By Anne W. Semmes
To salute the nearly 50 properties in Greenwich that now have the Local Historic Property (LHP) or Local Historic District (LHD) designation the Historic Properties of Greenwich (HPG) celebrated with some 40 of those 50 historic property owners gathered on October 9 at “Stoneybrooke,” the historic home of Elise and Greg Green.
Russ Reynolds, HPG co-founder with Green kicked off the evening gathering with, “We all owe Elise [Green] a huge debt of gratitude. She gets things done. She’s the world’s best salesman. Whatever she thinks we should do, I think we should do it.” But Green countered with, “If it were not for Russ, when [co-founder] Anne Young and I went to him in 2018, expressing how upsetting the pace of all the tear downs was, he said, “Do something about it!”
Thus, the concept of Historic Properties of Greenwich became an official 501c3 in 2019. To follow just how HPG has helped to protect historic properties from demolition Elise Hillman Green and Anne Young responded to the following Q&A.
Q: What was the impetus for starting HPG?
A: The impetus for forming Historic Properties of Greenwich (HPG) was to promote permanent protection of historic homes with a Local Historic Property designation. We thought that if there was a “go to” organization to talk to, partner with and guide homeowners in obtaining this detailed designation, there might be fewer demolitions of the town’s beautiful historic homes. Five years later, HPG exceeded its expectations to become a state and town-recognized group.
Q: How does HPG differ from the other local and state preservation groups?
A: When HPG was formalizing as a non-profit, our directors made sure to meet with the Greenwich Historical Society and Greenwich Preservation Trust to outline our goals and discuss how our organization’s synergies could support and complement each other. The end result provides the Town with a variety of ways to participate in preservation.
Q: How many homeowners have now protected their properties?
A: At the moment there are 47 total properties. To be a District, you must have two or more contiguous properties. There are three Local Historic Districts (LHD) in the Town of Greenwich: Strickland Road Local Historic District is comprised of 24 protected properties. Round Hill Road/John Street Local historic district has three protected properties. And Stanwich Local Historic District has 14. Standalone properties are called a Local Historic Property (LHP). There are six Local Historic Properties in the Town of Greenwich, with an additional one pending.
Q: What was HPG’s first designated historic structure?
A: After a general mailing and several informative discussions with homeowners, HPG’s first endeavor was protecting the c.1760 Samuel Ferris House, Riverside’s oldest structure. But before that, already there were three districts (LHD) and five stand-alone properties (LHP). “Stoneybrooke,” the property of Elise Green’s mother, Sandra Fales Hillman, was the first LHP…. It runs in the family!
Q: How many are in the pipeline?
A: As of this date (October 12), there are two properties in ‘the pipeline’ with on-going discussions of more. We encourage any interested homeowner to reach out to us! We are here to assist and to partner.
Q: Once so designated, is there signage of some sort put on the house?
A: The LHP designation does not come with an automatic plaque. Rather, the designation is recorded in the Land Records. There are signs that have been erected at the edge of two of the Town’s Local Historic Districts – one on Strickland Road (Strickland Road Historic District) and the other on Taconic Road (Stanwich Local Historic District).
Q: Why did you choose to celebrate on this October date?
A: HPG wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate recent and past homeowners who live in these treasured homes. It was purely a desire to bring like-minded stewards together in an informal setting. We want to spread the word about our organization and our commitment to the Greenwich community, and who better to be ambassadors than those who already have an LHP.
Q: Who should interested homeowners contact for information?
A: HPG recently hired preservationist and co-founder Anne Young as interim Executive Director. Anyone with questions about local preservation or, even better, who wants to familiarize themselves with the “how to’s” in protecting their property, can contact Anne Young at anne_h_young@hotmail.com. Please also visit HPG’s website to learn more about what we do. Historicpropertiesofgreenwich.org
