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A one-of-a-kind home with a rich history has landed on the market in Connecticut.
“It’s not like anything else that we see out here,” says listing agent Cathy VanTornhout of Berkshire Hathaway New England Properties.
Listed for $2.6 million, the Cape Dutch–style mansion in Fairfield was built in 1912. It was modeled after the Groote Schuur estate in Cape Town, South Africa. The Groote Schuur estate was built in the 18th century as a summer residence for Cecil Rhodes and is now a museum.
While not a museum, the Connecticut Cape Dutch is on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally part of a 200-acre parcel, the home now sits on a 5.5-acre lot on a hilltop overlooking the Long Island Sound.
Dr. Ira DeVer Warner, who commissioned the home in 1910, dubbed the five-bedroom, 4.5-bath property “Restmore” and also used it as a summer residence.
“At the time, he was one of the wealthiest men in New England,” says VanTornhout. Warner made his riches as co-founder of Warner Brothers Women’s Apparel Co., which manufactured corsets.
As with most grand historic homes, the best materials were sourced for the construction of the 5,366-square-foot residence.
“Everything is the highest quality of brass that you don’t get today,” says VanTornhout. This includes the home’s terra-cotta roof and stucco exterior. The french doors in the home are an architectural marvel. “The doors retract into the floor—imagine in 1911 how that was engineered—so it could be an open breezeway,” says VanTornhout.
Other rare amenities are the Lord & Burnham greenhouse, a Hodgson Playhouse, and a renovated barn with a loft and two bays for parking vehicles. There are also five working fireplaces in the home.
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The current owners—a couple who bought it 17 years ago—took on a major renovation that is nearly complete. Working with a craftsman from Europe, “they found the original manufacturer who made the roof,” says VanTornhout, noting that each tile was individually copper-wired to the roof, a testament to the restoration’s labor of love.
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The kitchen was last totally revamped in the 1960s but has been updated periodically since.
“The owner wanted an early American kitchen,” says VanTornhout. “It was featured in Better Homes and Gardens.”
So who will make an offer for the stunning property and commit to keeping its condition pristine?
“It’s not a McMansion,” explains VanTornhout. “It’s got to be somebody who appreciates the beautiful architecture.”
Perhaps, she says, it could be someone who—like Warner—“wants a beautiful summer home” in the country and currently has a primary residence in a large East Coast city. For such a buyer, this Cape Dutch could be quite a catch.
The post Restmore Is a Captivating Cape Dutch Unlike Anything Else in Connecticut appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
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