it means nothing to excise a piece history like this from our county.  Go and look for a vacant lot somewhere in Fairfield County to put up your monstrosity.

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11. Mary, The Institute of Classical Architecture is a NYC based non profit that can offer some direction here.  They have worked with towns implementing building guidelines.  I have said it before, Westporters should be less concerned with what’s coming down than with what’s going up.  There is no reason that new, larger (within reason) homes can’t be just as charming as the outgoing antiques.  One thing it takes is education, mabe in the form of guidelines.  With classical architecture, one thing leads to another.  If the town insists on a correctly proportioned entablature and a few other key elements, it can make quite a difference.  Ian is right, each new mcmansion going up in this town hurts Westport property values.  It’s not impossible to stop

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