GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich is looking to protect the Redman-Fitzgerald House, a Riverside home that represents an important period in the town’s history.
Andrew Melillo from the Greenwich Historic District Commission (HDC) went before the Board of Selectmen Thursday to request approval so that the HDC can be appointed as the study committee for a possible Local Historic Property designation for the home at 98 Riverside Ave.
By designating the home as a local historic property, any future change to a “contributing structure or factor” at 98 Riverside Ave. must receive a certificate of appropriateness from the HDC.
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“This is a house that encapsulates a time that is being demolished, destroyed and forgotten in Riverside, and it should be preserved,” Melillo told the selectmen. “The owner [of the house] is working with Historic Properties of Greenwich. This is something the owner wants, this is something that’s good as a historic resource for the town.”
Historic Properties of Greenwich is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to historic preservation.
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The HDC would review and accept a report put together on the property, and then refer the item to the Representative Town Meeting.
The selectmen did not take any action as this was a first read of the agenda item, but First Selectman Fred Camillo expressed support. A vote could come during the next regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 22.
The Redman-Fitzgerald House was named after the two families who each lived at 98 Riverside Ave. for over 30 years, according to documents submitted to the selectmen from Historic Properties of Greenwich.
The 2.5-story shingle-style home was built in 1894 on an approximate acre lot.
“Between the 1880s and 1930, Greenwich came of age as a commuter town. The transformation from a community of farmers and fishermen was closely tied to the establishment of the rail stations in the 1870s,” submitted documents say.
The convenience of local depots allowed speculators to capitalize on both commuters and seasonal renters.
Jeremiah Atwater, a Brooklyn real estate entrepreneur, began amassing land along the eastern banks of the Mianus River with the intention of dividing it and selling it to New Yorkers, the documents explain.
“Homes and/or land were sold in large tracts and this pattern helped to preserve the rural character that Riverside is known for today,” the documents added. “The Redman-Fitzgerald House represents one of the few remaining homes that symbolize the development of this period in Riverside.”
The house was included in the Greenwich Historical Society’s 30-plus year preservation program, Greenwich Landmark Registry, in 1995.
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