Silvermine, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
extending into three southwestern Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
municipalities -- Norwalk
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
, New Canaan
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
and Wilton
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
.
The name "Silvermine" comes from old legends of a silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mine in the area, although no silver has ever been found. Silvermine was long an art colony
Art colony
right|300px|thumb|Artist houses in [[Montsalvat]] near [[Melbourne, Australia]].An art colony or artists' colony is a place where creative practitioners live and interact with one another. Artists are often invited or selected through a formal process, for a residency from a few weeks to over a year...
and remains the home of the Silvermine Guild Arts Center. The Silvermine Tavern, an inn occupying several historic buildings, also remains in the neighborhood. Silver Hill Hospital is just beyond the northern end of the neighborhood, in New Canaan near the Wilton border.
There are two community groups specific to Silvermine: The Silvermine Community Association and the Norwalk Association of Silvermine Homeowners (NASH).
The Silvermine Golf Club is a 27-hole course at 95 N. Seir Hill Road, Norwalk (and extending into Wilton).
History
Solon Borglum
Solon Borglum
Solon Hannibal de la Mothe Borglum was an American sculptor. He is most noted for his depiction of frontier life, and especially his experience with cowboys and native Americans....
, a sculptor, moved to the New Canaan part of Silvermine in 1906 and built a hillside studio. He was one of the leading figures in an emerging community of artists in the neighborhood and helped found the "Knockers Club" (so named because when they would meet in Borglum's studio and discuss their art, a lot of frank criticism came out, knocking one another's work) that later became the Silvermine Guild, one of the largest and oldest art centers in New England. Other artists in the neighborhood were Addison Miller, Howard Hildebrandt, Bernard Gutman, D. Putnam Brinley
D. Putnam Brinley
Daniel Putnam Brinley was an American muralist and painter. He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the son of Edward Huntington Brinley and Rebecca Maitland Porter Brinley. Brinley spent his childhood at his parents' home in Cos Cob, Connecticut, where he was known affectionately as "Put"...
, R.B. Gruelle, Carl Schmitt, Frank Townsend Hutchens, Richard Daggy, Hamilton Hamilton, E. Murray MacKay, Sam Otis, Leo Dorn, John Cassell, Clifton Meek and Adele Klaer.
In 1899, the present Perry Avenue Bridge was constructed. The one-lane stone bridge carries the road over Silvermine River near the Silvermine Tavern grist mill. In the flood of 1955, water flowed over the bridge. The span was put on the National Register of Historic Places in October 2006. That year a chunk of the bridge (one of the curbstones) fell into the water, and for the six months before Memorial Day weekend in 2008 the span was closed as repairs were made. The bridge is so narrow that when one cars sometimes tries to pass another, curbstones can be hit. The Norwalk city government spent $350,000 in repairs, which included masonry restoration, new railings, repaving and further narrowing so that drivers wouldn't be tempted to try to pass cars in front of them. A parade with antique cars was held to celebrate the reopening of the bridge.
National Register of Historic Places listings
In 2003, the Norwalk Association of Silvermine Homeowners (NASH) started trying to get the neighborhood recognized on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. For years, the association wanted the entire neighborhood designated, but because of newer construction, the original proposal was broken up into several smaller sections. The group raised $13,000 on its own and, on June 26, 2006, the State Historic Preservation Office granted $7,000 to study the "core" area of the neighborhood in order to draw up a proposal. State Sen. Bob Duff, a Norwalk Democrat, helped get increased state funding for the State Historic Preservation Office which gave out the grant to the community. Duff told a local newspaper that four generations of his family have lived in the neighborhood.
The core area consists of Silvermine Tavern and 85 other historic buildings (about half are in Norwalk and the rest in New Canaan, except for one in Wilton). The core area was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
, known as Silvermine Center Historic District, on June 23, 2009. NASH has initiated the development of applications for two additional possible historic districts, the Silvermine Avenue Historic District and the Perry Avenue Historic District.
The Perry Avenue Bridge
Perry Avenue Bridge
The Perry Avenue Bridge over the Silvermine River in the Silvermine section of Norwalk, Connecticut was built in 1899. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006....
in the neighborhood, built in 1899, was separately nominated for the National Register in mid-2006 and was listed on October 25, 2006.
Boundary of the neighborhood
In Norwalk, the neighborhood includes a bit of New Canaan Avenue near the New Canaan line (and Purdy Road), Comstock Hill Avenue and streets off it, Silvermine Avenue just north of its intersection with Bartlett Avenue, Cliffview Drive, James Street and Riverview Drive, Perry Avenue north and west of Route 7 and North Seir Hill Road, south of its intersection with Vespucci Road (which is also in the neighborhood).
In Wilton, the neighborhood includes both sides of Seir Hill Road north to its intersection with Old Boston Road, the west side of Old Boston Road to its intersection with Highfield Road, both sides of Old Boston Road north of that to its intersection with New Canaan Road, the west side of Old Boston Road north of that to Huckleberry Hill Road, and the south side of Huckleberry Hill Road in Wilton and New Canaan.
Silvermine Tavern
The Silvermine Tavern, a restaurant and inn (with 11 overnight rooms), is a group of historic buildings overlooking the mill falls on the Silvermine River. The grist mill building, constructed in the seventeenth century, is the oldest of the four structures, which also include the tavern building, the coach house and the country store.The tavern has operated since 1929 when John Byard started running it there. In 1948 the tavern changed hands and was run by I.M. Weiss until it passed on to the Whitman family. Frank and Marsha Whitman took over the tavern in 1973. In 2007 they announced they were selling it, with an asking price of $4.5 million. The Whitmans notified their patrons about the sale with letters to longtime, loyal customers in an attempt to find a buyer who values the traditions of the local institution, although the marketing was also going beyond that group to restaurateurs in Fairfield County and New York City. The business has 35 employees.
The president of the Connecticut Restaurant Association said in early 2007 that the tavern is a venerable institution, with loyal patrons who wouldn't want dramatic changes to it. Brian Griffin, vice president of the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce, called the business "one of the true New England taverns that we have left in the area, and it's absolutely a part of the neighborhood."
Aside from being a restaurant, Silvermine Tavern was a popular place for weddings and wedding receptions, as well as other private functions. It was also well known in the community for their Sunday Brunch.
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
, the actor, frequently stayed in Silvermine and purportedly "holds the record for eating the most waffle
Waffle
A waffle is a batter- or dough-based cake cooked in a waffle iron patterned to give a distinctive and characteristic shape. There are many variations based on the type and shape of the iron and the recipe used....
s at one sitting" at the old Grist Mill, when that building was a waffle shop in the 1930s. In more recent years the restaurant's honey buns were a popular tradition.
The Silvermine Tavern closed on February 22, 2009, and subsequently the property was placed on the market for sale.
Notable people, past and present
- Faith BaldwinFaith BaldwinFaith Baldwin was a very successful U.S. author of romance and fiction, publishing some 100 novels, often concentrating on women juggling career and family...
, a writer, was a resident - Jay Hyde Barnum, an artist; in the 1920s a house was built for him in the neighborhood
- Solon BorglumSolon BorglumSolon Hannibal de la Mothe Borglum was an American sculptor. He is most noted for his depiction of frontier life, and especially his experience with cowboys and native Americans....
, a sculptor, was a resident (New Canaan) - Carl Schmitt, a painter and poet, was a resident (Wilton) Many of his descendents still live in the Silvermine area.
- William BoringWilliam A. BoringWilliam Alciphron Boring was an American architect noted for codesigning the Immigration Station at Ellis Island in New York harbor....
, designer of Ellis IslandEllis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
and Columbia UniversityColumbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
dean of architecture, lived in "Sun House" - Johnny GruelleJohnny GruelleJohnny Gruelle was an American artist, political cartoonist, children's book author and illustrator . He is known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy...
, an artist and creator of Raggedy AnnRaggedy AnnRaggedy Ann is a fictional character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and has a triangle nose...
, was a resident (Norwalk) - Verneur PrattVerneur Edmund PrattVerneur Edmund Pratt was an American entrepreneur and inventor.Pratt started his career working in sales at Sears, Roebuck, and Company.In 1924 Pratt published a book entitled Selling by Mail: Principles and Practice....
, inventor of the microfilm reader, lived in the Keeler-Pratt House in the 1920s. His laboratory and studio was the 1876 carriage barn on the property. - Spencer TracySpencer TracySpencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
, the actor, was a frequent guest at the Silvermine Tavern - Brian Walker, who writes (but doesn't draw) the "Hi and LoisHi and LoisHi and Lois is a comic strip about a suburban family. Created by Mort Walker and illustrated by Dik Browne, it debuted on October 18, 1954, distributed by King Features Syndicate.-Characters:...
" comic strip, lives and works in Silvermine. He lives in a house formerly owned by the Gruelle family. - Richardson Wright, writer, editor of House and Garden lived in "Sun House" (some time after Boring lived there).
- The 1998 movie The Object of My AffectionThe Object of My AffectionThe Object of My Affection is a 1998 romantic comedy film, adapted from the book of the same title by Stephen McCauley, and starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd. The story concerns a pregnant New York social worker who develops romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and the complications...
starring Jennifer AnistonJennifer AnistonJennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
featured scenes in and around the property.