By Anne W. Semmes
Few and far between are multigenerational families living in Greenwich, and rarer still might they be descendants of founding families of our town. Russ Reynolds can so claim, and he and his wife Debbie who live in an historic house, circa 1848, have a special bond – their ancestors who arrived as colonists in the 1630’s were neighbors! “They had home lots next to each other in Watertown, Massachusetts,” says Debbie Reynolds. “In those days you had a home lot in town where your house was, and then you had acreage outside. And they’re both on the monument as founders of Watertown.”
The Reynolds have done their best to record what became 350 years of history of the Reynolds founding family of Greenwich, in Russ’s “Loyal to the Land” chronicle, and in Debbie’s two histories, “Examining Our Roots,” and “Grit and God’s Grace: Mary Adeline Reynolds 1860-1948.”
But through the years these two historians have also been busy working to preserve some of that visual history. Thus, on September 20, Debbie and Russ Reynolds will receive the highest tribute from the Greenwich Historical Society with its David Ogilvy Preservation Award “for their exemplary dedication and support for the preservation of Greenwich’s architectural heritage.”
“Greenwich has a unique character,” tells Russ, “Which is I think extremely well embodied in the people who run the town. And I think people like Fred Camillo and many, many others before him, who were truly concerned about doing the right thing, deserve a great deal of thanks because Greenwich has resisted the temptation to become more of a city like Stamford or White Plains. And it has retained so much of its historic character while at the same time offering so much to so many people.”
It was the Reynolds’ effort to preserve their historic house on Taconic Road that had served as the parsonage for the old Stanwich church that kicked off their preservation efforts in the early 2000’s. “When we went through the process of getting our house permanently protected,” says Russ, “we formed a Stanwich Historic District, which is 16 properties ranging from the old Stanwich Church, which is now the Greenwich Center for Hope and Renewal, up to North Stanwich Road. And all of the neighbors agreed to that. So that was a huge step forward. And Debra Mecky and Ann Richardson from the Historical Society were instrumental in encouraging me to do it.”
Russ already had a supporting track record with the Historical Society having headed up the fundraising for the new Archives wing of the Society’s rebuild.
What followed the Stanwich Historic District was a Round Hill Historic District, and a Strickland Road Historic District, shares Russ. And then came the creation of the Historic Properties of Greenwich. “I joined forces with Anne Young and Elise Hillman Green,” he tells, “and we formed Historic Properties of Greenwich, which is a 501(c)3 organization, and our sole purpose is to help you get a historic home preserved.”
Elise Hillman Green’s family house on Taconic Road – the Jermiah Mead House, circa 1751, thanks to her mother Sandra Fales Hillman efforts become preserved with help from the Town’s Historic District Commission. “But then the Samuel Ferris house [circa 1760] came on the market,” Russ tells, “which is at 1 Cary Road in Riverside on the Post Road, near the Mianus River. And we were so concerned about somebody buying it and tearing it down that, and thanks to an anonymous donor, we bought the house, put it through the preservation process, which I think will be completed this month.”
Russ has shared before that he and Debbie “cherish the classic New England heritage we have in Greenwich.” And from their efforts to preserve properties has come a greater awareness of that heritage. “Well, in the first place,” says Debbie, “our roads and our byways are really beautiful, with all the trees. And if you go east to west or west to east, you are on these winding roads that started out as cow paths. And I have really noticed how having one or two or three houses that are old and have the sort of farmhouse aspect, I think that it’s the old houses that make the difference in Greenwich. I think it’s hugely important. That’s why people want to come.”
Take Maher Avenue for instance where Russ’s esteemed grandmother Mary Adeline Reynolds, recently profiled by Debbie, has made a difference, having built over two dozen houses in Greenwich primarily in the Maher Avenue and Cedar Hill neighborhoods. “They’re about 100 years old,” says Debbie, “so they really don’t come under the purview of what Russ’s group is doing, but I’m hoping that the Historical Society will plaque all of Mary Reynolds’ houses. Maher Avenue should be a historic district.”
“But it is important to distinguish between plaquing and preserving,” says Russ. “The Greenwich Historical Society has done a beautiful job in plaquing almost 300 houses in Greenwich. And that means that somebody does historical research and authenticates the facts of the history of the house. But it does not, and I emphasize ‘does not,’ protect the house from being torn down. So, what we’ve done with Historic Properties of Greenwich is to take it to the next step, which is to preserve it. But the fact that it has a plaque is a nice historic designation, but it is not protecting it from the wrecking ball.”
Somehow, in preservationist Russ Reynolds’ life that includes creating his pioneering executive search firm, Russell Reynolds Associates, he’s managed to cross the pond to help an historic ship escape underwater destruction. He would head up the American Friends of the Mary Rose, “an English Tudor warship and the flagship of the Navy of Henry VIII,” he tells. “And it sank by accident in the English Channel off of Portsmouth in 1545, loaded with everything.”
Russ would join with Prince Charles who headed the Mary Rose salvation project in the raising up of the ship. “It was in 60 feet of water and very well-preserved by sediment and silt and sand…and Prince Charles was into diving.” Russ would be, he says, “deeply involved in the construction of a museum at Portsmouth Naval Base housing the wreck of the Mary Rose and some of the 15,000 guns and artifacts that we recovered. So, it was a little pre-Greenwich.”
But only 100 years short of when Russ and Debbie’s ancestors sailed across the pond to then establish the Reynolds roots in Greenwich. So how many generations of Reynolds now in Greenwich history date back to that 17th century? “Thirteen,” says Debbie. “Russ and I are the eleventh, our son Trey, the twelfth, and his son Jonathan the thirteenth now living in Greenwich, and he’s very proud of it.” So, that first Mr. Reynolds was John, and he had two sons. “And believe it or not,” says Debbie, “they were named John and Jonathan. And Jonathan was the elder of the two.”
Debbie and Russ Reynolds will receive Greenwich Historical Society’s David Ogilvy Preservation Award at the Historical Society’s annual meeting on September 20 at the Belle Haven Club. For tickets visit https://greenwichhistory.org/landmarks/, or contact Laura Kelly: lkelly@greenwichhistory.org
