27 Country Club Road, Ridgefield, CT

A House in Good Taste The Homewood Estate

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27 Country Club Road, Ridgefield, Connecticut

HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT – A PRIME EXAMPLE OF COLONIAL REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE Majestically sited on a knoll in southwestern Ridgefield, Connecticut, a house was built on 150 acres of rolling farmland twenty five years prior to the Revolutionary War. Almost a century later, at the beginning of the Gilded Age, George G. Haven, president of the Corn Exchange National Bank brought his family from their New York City residence at 53rd and Fifth Avenue to spend a summer in Ridgefield: a sleepy bucolic town with lovely summer breezes.

The Havens decided to buy and expand the pre-Revolutionary War home that had a quite incredible front-to-back central hall, into a magnificent estate that they named Homewood. Over the years, the house was expanded with a glorious ballroom to the south, a formal dining room and bedrooms to the north, a service wing (kitchen & pantry) to the east and open porches on two sides. The 1979 Ridgefield Historic Architectural Resources Survey states the following: the west façade is noted for its view of a complex form of several rooflines; gambreled in each section but of different heights. Scattered throughout are dormers, some pedimented, some shed, many undulating with eyebrow windows.

The Survey further notes the home’s historical architectural significance – a prime example of estate architecture; it is a shingle-style mansion with Colonial Revival detail and is a result of the extensive additions made by the Havens through the first years of the twentieth century.

Today Homewood is one of the precious few 18th/19th Century shingle-style Colonial Revival estates remaining in

ONE OF THE FEW REMIANING SHINGLE-STYLE COLONIAL REVIVAL ESTATES Fairfield County.

While a former owners significantly renovated and restored the home during the first part of the twenty first century, the present owners have spent more than $2 million on further enhancements.

Today Homewood is unrivaled in its historical detail as well as its stateof-the-art features.

Homewood has thirty outstanding rooms – all beautifully detailed and executed to the highest standards.

The first level of the home is highlighted by the front-to-back Great Hall with its two fireplaces and a magnificent ceremonial stair that sweeps up to a wide landing with a large Palladian window and then becomes a double staircase that fans out to the second floor. The south wing of the house has a sunken ballroom designed by the 19th century Elise de Wolfe who was famous for her book on interior design — The House in Good Taste — and her many interiors in the early twentieth century including New York City’s Colony Club on Park Avenue. This beautifully proportioned room is punctuated by large French doors — three on the east and west side, two sets at the south end and a fabulous fireplace and

FIFTY FOOT CHEF’S KITCHEN WITH CABINETRY DESIGNED BY BEVERLY ELLSEY mantle with a built-in mirror. The fifty-foot chef’s kitchen, located in the east wing of the house has finely detailed cabinets by Beverly Ellsey, marbled floors, center island and pastry island. In addition, the present owners employed Glengate to design and build a courtyard stone terrace for outside dining. Adjacent is the thoughtfully designed and functional butler’s pantry and a well-proportioned formal dining room with a recently added bay with five windows and two fluted columns. A parlor and library/study, both with fireplaces, are located on either side of the entry. Two half baths conveniently located near two entry points are exquisitely designed and detailed.

The second level consists of seven bedrooms and six bathrooms. The master bedroom suite on the north side of the house has three exposures highlighted by a period fireplace flanked by two sets of French doors that open to a large private terrace overlooking the property with views of the stone terraces, the pool, gardens and the pool house. The bedroom has handsome crown moldings and built-in cabinets. There are two master bathrooms: the first faces east and has a large jacuzzi tub, walk in shower with glass enclosure, a radiant heated floor and walk-in closets and cabinets; the second faces west

OUTSTANDING DETAILS INCLUDING FABULOUS WINDOWS & HANDSOME PANELING

and has a large cedar closet, a beautifully detailed marble counter with sink over a handsome wood cabinet, steam shower and radiant heated floors.

Over the kitchen and pantry wing and accessed by a separate stair — with outstanding newel post and rails — are the east wing bedrooms. There are three bedrooms: the first is quite large with a fireplace and is currently used

as a family room; there are two smaller bedrooms, each with two exposures, that are used as a gym and guest bedroom. In addition, there is a hall bathroom with shower. The west wing, which faces the second level Great Hall has two bedrooms and a library/ office. The two bedrooms, both with fireplaces, each have two exposures and share a glorious cherry-painted bathroom with marble floors, walk-in glass enclosed shower, period pedestal sink, marble wainscoting, a 19th century soaking tub and a

fabulous Palladian window with fantastic sunset views. The handsome wood-panelled library faces west and has an angled wall with large fireplace with one of the most stunning marble mantles, beautiful candle sconces and stunning chandelier. The adjoining turquoise-painted bathroom has a marble tiled walk-in shower with glass enclosure, exquisitely detailed wood vanity with marble top and tiled walls.

Adjoining the second level elevator landing is the south wing which consists of a large bedroom

RENOVATED THIRD LEVEL en suite with walk-in closet, sitting room with fireplace, a well-equipped laundry room and linen room or staff room.

The third level can be reached by the elevator or a corkscrew stair lit by a wonderful pendant lantern or bathed in light from two east facing windows. The third level, which was recently renovated, houses much of the new, sophisticated mechanicals for the house and has three good size bedrooms with beautiful dormer casement windows, a large bathroom, a cookbook library, two artist studios, an office and several large storage rooms.

The three car carriage house with portecochere and pool house was built by Reed Whipple of Heritage Homes in the same Colonial Revival style as the main house. The pool house has full kitchen, bathroom and two changing rooms and overlooks a fabulous pool setting and gardens with stone surround.

The second level of the carriage house could be finished into a legal rental one or two bedroom apartment.

Other features include: a new nine-zone air conditioning/heating system with a stateof-the-art lower level mechanical room, three radiant heating zones servicing the master bathrooms and the full kitchen, a full house emergency generator, a whole property irrigation system that includes all planters throughout the property, amazing porches on three sides, stone terraces, beautiful gardens and orchards all within the Silver Spring Country Club area of historic Ridgefield. As the Haven family came up from Manhattan for summers over a century ago, today Homewood looks for a new owner who will continue to enjoy THE HOUSE IN GOOD TASTE.

THE DAVID EVERSON TEAM N E W YO R K

REAL ESTATE AT ITS BEST

. CONNECTICUT

470 MAIN STREET, RIDGEFIELD, CT 06877 • 203.246.7150 • DEVERSON@WILLIAMPITT.COM