Storied Greenwich area reflects town’s grand history and eloquence
By Liz Leamy
Sentinel Contributor
Backcountry Greenwich is, by all accounts, a place with a unique mystique.
This five-star Gold Coast residential locale, comprised of four main road arteries that stretch from mid-country Greenwich to the New York state line, emanates of dignity and discretion.
For many decades it has been a place that has served as a home base for many captains of industry based in and around the international Manhattan marketplace , along with scores of other fascinating and accomplished people.
Reputed to be one of the most prestigious residential areas in the country, backcountry Greenwich has a name that carries a great deal of power in its punch. It implies so much of what the town stands for, including a terrific stateliness, elegance, mystery and power, as well as a quiet, yet potent presence.
Originally said to be a home and work base for farmers and shoemakers during the 18th and 19th centuries, backcountry Greenwich has evolved over the last number of decades into one of the most desirable places for families to establish a footprint in and around the ever-dynamic New York City suburban area.
This locale, defined by majestic homes set upon expansive lawns and knolls of four acres or more, is one of those places that bespeaks a brass real estate ring of sorts and something that would be a golden investment on all fronts.
“Backcountry Greenwich, the area north of the Merritt Parkway [is] beautiful rolling land, quiet, private and less than an hour from New York,” said Lee Prince, a renowned realtor for Berkshire Hathaway New England Properties in Greenwich. “It doesn’t get much better.”
This storied area, which is situated around the town’s four, somewhat parallel, main arteries that include Round Hill Road, Lake Avenue, North Street and Stanwich Road, is also characterized by its fascinating cornucopia of dedicated and spirited residents who are responsible for helping to keep it running at high and effective speeds.
“I think that backcountry Greenwich is a great place to live, drive through and to just simply be in,” said Maggie Bridge, Manager of Sales and Marketing for Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses, LLC, an iconic Greenwich mainstay business that has been in existence since 1930.
In 2015, backcountry Greenwich was said to be quite a busy residential real estate market as well.
“In 2015, 36 [listings] sold,” said Prince, adding that currently, there are 102 listings in this area for sale. “Now is the time to buy.”
This spectacular Greenwich land area, with its historic estates, horse farms and magnificent homes, is one that has always been a main engine for the town, just like it was when it had been first settled by farmers several centuries ago.
Throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries, the northern reaches of Greenwich were remote, yet represented steady and vital business areas for dozens of farmers, many of who had built a bustling business trade through the cultivation of their land.
“When you drive through the backcountry, I think it’s easy to get a flavor of Greenwich’s agrarian past,” said Christopher Shields, Curator of Archives for the Greenwich Historical Society based in Cos Cob. “While much has changed, you can still hear the echoes of the men and women who made their livelihood from the land.”
Notably, the Sam Bridge Nursery and Greenhouses are located on property that was an original tract of 125-acre land that had been granted by King George several centuries ago.
“The land has been used for agricultural purpose for over 300 years,” said Bridge. “We are proud of that history and plan on continuing that tradition for many more years.”
During the 20th century, many industrial barons realized this area of town would be ideal for making a home base.
At that point, a rash of grand mansions, architectural structures that have come to be known as Greenwich’s “Great Estates,” began to be erected.
Some of these famous estates include the private school Convent of the Sacred Heart on King Street, whose main building and area was part of Overlook Farm, built by Henry Steers, Esq. Circa 1906.
In the 1920s, the estate was renamed “Friendship” when Paul Block, a publishing magnate, had purchased the property.
In addition, there is also Dunellen Hall, the former home of Leona and Harry Helmsley, that is located on Round Hill Road.
This show stopping 28-room Elizabethan manor had originally been built by Daniel Grey Reid, a New York City financier, as a gift for his daughter, Rhea and her husband, Henry J. Topping, son of the president of Republic Steel.
Meanwhile, Conyers Manor, the legendary North Street estate owned by Lewis Rosenstiel, chairman of Schenley Products Company, a New York City-based business that wound up becoming one of the largest liquor companies in the U.S., was famously sold to publishing magnate Peter Brant in 1981.
At this juncture, Brant, a world-renowned polo patron and player, subsequently went on to transform a significant amount of this breathtaking property into one of the most revered international high-goal polo clubs in North America. The Greenwich Polo Club is a one-of-a-kind place that is opened up to the public each summer during the warm-weather season.
Just last summer, Greenwich Polo Club hosted the East Coast Open Championships and U.S. Polo Association directors said they were blown away by the astounding beauty of the locale.
The staggering beauty of backcountry is much of the reason as to why it has been such a exclusive destination for so many business tycoons and countless others throughout the years.
“It’s easy to see the great natural beauty that attracted so many new people to town beginning in the latter half of the nineteenth century,” said Shields. “I think many people who call the backcountry home greatly appreciate this connection with the past and enjoy the tranquility and privacy the more wide-open spaces provide.”
Ultimately Shields, through his words, seems to have captured the essence of what this whole enchanting area is all about.
At the same time, backcountry Greenwich also denotes a strong feeling of home for many, which is perhaps, the best part of it all.
“Even though the houses are large, there is a fantastic amount of green space surrounding each property, street and neighborhood,” said Bridge. “The woodsy, traditional New England feel of the backcountry will always make me feel at home.”
