Grandfather clocks are — well, old.
But who knew there were so many in Westport?
Last week’s Photo Challenge showed a classic tall, pendulum timekeeper.
Guesses for its location included Town Hall, the Westport Woman’s Club, Museum for History & Culture, Senior Center, and Greens Farms train station.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
The correct answer is: the Westport Weston Family YMCA.
The grandfather clock in Tom Lowrie’s photo (click here to see) stands inside the lobby, just to the right of the entrance.
I’ve heard it ring a couple of times at noon, but otherwise it’s easy to overlook.
Of course, every “06880” reader will check it out on their next Y visit.
Barbara Wiederecht, Brian Larson, Jeff Loechner, Jalna Jaeger, Richard Hyman and Matt McGrath all chimed in with the right answer.
Today’s Photo Challenge is a familiar feature in old Westport architecture. But where exactly is this one?
If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Peter Barlow)
(Here’s another challenge: Please support “06880.” Click here — and thank you!)
House on Bridge St?
Is this one of the attractive looking historic homes on Bridge Street/Greens Farms Road on the South Side as you head towards the bridge ????
I think that’s my house!
I was going to guess 16 Bridge Street as well!
Bridge St. home. number 14 or sixteen?? Beautiful home and my old stomping ground.
Top of Westport Historical Socirty building
Bridge St. , I think #16?
Former home of Edwin K. Dimes after whom the Compo Marina is named.
I guess this was pretty easy! Coming out of Saxon Lane one day I said to myself, “When do you ever see a cupola at eye level?” So I took this picture without even getting out of my car.
16 Bridge Street historic home
Bridge st Across from Imperial Ave
From beautiful federal home on Bridge Street.
It is Bridge Street, at the corner of Saxon Lane. that’s a beautiful stretch of old homes (though fewer now than there were a while ago).
Excellent challenge. The cupola mirrors that on the other side of Saxon Lane. In fact the two houses weee built as twins.
Actually the Bridge St Neighborhood has the same number of historically significant houses as when application for federal status was made. Howey more new ones have been added. The neighborhood is described in the National Register as is the Cribari Bridge. Most of the nationally recognized houses display a small bronze plaque with a blue background.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_Street_Historic_District_(Westport,_Connecticut)
The cupola belongs to the blue house on the south side of Bridge St. Number 16.
I think it’s called Widow’s Walk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widow%27s_walk
I thought that’s what it was called too, Kevin. But as the Wikipedia entry says (and the photos show), it refers to :a railed rooftop platform often having an inner cupola/turret frequently found on 19th-century North American coastal houses.” This one does not have the platform — it’s fully enclosed.
Still, from there it was possible to gaze far out on the Sound, waiting for ships to arrive. If they didn’t, well, that’s where the “widow” part came from.
Widow Walk’s were built for whaling captain’s homes. Think Melville, Edgartown, Nantucket. Please don’t ever compare Westport to these iconic, New England historic towns. Insulting.
Lexington > Westport
From Merriam Webster: “a railed observation platform atop a usually coastal house.”
From Wikipedia: A widow’s walk, also known as a widow’s watch or roofwalk, is a railed rooftop platform often having an inner cupola/turret frequently found on 19th-century North American coastal houses.”
Westport is a coastal town, right, Janice?
A bit of nitpicking: “Compared to” is not for similarities. That’s “compared with. And insulting? Whoa !
Sounds like you are short on sleep, too.
Who are you?? When these homes were built, that’s what they were used for…all of Saugatuck was industrial from Gault and other fishing companies along the river.
There was no I-95
Ok..You guys have all been warned! Ms. Janice Stewart says “don’t ever compare Westport to Melville, Edgartown, Nantucket. It’s insulting”. Give me a break. FYI nobody did.
Sounds like someone is a little short on sleep.
That’s the house on the river side of Bridge St. near the curve in the road, right?
Bridge Strret,not sure of house number.
Bridge Street, across from Imperial Avenue. I remember that despite having moved to Florida in 2019.
House on Riverside before the bridge
Bridge Street near Underhill
What is with you people??? So much to unpack here.
“Widow’s Walk” is a totally inappropriate, culturally obsolete term for a home feature. Especially in Westport. Westport women have better things to do when their partners are absent than pace around a cupola in high heels as if they can’t possibly exist independently until the “man of the house” decides to return.
House on Bridge St not sure if it was
Ned Dimes or the blue one formerly
owned by architect ? name escapes me at the moment