Development Threatens Town History (1987)

by Jeffrey Bingham Mead
Greenwich Time, Greenwich, Connecticut
July 3, 1987

The town of Greenwich is an old one, with an historical and cultural heritage that is very precious. The small New England town, the idealization immortalized on postcards and picture books in libraries and local bookstores, conveys a spiritual beauty that transcends the material things handed down by our forbears.

The many old homesteads, barns, churches, burying grounds, and village greens are community heirlooms of a sort, firm reminders of the humble and unpretentious foundations of early Greenwich. They were built by people wielding primitive tools but today's standards.

Putnam Hill, Greenwich, Connecticut USA., 1913 from the steeple of the Second Congregational Church. 

In our town, and others across New England and the rest of the United States, neighborhoods of significant historic nature have been preserved and protected as historic districts, designated and conserved by Historic District Commission's like the one we have. 

The Greenwich Historic District Commission was organized by the Representative Town Meeting in 1976 and is headed by Mr. Paul van der Stricht, who has been chairman of this organization since its inception.

The historic district on Strickland Road in Cos Cob has been a sanctuary of sorts, with the character  and significance from past eras of Greenwich that is been respected, admired, desired and preserved. It may seem hard to believe in this day and age that those old houses and the land they are comfortably nestled on were originally developed for functional reasons of survival. The historic district preserves and protects both the enduraning strength and the aesthetic simplicity of such places. 

Rear view of Bush Holley House, Cos Cob. 

Historic preservationists, town government, and promoters of the town of Greenwich as a nice place to live and work realize that both residents and newcomers, whether coming as tourists, guests, or potential residents, will be attracted to a community that respects itself, has character, individuality, and reveres its heritage.

Until now. 

Despite the endless hurrahs, hosannas, attractive catchphrases like "enhancing the quality-of-life," and all the self-back-patting done over the years, much is been done to destroy and disrupt the preservation of our heritage. Most recently there was a decision by the Planning and Zoning Commission of Greenwich that gave permission to a local property owner in the Cos Cob Historic District to subdivide a rather meager spot of land and build on an opens piece of this property, despite objections voiced by neighborhood groups, property owners, and the Greenwich Historical Society. This situation is symptomatic of Greenwich's present mindset concerning our recent years of urban sprawl, which is essentially geared toward an insatiable desire to broaden the tax base.

Second Congregational Church, Putnam Hill Historic District.

In the case of the recent subdivision approval granted by the planning and zoning commission, policies of town zoning rules and regulations have now come into conflict with the goals and regulations of another local government entity, the Historic District Commission. Considering the recently enacted rules concerning development of certain waterfront properties, I can see why something similar could not be done as well in the historic districts, including a moratorium on new and disruptive development.

Why is it so important for town citizens to uphold the sanctity and viability of historic districts? Essentially, historic districts, often thought of as landmarks or curiosities, are community treasures. They are in many ways the most intimate means we have available of achieving that special sense of communion with those unpretentious, humble folks who in our history kindled the essence of our "New Englandness." It was that American spirit that planted the initial seeds of an evolutionary process in our architectural heritage.

Old Town Hall, Greenwich Avenue. 

Any citizen of the town can take pride in the historic districts around town, but those officially designated and those not yet so. Take a walk on a sunny day down Strickland Road in Cos Cob, or on East Putnam Avenue within the Putnam Hill Historic District (and here). Go back in time by visiting places like Bush Holley House, Putnam Cottage, Christ Church and the Second Congregational Church, (and here) and visit the burying grounds where many early citizens are interred, and whose identities and epitaphs are inscribed forever on stone. 

First Church of Round Hill. Round Hill Historic District. 

Go with an open mind and an open heart at the sense of history around you.

Historic districts are unique in the way they are situated on the land and oriented reference to the geography of the surrounding landscape. The spatial relationships between historic buildings to one another are important. While some homesteads sit close to the road, some are framed by expenses of open space –perhaps lined with majestic maple trees.

Round Hill Cemetery. Round Hill Historic District

This indeed is the hallmark of any historic district –namely, its pervasive individuality and the everlasting endurance of high quality craftsmanship in the construction of its buildings. This is something we all miss today in contemporary architecture and construction.

Tourists, guests, and residents may often enjoy the "quaintness" of these sites, but in reality the historic district is a pleasurable scene, a refuge from the scars of discord and ugliness.

Reviving and preserving the eloquence, dignity, purity, and integrity of our heritage is indeed worthwhile. I think  Eric Sloane said it best when he declared: "Things are never beautiful just because they are old. Let it become you to seek out and select the beauty of the past and to keep it alive for the future."

Those who wish to find the spirit of early Greenwich must work diligently to preserve the integrity of our historic districts and deny those who wish to exploit the zoning laws and those who oversee them by yielding to spot development. 

Brush Lockwood House. Stanwich Historic District. 

I am reminded of the words of Frank Boyden, who many years ago admonished the young boys of Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts by saying "Be worthy of your heritage."

Greenwich, by permitting the recent subdivision in the heart of the Cos Cob Historic District, has through such policy decisions symbolically given the sanctity and viability of historic preservation another slap across the face.

The Yankee tradition of cherishing for heritage must prevail as Greenwich counts down toward July 18, 1990, the 350th anniversary of the founding of the town. Is is our duty to continue collecting and preserving our historical legacy and pass it on to succeeding generations. Indifference to our overdevelopment is the greatest threat to our values and quality of life.

The entrance to Putnam Cottage, Putnam Hill Historic District.

I challenge our leaders, elected and appointed, as well as incumbents and candidates, to set a better example in this area. They are accountable to all their constituents to articulate what kind of town they think Greenwich should be. Likewise, in a democratically–elected society like ours, people must exercise their rights to be heard and be responded to.

In this space three years ago on Founders' Day, I said then, as I believe now more than ever, that "it is time to preserve the foundations, shared values, our vital open spaces, indeed very body and soul of the time of Greenwich." 

In the present case of the incursion in the Cos Cob Historic District, it is a threat to the sanctity of such districts that must be repelled. 

For those of you who can hear it, the historic districts and other historic sites around the town of Greenwich sing a symphony that envelopes the heart. The song of these sites, with their old houses, churches, burying grounds, and village greens set on rolling loans and framed by majestic trees, is precious music. It is music that is beautiful and educational, the collection of concertos likely never to be repeated again, whose lyrics convey the pure essence of Yankee simplicity and honesty.

Jeffrey Bingham Mead, a direct descendent of one of the founding families of the town, is a free-lance writer and a member of the Greenwich Historical Society.