Resort-like home in New Haven

New Haven’s 114 Cove St. is a place of memories. Formerly the site of the Villa Nova, the home was built in the footprint of the iconic restaurant, which seller Anthony Acri, razed after buying the place in 2007.

Joseph Cafasso, listing agent from Century 21 AllPoints Realty, said the uniquely designed house is a rare find.

“This is an unusual property due to its size and relatively new construction,” he said. “The scale of a massive home with unobstructed water views from virtually every room in the house.”

Large and dramatic with a resort-like feel, the well-built home has well-proportioned rooms.

With interesting features, including separately zoned bedrooms, the property denotes a lifestyle and is a “home” rather than a weekend getaway.

With recollections of family gatherings at the waterside eatery, including his stag party and his grandparent’s anniversary, Acri was already fond of the location when he took on the tremendous undertaking of converting the property into a luxurious home. With help from his draftsman /architect father, he started the plans before bringing a builder and licensed architect onboard.

One big challenge was following the old building’s long narrow shape – a legal necessity due to the property’s location on the water.

“Because I remember a large dancing area, very open to the ocean to the water, I decided I wanted to keep that thought process and make the living room, dining room and kitchen right there on the water with one large open space,” he said, “So anywhere in the living room, dining room, kitchen and kitchenette you could see the water. I wanted big open rooms, large wide hallways because my thought was wherever in the house I was, I wanted to be able to see the water.”

The water can even be seen from hallways and Acri had archways put in walls to allow for more views.

The dramatic grand entry way has double staircases that wind up and meet in the middle, looking down on the wide open room. Beyond the foyer sits a marble fountain that Acri laughingly joked he could not say why he had built.

He designed it with Pegasus and horses on three tiers and had it constructed in Italy and shipped to the U.S. in pieces. It took 10 people using rollers to get the marble structure inside and put it together. Directly above the fountain, a hole in the floor encircled by a railing allows second story onlookers to get a look at the structure.

To the left of the fountain is a movie theater with a three-tiered stage and a projector in the ceiling. To the right, is an office/ library with built-in bookshelves.

Beyond the voluminous structure are the open concept kitchen, dining room and kitchenette.

In expectation of weddings and parties, Acri assured the kitchen was a large, inviting and functional gathering spot. Off the kitchen is a double slider to the seawall.

Upstairs two bedrooms mirror one another and have artist created paintings around mirrors in the adjoining baths.

Across from the large master suite, with a California closet, is a sitting area. Large windows in the bedroom bring the sight of the sea.

“I wanted to be able to sit up or lay up in bed and look at the water,” Acri said.

Acri will miss when the balcony off the master where he has a little table and chairs and takes in the mornings with a cup of coffee and an English muffin.

“I’m going to miss being on the water, the smells of the water, the birds right there,” he said.

Listing agent:

Century 21 AllPoints Realty / Contributed photos