Tag Archives: Peter Wormser

Wakeman Town Farm Honors Peter Wormser

Posted on July 15, 2021 | 10 comments

Peter Wormser’s death on Tuesday stunned and saddened many Westporters. The architect, gardener, cook and avid outdoorsman was involved in many facets of Westport life. But Wakeman Town Farm had a special place in his heart.

And the town’s sustainability center loved Peter back. This tribute is from Christy Colasurdo, co-chair emeritus and events director.

Wakeman Town Farm lost its biggest champion Tuesday night. More than a decade ago Peter Wormser was among the first in town to step up to renovate the aging farmhouse at 134 Cross Highway, and make it habitable for its early caretakers, Mike and Carrie Aitkenhead. Today it is a thriving institution, thanks in large part to the efforts of Peter and his wife, Liz Milwe, to create a truly special gathering space for the entire community.

Peter Wormser and his wife, Liz Milwe, at Wakeman Town Farm.

Peter had an enormous impact on the Wakeman Town Farm team. We don’t remember him as the world-renowned architect who designed the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial, or the flagship Restoration Hardware store in downtown Manhattan.

Instead we recall Peter clad in faded jeans and his trademark blue T-shirt (matching his cerulean eyes), scooping ice cream, dishing up chili and flipping burgers at Family Fun Day, or bartending at our annual Harvest Fest dinners.

Peter Wormser (right), Pete Romano, and plenty of pumpkins.

Peter truly loved the Farm, and what it meant to Westport residents. He quietly made his mark by attending countless meetings, doing detailed architectural renderings (without compensation), and eventually moving from his NYC office to one in Saugatuck, so he could GC construction of the Farm’s multipurpose facility (again, gratis).

When the building was ready for its unveiling, Peter’s son Tim died unexpectedly. The WTF committee unanimously voted to name the venue Tim’s Kitchen, honoring Peter and Liz, the Farm’s co-chair, for their contributions over the years.

Since the early days, Peter made a slew of improvements to the Farm grounds, including designing our unique Pizza Piazza, stone patios and walkways. He was in the process of working up drawings for the barn’s revitalization.

Peter Wormser (center, blue shirt) and friends celebrate Wakeman Town Farm’s pizza oven.

More than this, Peter and Liz were frequent attendees at Farm events, cooking classes and chef’s dinners. Peter rolled up his sleeves and assisted in the kitchen, working alongside Artisan’s Frederic Kieffer, Possa’s Chef Massimo and Peter Romano of Saugatuck Sweets.

It took us all by surprise when Peter, an avid cook, gardener and swimmer, was grounded by a mysterious illness 2 years ago. He underwent an array of treatments and grueling medical procedures. Eventually, he was diagnosed with leukemia.

Peter died July 13, the same day as his beloved son Tim, only 5 years later.

Wakeman Town Farm co-chair Bill Constantino fondly remembers Peter for his sensitivity to the Farm’s historic roots. He says, “Peter always had the best interest of keeping the integrity of my grandparents’ homestead and farm in mind, while being able to create an amazing space for the residents of Westport. He will truly be missed.”

Our hearts go out to the Wormser family, including sons Jon and James, and longtime partner Liz Milwe. We share heartfelt gratitude to one of the most giving, talented and unpretentious humans we have had the pleasure to know.

Peter Wormser, at his beloved Wakeman Town Farm.

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Posted in Environment, Obituaries

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Remembering Peter Wormser

Posted on July 14, 2021 | 20 comments

Peter Wormser — a longtime Westporter and award-winning architect who valued the intersection of innovative design, community consciousness, and environmental sustainability — died last night, after battling leukemia. He was 69 years old.

Peter was 32 when he and colleague William Fellows won a nationwide design competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Manhattan’s Water Street. The memorial boasts a plain wall of glass brick, etched with excerpts of letters written from Vietnam — mostly from men and women in combat to friends and family at home — as well as political speeches and news dispatches.

One view of the New York Vietnam Memorial …

The writing on the wall inspired a book and a documentary film, both called Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. Announcing the winning award, Mayor Ed Koch praised its design: ”What I like is its simplicity, and the fact that what will appear on the wall will be the comments of those who suffered. These comments will be a constant reminder of how much we owe the dead and how much we owe the living.”

Since its completion in 1985, Peter maintained a diverse architectural practice. His projects included multi-family housing developments in Manhattan and the Bronx, custom homes in Connecticut, ranches in California, and most recently the design of a new sustainable “green” town in Colorado.

Additionally he designed offices for the Ms. Foundation, Nathan Cummings Foundation, MTV and Miramax, among others, as well as the Restoration Hardware flagship store in Manhattan, Furniture Row stores in the Southwest, and restaurants on both coasts.

… and a close-up.

A project close to his heart speaks to his love of community in Westport, where he lived for 2 decades with his wife of 40 years, Liz Milwe. Tim’s Kitchen at Wakeman Town Farm is a community gathering spot, named after their son who died in 2016.

Peter grew up in Stamford. He graduated from Pomfret School, and earned a BS in environmental science at Pitzer College, where he met his wife. After she graduated they moved to New York, and raised 3 children.

Later,  Peter received an MA in architecture from Columbia University. He lived in NoHo for decades, where he designed the Children’s Museum of the Arts on Lafayette Street.

Peter was also a painter. At night he jogged around Washington Square Park, often returning to their loft with a fellow runner he had invited over for pasta primavera.

Peter Wormser

Peter cared deeply for the people around him. On summer weekends especially, he enjoyed spending long, delicious evenings with family and friends — young, old, and in between.

Peter was an excellent cook, who relished the role of chef and host. He shared his love of food with his 3 sons, and took pride in the side-by-side chopping, slicing and dicing, while taking time to reveal his osso buco or mango salsa secrets with them.

A lover of the garden, Peter tended to his many tomato plants with unusually precise attention.

He adored the water and snow, was an avid skier on both land and sea, and taught his boys to drive a boat, wakeboard in the sun, and carve the slopes with the best of them. Swimming at dusk in the Long Island Sound with his dog Jackson was also among his greatest pleasures in life.

In addition to his wife, Liz Milwe, Peter is survived by sons James and Jon Wormser; his brother, Tom Wormser; sister-in-laws Cindy Goodman Wormser, Marjorie Leiberman and Judy Milwe; nieces Cindy Milwe, Alison Milwe Grace, Julie Howes and Megan Wormser, and nephew Matt Wormser.

A memorial service is set for Sunday, July 25 (4 p.m., Cedar Point Yacht Club).

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to Westport Friends of Park and Rec/Tim’s Kitchen, c/o Wakeman Town Farm, 134 Cross Highway, Westport CT 06880.

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Posted in Obituaries

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Closing The Barn Door On Aquarion’s Water Tanks

Posted on December 15, 2017 | 30 comments

Back in the day — before Bridgeport Hydraulic built a water storage facility, and Staples High School moved in across the street — North Avenue was farmland.

A couple of decades ago, the Rippe farm and orchard was replaced by Greystone Farm Lane. Developers tossed a bone to the past, designing parts of some of the houses to look like silos.

Which may provide one solution to a controversy now roiling the road.

Aquarion — Bridgeport Hydraulic’s successor — wants to build 2 water tanks at the site it owns. Their 39-foot height concerns neighbors.

Pete Romano has an idea.

The LandTech principal knew that on Wilton Road at Newtown Turnpike, Aquarion used a facade to “hide” some of its equipment.

The Aquarion facility on Wilton Road.

He asked Peter Wormser — an architect at his engineering firm — to design something similar for North Avenue.

The result: 2 “barns.”

LandTech’s rendering of the barn structures for North Avenue. Click on or hover over to enlarge.

“I know Wilton Road is not as big,” Romano says. “And maybe Aquarion needs access on all 4 sides. But it’s an idea. It might get people talking.”

North Avenue will not go back to apple orchards and onion farms.

But perhaps — even with 2 big pumping stations — it can look that way.

 

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Posted in Environment, Local business, People, Places

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Railroad Place Redevelopment: Still Stalled

Posted on February 3, 2016 | 34 comments

The opening of Harvest restaurant — in the former Mario’s space — has brought renewed attention to Railroad Place.

It’s also reminded people of the long-rumored Railroad Place project — a redevelopment plan for a larger area that shares the name of the small but significant street on the westbound side of the railroad station.

With Saugatuck Center completed and thriving — Riverside Avenue is now a hot spot filled with new restaurants, a butcher shop, gourmet food store, sweet shop, paddle rental store, 27 apartments and more — Westporters have waited for the next phase.

It’s unrelated — who’s-who-wise — to the Gault family’s Saugatuck Center work. But it’s been rumored for years, as a natural next step.

Negotiations have proceeded, in fits and starts, since 2011. In 2012, LandTech — the highly regarded engineering and planning firm headquartered on Riverside Avenue — drew up an RFP for the families who have owned the property for nearly 100 years, to seek developers.

It involved all the land bordered by Railroad Place, Charles Street and Riverside Avenue, as well as the private parking lot adjacent to Luciano Park.

All the land, that is, except the Mario’s/Harvest building, and the grim, out-of-character office building at 21 Charles Street. They have their own owners. All the rest of the property in the plan is owned by 2 families.

An aerial view of the proposed Railroad Place development. Charles Street (including the office building is at left); the train tracks run diagonally across the top. Click on or hover over to enlarge.

An aerial view of the proposed Railroad Place development. Charles Street (including the office building) is at left; the train tracks run diagonally across the top. Luciano Park is at the bottom. Click on or hover over to enlarge.

LandTech’s proposal — in collaboration with Westport architect Peter Wormser — envisions an entirely new look for the 3-acre space.

Steps next to Harvest will lead to a bluestone plaza, similar to the one between the Whelk and Saugatuck Sweets that draws musicians, sunbathers and people-watchers.

A view from the westbound train platform across Railroad Place.

A view from the westbound train platform across Railroad Place.

Surrounding the plaza will be a mix of retail stores and apartments. There’s room for a small movie theater and boutique hotel.

A closeup of the rendering above. Mario's is, of course, now Harvest restaurant.

A closeup of the rendering above. Mario’s is, of course, now Harvest restaurant.

Nearby, planners envision an enclosed, year-round green market.

Two levels of underground parking would accommodate 480 cars.

It’s not a done deal, of course. The 4-story development would need a zone change, to embrace Transit-Oriented Development (programs to link transportation centers with surrounding neighborhoods). The floor area ration would require a text amendment.

The view across Riverside Avenue, from Tutti's. The buildings in the artist's rendering would replace the current cleaners and adjacent buildings.

The view across Riverside Avenue, from Tutti’s. The buildings in the artist’s rendering would replace the current cleaners and adjacent buildings. The Charles Street office building is on the far right.

The project has moved very slowly, in part because of land valuation questions. No developer has yet signed on.

But Railroad Place — the property — is an unpolished gem, waiting to shine. Bordered by existing businesses and a train station — with a major highway nearby — it’s ripe for development.

Stores and shops in the proposed Railroad Place development.

Stores and shops in the proposed Railroad Place development.

Exciting plans have been available for several years. They’ve been shopped around, creating excitement among everyone who’s seen them.

The 2 families that own most of Railroad Place have not yet agreed on the next steps. When — that is, if — they do, the future of one of Westport’s most intriguing, often-underutilized sections of town could be very, very cool.

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Posted in Local business, Real estate, Restaurants, Saugatuck

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Teardown With A Twist

Posted on June 3, 2013 | 3 comments

Compo Beach is a true “neighborhood.” Many homes on Soundview and its side streets have been in the same family for decades.

One of the those old, familiar houses was 8 Danbury Avenue. Teri Klein grew up in the magical cottage — and so did her children and grandchildren. They held weddings and parties there, ran on the beach, and admired the spectacular views.

8 Danbury Avenue.

8 Danbury Avenue.

Unfortunately, the house sat level with the ground. Hurricane Sandy damaged it beyond repair.

Today it was demolished.

(Photos by Betsy Phillips)

(Photos by Betsy Phillips)

But this is not a typical Westport tear-down-a-small-old-house-and-throw-up-a-huge-new-one story.

Two couples living nearby — Dan Kahn and Betsy Phillips,  and Peter Wormser and Liz Milwe — bought the house from Teri. Peter — a very talented architect and artist — incorporated much of the quaint and magical details of the old home into a new design.

The next 8 Danbury Avenue house will be built on a higher foundation than the previous one — new FEMA and local regulations have made sure of that. But there will still be a rocking-chair front porch, a similar look, the same Low Country southern charm.

The new home will be something increasingly rare in Westport: a new but familiar house.

“We’re beach people,” Betsy explains simply.

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Posted in Beach, People, Weather

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Lot F

Posted on November 14, 2010 | 1 comment

James Wormser and Kate Ostreicher dated at Staples.  They graduated from college a year ago.  Now they run an art gallery — Lot F — out of their Boston loft.

Yesterday, the Boston Globe ran a long story on their work getting “edgy, street-inspired artists noticed.”

The article called the loft’s monthly party “a must.”

Kate Ostreicher and James Wormser

James — an Emerson College grad — is described as “an unlikely orchestrator, the anti-curator…. (His) object is to sell art, of course, but he calls his approach ‘laid-back.’  He doesn’t speak in terms of aesthetics or visual styles, but favors words like ‘sick’ and ‘insane’ to describe the work he displays.

“Much of it is street-art inspired.  Some of the artists are best known by their graffiti tags, others have MFAs.  In Wormser’s vernacular, as long as they ‘kill it,’ they have Lot F cred.”

The Globe said that James “is pedaling [sic] a sensibility, the idea that collecting art is as accessible and viable as collecting limited-edition sneakers or skateboards — if not exactly the same thing.

“While works have sold for several thousand dollars, $400 to $500 is the average price. And barely a year since its launch last September, the Lot F ethos extends far beyond the walls of his loft.”

James works with bars, restaurants and stores all over Boston to promote and display his artists, the Globe says.

Through Karmaloop, an online streetwear site, he has sold his artists’ work to customers in Italy, Australia and Korea.

Yesterday's Boston Globe story.

Karl Baehr, one of James’ professors at Emerson College, calls him “serious…. He’s not above getting out there and doing it.  You can sit around and dream up dreams all day long.  Entrepreneurs have to make things happen.’’

James comes by his creativity naturally.  His mother — Westport native Liz Milwe — is a noted choreographer.  His father — Peter Wormser — is an architect who designed New York’s Vietnam Veterans.

Just as his parents influenced him, James Wormser is now nurturing a new generation of artists.

“I have someone constantly looking out for opportunities for me,’’ praises neo-graffiti artist Todd Robertson.  “I can focus on what I’m doing artistically now that I have James to help me out in a business sense.  He’s built a home we all live in.’’

Right there in a funky — and very popular — Boston loft.

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Posted in Arts, People, Staples HS

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