A step up from the ordinary house

FAIRFIELD — With their high risers and narrow steps, staircases in older houses are beautiful, but a little difficult to negotiate. The house at 939 Hillside Road is no exception.

Built, according to town records, in 1740, it has two original staircases that are what one would expect from an antique house — narrow, winding, and higher than more contemporary steps. As the property’s listing agent Floria Polverari pointed out, they aren’t terribly practical.

“How do you move furniture?” she said.

That’s what the house’s third staircase is for. It’s built like a typical modern staircase, with enough room to maneuver a dresser or bed frame without scratching the walls or toppling backward down the stairs. The mix of staircases serve as a perfect metaphor for the house itself — a combination of the old, classic and history-rich with the modern and state of the art.

One of the oldest properties in Fairfield, the house, listed for sale at $1,249,000, was renovated in 2015, but many of the antique features remain, including those two old staircases. Other vintage features include some of the home’s exposed beams, which are visible in the refurbished kitchen, and the original chestnut plank flooring.

According to the Town of Fairfield Historic Districts and Properties Handbook, the house once served as a leather tanning shop, and as home to Deacon John Bradley, until a larger home was constructed nearby in 1746. In 1924, both properties were sold to Ruth Williams, who subdivided the property in 1946.

The 939 Hillside Road home is, according to the handbook “a unique and fine example” of Colonial Vernacular style that “includes several elements not seen in other properties of the style and period in the district. Clearly not of the Colonial Saltbox type, the Bradley tanning shop has taken on more of the character of a country cottage. Its variance from the standard Colonial appearance contributes character and diversity to the district.”

Its recent updates make it even more interesting, Polverari said. The division between where the “old” house ends and the “new” one begins is evident by looking at the floor, with the chestnut planks designating the original part of the home and newer hardwood floors in the renovated part.

The house has all the contemporary touches, including a spa bath with heated floors, a state-of-the-art kitchen with an open floor plan and, of course, modern plumbing, electricity and heating and air conditioning.

But it also has character, as evidenced by one of its more unusual features, a manmade “pool” in the back that is fed by local bodies of water. It’s a prime example of how different the home is.