Not everyone gets out to Beachside Avenue much.
Everyone should.
It’s a special Westport neighborhood. In addition to the winding street lined with old, handsome estates — some of which you can actually see from the road — there are scenes like last week’s photo challenge. Fred Cantor’s image of an Adirondack chair sitting on a lawn overlooking a private beach is a classic.
Tom Ryan, Wendy Cusick, Joyce Barnhart, Jan Carpenter, Vanessa Bradford, Jeff Giannone and Billy Scalzi all placed it correctly. Several other readers thought it was just west, at Burying Hill Beach. Click here for the photo, and all guesses.
Seth Schachter provides this week’s challenge. If you know where this is, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Seth Schachter)
Maybe on greens farms elementary school?
Of course it must stand for Greens Farms — but now when I see GF I just think of gluten free.
I lived at 111 Beachside (renting a room for two years) — so I hope I’m forgiven for not knowing this. I am guessing it’s somewhere on one of the old Bedford family buildings: either the school (a former Bedford home) or at Nyala Farm. Or perhaps the gatehouse that was just next to the road (hence a gate house!) leading to an estate on the south side of the road (shore side) — travelling East from Burying Hill toward Southport.
Greens Farms Academy?
Funny, even though I have not lived there in a long time my first thought was Green’s farms Academy…
I’ve guessed already but I am now thinking it may be on the bridge between Nyala Farm & Burying Hill next to/just west of my former landlords’s house (111 Beachside Ave.).
*Sorry Children learning spelling & punctuation — that should be: landlord’s !
somewhere on what is left of the YMCA
“what is left of”… So funny & sad at once.
If Greens Farms Academy where is the “A”?
Greens Farms Church/Cemetary?
Greens Farms Train station / Post Office?
Probably nothing to do with Greens Farms?
Susan Huppi and Zoe Kassis (1st comment) are both correct. This is part of the front of Greens Farms Elementary School. Seth Schachter — who took the photo — adds this info, from various sources:
The building that is presently Greens Farms School was built in 1925 by Charles E. Cutler, a hands-on architect. It is the only Tudor Revival school building in Westport, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It was originally designed for a student population of around 200.
Charles Cutler built several notable buildings in town including Westport Bank and Trust (now Patagonia), the “Lindbergh house” on Long Lots (they only spent a summer there), Governor Lodge’s houses and several Beachside homes. He also was the architect of what now hosts the Westport Historical Society. The house was built in the 1920’s for Emily McLaury (Emily was Charles’ wife’s cousin).
Additions to GFS were done in the 1950s and then the ’90’s. As with the older Greens Farms School on Clapboard, philanthropist Edward T Bedford helped fund the new school (in addition to Bedford Elementary School on Myrtle Avenue, currently used as Town Hall).
In 1983, due to declining student enrollment, GFS was closed as a school and converted into a home for the Westport Arts Center and Senior Center. In the early 1990’s, with an increase in student population, Westport spent over $16 million to renovate and expand the building. In 1997, GFS was reopened for school use.
I have to confess & turn in my time share for the glittery crown Dan: Susan was the ONLY one right. Because when I said “school” I meant Greens Farms Academy (former Bedford family home).
Thanks for the really interesting architecture history of all these buildings & the architect.
You are way too honest!
I know — I’m thinking of getting a minder to help me w/ that.
A correction is needed for Seth’s Schacter’s list of Charles Cutler’s architectural designs. Cutler did design Emily McLaury’s house but it is NOT the Westport Historical Society’s present building. Emily McLaury’s house is located across the street from today’s Westport Historical Society. However, there is a bit of truth in Schacter’s statement. The WHS leased the Emily McLaury house for a few years but that was long ago.
Other notable works credited to Cutler include the Fairfield County Hunt Club’s club house, the Saugatuck Fire House, the former Westport Post Office, and the Coleytown Fire Station.
Thanks for the additional info and clarification Wendy!