REVIVING AN ICON IN DARIEN
Historians seek to save the Pond-Weed house
DARIEN — If it was good enough for the first U.S. president, surely some in town hope it’s worthy for a buyer to save it from possible demolition.
The Pond-Weed House, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and where George Washington reportedly once visited, is for sale for the first time in 30 years. The three-bedroom, two bath home is listed for $699,000.
It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and is 2,240 square feet on a .60 acre property. The listing is handled by Barb Hazelton of Houlihan Lawrence.
According to Darien historian Marian Castell, the now-faded and neglected house on the corner of Post Road and Hollow Tree Ridge Road hides a “museum-quality, rare Colonial home with an 18th century interior still in place.”
“This treasure is one of the
finest examples of 18th century original Colonial style architecture in Darien, and also Connecticut,” she said.
The home has had history pass by its Post Road location for more than 200 years — the American Revolution and the Civil War.
“Under the right new owner, a revived exterior will make this an eye-stopper with an amazing, treasured interior,” Castell said.
The Pond-Weed House was originally an inn and tavern, where Washington is believed to have once visited, then converted to a trade shop, and finally to a private home.
The owners were “artistic visionaries in their own right — an antiquities dealer and professor, and co-creator and inventor of ‘The Muppets’ and ‘Fraggle Rock,’” according to Castell.
Timothy D. Miller, who owned the house for 33 years, was a supervisor of puppet design at The Jim Henson Company. He worked on more than a dozen shows and movies in that position, including “The Muppet Show,” “The Dark Crystal,” “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” “The Muppet Christmas Carol” and more. Miller and his team were nominated for four Emmy awards, including two for “The Muppet Show.”
Since Miller’s death in August 2019, his estate representative, James Wojtal, has been working with the town and the Museum of Darien to study the structure to determine the best options for preserving as much of the house as possible. Wojtal also worked as a puppet designer for The Jim Henson Company.
Earlier this year, the Museum of Darien formed a committee to study the issue and members have consulted with experts for guidance.
Several months ago, the museum hired one of the nation’s renowned experts in early New England architecture, Yale historian James Sexton, to study the house.
While a major study had been conducted in the 1970s as part of the application process for the national historic register listing, members of the committee felt the historic nature of the structure warranted having a paid expert visit for a review and recommendations, said Maggie McIntire, executive director of the Museum of Darien.
The report pointed out several significant architectural features of the house. On the second floor, there are several distinctive “gunstock posts,” so called because they were carved with a flair protruding outward at the middle of the post and extending to the top of the ceiling, resembling a rifle stock, Sexton wrote.
Most intriguing, however, is the house combines architectural elements of New England and Dutch styles, according to Sexton.
“This is really interesting because the actual location of the house adds to its historical significance,” McIntire said. “Not only is the house located in one of Darien’s first settlement areas near Holly Pond, but the fact that it stands in New England on the border of New York and combines both architectural styles, makes it even more historically relevant.”
Sexton’s report concluded that the house was built later than originally thought — the 1970s study determined the date to be around the 1690s, while Sexton dated it a circa 1730s structure. Sexton pointed to the lack of decorative features carved into the exposed wooden beams for the houses later date, because that indicates the beams were intended to be hidden behind plaster.
“This ambivalence about using the building’s frame as a decorative feature suggests that the building may have been constructed at the end of the first period, a name applied to years from settlement until (circa) 1725 in coastal Connecticut,” Sexton wrote.
According to Sexton, the next step in the preservation process would be to hire an engineer specializing in historical wooden structures. However, the significant cost of the specialized engineering study proved to be a stumbling block for officials studying the privately-owned structure.
The land was first purchased in 1696 by Nathaniel Pond, “blacksmith of Branford” and later sold to Nathaniel Weed, also a blacksmith. It remained in the Weed family for nearly two centuries.
Located near the historic Noroton Burial Ground, where many original settlers — including members of the Pond and Weed families — are buried, much of the interior of the house is original and remains in tact.
“Despite so many people, vehicles and history passing by its doors, this home has been lovingly protected through thoughtful restorations, and retained an amazing amount of original 1700 materials. It has always remained a center for art, expression, education, an unwavering original architectural style,” Castell said.
Castell said preserving this rare 200year-old building is “the perfect way” to conclude Darien’s bicentennial celebration in 2020.
“With this also comes a commitment to preserve what we honor,” she said.
Preserving the Pond-Weed House complements Darien’s “unique architectural and environmental tapestry.”
“If we fail in this, and without these historical touchstones, the tapestry will unravel and Darien will lose our New England character,” Castell said.