Historic Hillcrest Park home

1900-era colonial is fully renovated and appended with outdoor spaces

This week’s Hot Property has a historical provenance that dates back to late-19th century Greenwich, when textile magnate Joseph Dillaway Sawyer bought the farmland on which the house at 53 Hillcrest Park Road, Old Greenwich, sits today. Realtor Cynthia De Riemer of Coldwell Banker Realty shared some other history about the property, noting that Sawyer took a stab at dairy farming on the land he’d acquired, but ultimately, determined that real estate development was his true calling. He began building summer homes for wealthy New Yorkers, and some of those homes have been preserved to this day, and are now part of the private Hillcrest Park Association.

53 Hillcrest Park Road debuted on its site in 1900, and today, De Riemer is helping its current owners find the home’s next residents. The property is listed for sale, with a current asking price of $3.15 million. Blakely and John Stinebaugh bought the home in July 2010 and embarked on a full-scale renovation, investing more than $680,000 in improvements, inside and out. “The house has been completely transformed to what we hope is a modern, completely renovated home, which still retains the style and beauty of its historic origins,” Blakely Stinebaugh explained in an email to Greenwich Time.

They put on a new roof and upgraded all the windows, doors, and skylights. They removed most of the radiators and replaced them with a new forced-air system powered by natural gas. They also installed a new boiler and hot-water system. “Over the years, we have refinished the floors, painted every part of [the house], and redid the kitchen and all bathrooms,” the seller said.

The Stinebaughs were thoughtful about preserving some of the home’s original 1900-era elements. “[The] wood floors throughout have

interesting detail, especially around the fireplaces,” Stinebaugh said. “And in many living areas and a few doors upstairs, there is the original leaded glass—which has been tested for safety—which are beautiful. The exterior features original stone, and in the back of the house, the entrance to the original house remains—now, outside of our exercise room. It’s a small thing, but there are many original glass doorknobs, and as we renovated, I added new versions to match.”

The kitchen renovation was completed in 2020, and the homeowners said they spared no expense and maximized the space. They installed an 11-foot island and Shaker-style cabinets with modern pulls and knobs. They carved out an area for a bar area, with a wine refrigerator and beverage chiller, and chose appliances from Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove. “The kitchen, though very modern and practical, is done in the Shaker style, with leathered, gray marble to connect with the simplicity of older homes,” the owner said. “Even with little

things like the fixtures, we tried to pick things that have a retro feel to them.”

There are two rooms that could be leveraged for home offices—a second-level bonus room the Stinebaughs used as a study. It could also be another bedroom. There’s also a finished top level, and the owner suggested it would make a nice home office, as well. This home has six bedrooms, including an expansive primary suite, with a high, beamed ceiling and skylights. The en-suite

bath was fully renovated in 2015, and in 2018, the owners organized the walk-in closet with the help of California Closets. The Stinebaughs also transformed the grounds around the 1.10-acre property. “There were no outdoor spaces, nor lighting, when we moved in, so we added a mahogany back porch and two large flagstone patios—one, with a fire pit,” the owner recalled. “We added matching flagstone decking around the pool and put in a classic iron fence,

which matches the railing down to one of the patios. We landscaped everything.” “What we really love is that we back to a preserve owned by the City of Stamford,” Stinebaugh noted.

The home’s interiors, combined with the outdoor living area and pool, make it well suited to entertaining. In fact, the Stinebaughs hosted many special occasions here over the years, including outdoor picnics for more than 200 people; annual holiday parties, indoors for

more than 100 guests, and a very special engagement party for a dear friend. “The association is amazing. It is very well organized, and frankly, we are a tight-knit neighborhood,” the owner suggested to prospective buyers. “We all know each other and have many neighborhood events, including a wine tasting club, lunch events, family events, and block parties. It is a great place to live, and our neighbors are some of our best friends.”

Contributed photo 53 Hillcrest Park Road is situated on a 1.10-acre lot, with mature trees and perennial plantings.

Contributed photos The current owners not only renovated the house, but they also created outdoor living spaces, as well, with a large, covered porch, a bluestone patio embracing the heated pool and spa, a built-in fire pit area, expansive lawn and meticulously maintained gardens. The outdoor spaces are outfitted with audio and lighting.

Buyers may appreciate the design details found throughout the home, including hardwood flooring, leaded-glass French doors, two fireplaces and built-ins.

The kitchen at 53 Hillcrest Park Road was renovated in 2020, with Plain & Fancy cabinetry, an oversized center island and high-end appliances from Wolf, Sub-Zero and Cove.