Category Archives: Looking back

[OPINION] Save 11 Beachside Common!

Posted on February 15, 2026 | 19 comments

The Wall Street Journal wrote about it.

So did “06880.”

Last weekend, curious residents headed over to Beachside Common, to see #11 for themselves.

An estate sale drew them to the home of biotech entrepreneur/investor/scientist Alan Walton and his wife Elenor.

They bought the 1970s contemporary overlooking Burying Hill Beach in 2000, for $6.3 million. It was expanded and “reimagined” in the 1990s — for $13 million.

One view of he exterior …

With its floating staircase, periscope skylights, rainbow glazing purple carpet — and a 150-foot multicolored tile pathway that “meanders” through the house — it was not for everyone.

Alan died in 2015. Elenor died last February. The couple was a much-admired part of their tight-knit neighborhood.

In her will, Elenor told her children to sell the property.

They did. Now it’s slated for demolition.

,,, and another …

The other day, an anonymous Westporter — calling him or herself “Concerned Quirky Citizen” — emailed the Planning & Zoning Commission, Westport Downtown Association, and various other town and state officials. The writer urged “the Town of Westport and any relevant boards, commissions, and elected officials to reconsider” the teardown.

That’s a heavy lift. The Historic District Commission can only vote to delay demolition of a structure older than 50 years, for 180 days. In theory, that buys time to find a way to save a home.

In nearly every case, the owner — who presumably brought the property intending to tear it down — waits out the delay, then brings in the wrecking ball.

That will probably happen to 11 Beachside Common. But here is the anonymous resident’s plea:

“From everything that has been shared publicly, this home is not only an extraordinary piece of residential architecture, but also a physical record of technological, cultural, and artistic history.

“This property appears to represent a rare convergence of design, innovation and local heritage.

… with one view of the interior …

“The house underwent an extensive and highly considered transformation by a noted architect, resulting in a structure that functions more like a livable gallery than a conventional home. It stands out for its unconventional forms, light-filled interior spaces, and the way it integrates with its coastal setting.

“Many visitors and community members have described it as unlike anything else in the area, which suggests it may be eligible for recognition as a historically or architecturally significant resource.

“In addition to its architectural value, the home is closely associated with individuals whose work shaped modern science and technology, including contributions connected to NASA’s Apollo program and to early MRI development.

“When a building has direct ties to people whose work has had a global impact, and when that building has been consciously designed and redesigned with that legacy in mind, demolition is not just a private decision with private consequences. It is the permanent erasure of a cultural asset that could otherwise benefit the town, the state, and the broader public.

… and another …

“I fully recognize that the property is privately owned and that owners have important rights. At the same time, towns routinely treat certain structures and landscapes as part of the public good and subject them to additional review or protection when they meet criteria for historic, architectural, or cultural significance.

“I am asking that Westport, in coordination with its relevant boards and commissions, explore all available mechanisms to:

  • Evaluate whether 11 Beachside Common meets local, state, or national criteria for historic or architectural significance.
  • Consider interim measures (such as a temporary delay of demolition) to allow proper study and public input.
  • Engage with the current owner and any interested preservation organizations to explore alternatives to total demolition, such as adaptive reuse, partial preservation, sale to a preservation-minded buyer, or creative public–private partnerships.

“Preserving this structure, or even a substantial portion of it, could provide Westport with a unique cultural and educational asset. Possibilities might include limited public tours, curated events, collaborations with architectural schools or design programs, or partnerships with arts and science institutions that could interpret the technology and innovation stories embedded in the home.

… and a third …

“Many communities have successfully turned singular private properties into sources of civic pride, tourism, and long-term economic and cultural value while still respecting ownership and neighborhood character.

“Respectfully, it is hard to understand how a town benefits from losing a one‑of‑a‑kind coastal landmark that has captured the imagination of so many residents and visitors. Once demolished, it cannot be recreated. Even a modest pause, serious assessment, and transparent public conversation would be far better than allowing such an asset to vanish without a full understanding of what is being lost.

” want to be clear that I am not accusing any individual or entity of wrongdoing, and I recognize that the property may be proceeding through the standard approval and permitting channels.

“My concern is that, even when all legal requirements are followed, the loss of a culturally and architecturally significant home can still be a preventable tragedy, and I am asking that every available option be explored before an irreversible decision is carried out.

… and one more.

“At minimum, I ask that the town publicly communicate what steps, if any, have been taken to evaluate 11 Beachside Common for historic or architectural protection, and what opportunities exist for public participation in any remaining processes.

“Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your service to the community. I would be grateful for a response describing whether there are any upcoming meetings, hearings, or procedures related to this property, and how members of the public can best participate constructively.”

(Our “Opinion” pages are open to all. Please email submissions to 06880blog@gmail.com.)

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s broad, always interesting real estate market — and every other part of local life. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Appreciating Wayne Uccellini

Posted on February 11, 2026 | 13 comments

Wayne Uccellini — the longtime owner and chef of the legendary Allen’s Clam & Lobster House — died last month, at 80. (Click here, then scroll down, for his obituary.)

Dave Stalling is one of many Westporters who worked at Allen’s. The Staples High School graduate now lives in Montana. But he has fond memories of his years at the restaurant. Dave writes:

It’s difficult to imagine that anyone who went to Staples High School in the 1970s didn’t, at one time or another, work for Wayne Uccellini at Allen’s Clam & Lobster House.

Wayne and his family owned Allen’s, a once beloved Westport landmark built in 1890 by Captain Walter Allen. When I was growing up, it was a wonderful restaurant and a central part of the town’s character. (The restaurant closed in the late 1990s, was demolished in 2004, and the site is now the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve.)

Exterior and interior views of Allen’s Clam House. Today, it’s the Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve.

When I attended Staples High School (Class of 1979), it seemed like almost everyone I knew worked there — washing dishes, bussing tables, prepping food or cooking.

Wayne ran the kitchen. I can still picture him clearly: dressed in his white chef’s uniform, black mustache, always smiling, efficiently moving through the kitchen. He seemed constantly busy, yet never too busy to stop and say hello or, more likely, continuing to work while visiting.

Wayne Uccellini (left) and his brother Ron in Allen’s kitchen, 1978.

We became friends. He took me fishing and grouse hunting. When I was strapped for cash, he paid me to do yard work at his home.

Later, when I came home on leave from the Marine Corps, Wayne was always genuinely happy to see me. He’d invite me into the kitchen, always cooking something up, and say, “Hey Dave, try this.” It might be a bit of scampi, some lobster or a bowl of clam chowder to bring home. He always asked how my mom and dad were doing.

Wayne was kind, generous and compassionate, always eager to help anyone in need.

The Uccellini family.

A lifelong resident of Westport, Wayne was a graduate of Staples High School, Class of 1964, and proudly served in the US Army. He and his wonderful wife Karen raised their 3 children in Westport.

I will always remember Wayne as a cherished friend and mentor — someone who gave countless high school students their very first jobs, and left a lasting, positive influence on the town of Westport.

Wayne Uccellini 

 

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Posted in Looking back, Obituaries, Restaurants

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Famous Artists School: A Fond Look Back

Posted on February 3, 2026 | 7 comments

Suzanne Wilson arrived in Westport in 1969, to work at Famous Artists School.

It was her first “real” job, after studying art at Boston University. She remained at the internationally known correspondence school, headquartered on Wilton Road (now the office building just north of Bartaco) until it went bankrupt in 1972 due to  over-expansion, financial mismanagement, and a sales tactics scandal, (There were also Famous Writers and Famous Photographers Schools.)

Famous Artists, Writers and Photographers Schools logos.

After a couple of years in England, she returned to Westport. From 1975-82 — going by the name Suzanne Lemieux — she painted in oils and pastels; worked in studios including The Mill on Richmondville Avenue, and exhibited regionally.

The recent “06880” series on Westport’s arts history piqued her interest — and jogged her memory. Suzanne writes:

The prevailing condescension among local artists about the Famous Artists School was such that I had to keep my enthusiasm under wraps.

To me, the job offered the opportunity to practice, practice, practice (with free art materials); develop techniques and disciplines; learn about teaching art; most especially, to be in the company of renowned, artists and have the chance to meet some who actually made a living at it — and a good one!

Suzanne Lemieux, in her Famous Artists School days.

I felt the Famous Artists teaching was thorough. I wished that my teachers at Boston University had spent as much time and attention on me.

At FAS we addressed each student’s art piece individually. We actually painted a small picture and added comments, samples of techniques, colors, and so forth that they could apply to their art. We included a letter to provide more detail.

I admired one that Claude Croney was doing. To my surprise and delight he painted another one just like it for me!

Claude Croney’s painting for Suzanne Wilson.

My supervisor was George Passantino. He gave me some notes on how to correct the student work:

Famous Artists Schools began in a mill in Westport, Connecticut. They built a new building on the Saugatuck River, with individual offices for the faculty.

Famous Artists School, on the Saugatuck River at Wilton Road.

If you lived across the river, it was easy to get to work:

Suzanne Wilson rows to work. 

It wasn’t always so idyllic. You could get caught in the current or stuck at low tide, as all the famous artists watched out the windows. I was not spared the humorous renditions of my plight!

A criticism of the school was that the “famous” artists (“Guiding Faculty”) did not really teach the students. But they did regularly appear to give lectures and seminars for the staff. (And to attend parties.)

To my naïve viewpoint, the drinking and tomfoolery appeared glamorous rather than the self-medication that it most likely was. In my first job out of art school I felt I had fortuitously landed in the bon vivant artistic lifestyle celebrated in Paris of the 1920s. To this day I have not found anything quite like it.

We were honored to have the famous illustrator Peter Helck give us a critique on our renditions of automobiles. I boldly submitted a 30 x 40 inch “painterly” abstract piece.

Suzanne Wilson’s artwork.

Although this rather large painting took up most of the wall, Mr. Helck graciously and judiciously critiqued each illustration surrounding it until he ran out of time. The happy ending was that all the participants were invited to lunch at The Red Barn.

Extra studio space in an old mill was provided by Famous Artists School for the staff. On the spacious top sky-lit floor, artists could paint private portrait commissions, give lessons, and get together for sketch classes.

In Famous Artists’ heyday, they rented studios at The Mill on Richmondville Avenue. Today, they’re condominiums.

But there was always time for gourmet lunches and parties.

Eating and drinking well.

Some of the Famous Artists continued to rent studio space after Famous Artists Schools stopped leasing it.

Artists Robert Baxter, Alfred Chadbourn Ed Reinhardt, Bert Dodson, Ann Toulmin-Rothe and Charles Reid.

After returning from London I worked in the same building, sharing space with Ward Brackett.

Ward didn’t care to save all of his rough sketches. I was the lucky recipient.

Ward Brackett sketch.

The local cartoonists, illustrators and writers were a sociable group. They met weekly at Westport Lanes, followed by hours of congeniality. There were many famous names. Proximity to New York was a must, and brought a truly creative group to the community.

Suzanne married cartoonist Rowland B. Wilson. They moved to California in 1982; moved again to Ireland, then returned to California. They worked at Disney; she then commuted to Phoenix to work at Fox Animation on “Anastasia” and other productions. Rowland died in 2005.

She now lives in Rancho La Costa, California, and has a “nice, big home studio.” 

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s arts scene, its history — and, as in today’s feature, their intersection. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

Suzanne Lemieux, after her return to Westport.

 

 

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Westport Arts Scene, Part 4: Artists Collective Arises

Posted on January 31, 2026 | 3 comments

This is the final story in a 4-part series about the splintering of the Westport Arts Center, into what is now MoCA\CT and the Artists Collective of Westport. (Click on Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.) 

Our “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung writes:

In 1996, Westport’s population was booming. Officials needed another school.

Despite a signed lease, and a promise from the schools superintendent that the Westport Arts Center would have the Greens Farms Elementary School building through 1999, he broke the lease and demanded they leave.

Greens Farms School, during its Westport Arts Center days — as portrayed by an artist with a studio there.

Greens Farms Elementary had been WAC’s home for almost 20 years.

Despite this, parents — many of them new to Westport — were upset that artists were taking up school space that could belong to their offspring.

Parents and other residents deemed the artists “frivolous,” and chastised WAC artists and board members.

The opponents did not know that the WAC had poured perhaps a million dollars — from studio rentals, dues, donations and ticket receipts — into repairs and maintenance.

Artur Holde Hall — an exhibit and performing arts space, in the former Greens Farms School gymnasium.

Greens Farms Elementary School was built in 1925. In 1991 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Any work needed had to preserve its integrity. Such work was costly.

Opponents failed to acknowledge the WAC’s unique contribution to the community. It brought together national award-winning painters, musicians from international symphonies, well-known cartoonists, illustrators from major publications, an art instructor from the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, and emerging talent.

One artist calls the decision to take back the school “a cultural crime.”

Compo Shopping Center offered WAC administrators a small office above Gold’s Delicatessen.

Artists, staff and board members took advantage of any exhibit space they could, including Earthplace and school auditoriums.

In 2002, they moved into their own space: a gallery on Riverside Avenue.

Westport Arts Center, on Riverside Avenue.

They remained there until 2019, when Mo\CA CT opened on Newtown Turnpike (see Parts 1 and 2). 

Once again, many artists had no home.

But not all.

In a prescient move in 2014, 5 artists and WAC artistic director Helen Klisser During created the Artists Collective of Westport. The goal was to retain the WAC’s values and mission.

Four years later — amid rumors of the WAC evolving into MoCA — two Artists Collective members incorporated the organization as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit.

Their aim was to be “a more collegial group” — member-driven, with “renewed respect for local artists.”

Today there are roughly 150 ACW members. Painters, sculptors, photographers and other artists in Fairfield County inspire and assist each other in their creative process.

Artists Collective of Westport member Nina Bentley with her work, at one of the group’s quarterly shows. (Photo/Dan Woog)

A founding artist says that while some members enjoy renown and commercial achievement, the collective’s true measure of success is “how many of our members donate their time and talents to the community, and how much wall space we give to local artists who might not have any other opportunities.”

The Artists Collective partners with the Westport Country Playhouse. They host pop-up exhibits, special events and monthly meetings at the Lucille Lortel Barn.

One member says the Collective “opened the door to this whole new group of people that I wouldn’t have had the chance to know.”

The Artists Collective of Westport also opens doors for area art-lovers to meet, enjoy — and buy the works of — local working artists.

Last month — nearly a decade after the Artists Collective was formed, and Mo\CA CT opened its doors —  Mo\CA’s outgoing and incoming executive directors, Pamela Hovland and Robin Jaffee Frank, attended the opening reception for the Collective’s holiday exhibit.

It was the first time a MoCA director had attended an Artists Collective exhibit.

Though the “divorce” was difficult, and my interviews with artists from those periods dug up still-raw emotions, both sides agree that MoCA\CT and the Artists Collective of Westport have made the town’s arts community more vibrant.

That is the power of a collective passion.

(“06880” regularly covers the Westport arts scene, in all its forms. We highlight the history of our town too. If you enjoy stories like these, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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From Beach To Best: 60 Years Of Teen Radio

Posted on January 29, 2026 | 14 comments

WWPT-FM is the best high school radio station in the country.

That’s not just my opinion. Staples’ “PT” earned that John Drury Award honor last year — to go with similar “Best High School Radio Station in the Nation” trophies in 2011, ’17 and ’18.

WWPT 90.3 picks up plenty of other Drury trophies each year too, for everything from news features and public affairs, to sports and radio dramas.

The station draws a wide audience. Live sports are particularly popular. They’ve launched the professional careers of sportscasters like D.J. Sixsmith, Eric Gallanty and Cam Manna.

Celebrating at the 2010 John Drury Awards ceremony (from left): advisor Mike Zito, and students Eric Gallanty, DJ Sixsmith, Brendan Rand and Jake Chernok.

But listeners may not realize that WWPT is more than 50 years old.

Or that a radio station featuring Westport teenagers stretches back to the Eisenhower administration.

Pam Docters knows.

And now anyone who pays $9.03 0n Amazon (yes, the price is deliberate — get it?!) can read all about that storied history.

Docters — a 1978 Staples graduate, and proud ‘PT alum — has just published “Radio Whoopie at Compo.” The slim, 49-page paperback tells the story of the station, in the words of those who were there. And with an impressive number of archival photos.

It focuses on the late 1950’s through ’80s. The pioneers who Docters spoke with were the most fervent WWPT alums, she says.

The story begins with  Stuart Soroka. He hung a speaker outside his bedroom window on Wake Robin Road, and hosted a “radio show.”

That evolved into a 100-megawatt AM station — called WWPT, for “Westport” — at 1160: “The Sound on the Sound.”

Soroka, Gordon Joseloff and others broadcast from the YMCA and Compo Beach, with a transmitter the size of a cereal box.

Teenagers at Compo Beach, listening to “The Sound on the Sound.”

They attracted the attention of the New York Times, World Book Encyclopedia, Scholastic Magazine — and the Federal Communications Commission, which reluctantly shut them down.

Soroka — a 1961 Staples graduate — went on to became a noted Boston weatherman. Joseloff had a career as a CBS News correspondent, then served 2 terms as Westport’s first selectman.

This July 1961 New York Times story alerted the FCC to the existence of the unlicensed radio station. 

In 1968, Keith Satter and others built an AM transmitter that broadcast throughout Staples, from what had once been a storage room. WSRB — for “Staples Radio Broadcasting” — is believed to be the first high school radio station in Connecticut.

In the early 1970s it evolved into WWPT-FM. At 110 to 330 watts, it was the 12th high school radio station in the country.

The designer of the original 1970s logo is unknown. It’s still used today.

Docters uses interviews with former staff members like Dennis Jackson, Mark Potts and Larry Perlstein to describe the growth of the station: its antenna at the old Nike missile site on Bayberry Lane; live broadcasts from the Yankee Doodle Fair, and of Candlelight Concerts; coverage of Board of Finance, Board of Education meetings; an interview with former Stapleite Charlie Karp, who had played with Jimi Hendrix but was excited that his new band’s music was being played on “this little station.”

In 1975, WWPT sponsored a fundraising concert in the Staples auditorium with the James Gang, and an up-and-coming English musician named Peter Frampton.

On Election Day 1977, ‘PT scooped all the other local media with the local results. Station members headed to polling places across town, and called in the results via pay phone.

Marta Flanigan waits for election results, in the WWPT studio.

Chuck Davis and Neil Hartman built a robust sports department. WWPT aired football, soccer, basketball and baseball games. They scored press passes from the Yankees, Giants, Knicks, Whalers (and Bridgeport Jai-Alai), and interviewed top athletes.

Davis went on to work at Sports Illustrated; Hartman headed to Comcast SportsNet. Another member, Jon Stashower, became a noted ESPN radio anchor.

Photos in Pam Docters’ book show (top to bottom) Chuck Davis and Neil Hartman interviewing Cosmos soccer stars Giorgio Chinaglia and Pele, respectively.

Thanksgiving fundraising marathons became legendary. With pitches from famous New York DJs like Don Imus, Cousin Brucie and Murray the K, plus celebrities like Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, Jim McKay, Dave Winfield, Jack Lemmon and Ben Vereen, students raised thousands of dollars each year.

1977 fundraising marathon poster.

WWPT was a formative experience for Docters, and her love for it is clear in her book.

She tells “06880” about her long days at the station. “We were in the lower 9 building, away from everything. We never, ever saw an adult. We were independent, and responsible. We MacGyvered everything. Fixing the tower at 11 p.m., whatever — we made it work.”

Docters remains “in awe” of her predecessors. “They were there before anyone, in radio. It’s phenomenal what they did. You couldn’t recreate that today. There are so many rules and regulations now.”

40 years after graduating, 1978 WWPT members (from left) Malcolm Doak, David Schaffer, Laurel Rech, Chuck Davis, Doug Meny and author Pam Docters enjoyed a tour of the 2018 studios.

She knows “Radio Whoopie at Compo” will not be a big seller. That’s fine.

Docters just wanted to preserve WWPT’s remarkable history. She donated copies to the Staples and Westport libraries, and current station advisor and radio production teacher Geno Heiter.

That’s right: Radio is now a legit Staples class.

It’s come a long way from the outlaw transmitters at the beach and the Y; closed-circuit broadcasts that could only be heard in the cafeteria; then gangs of teenagers hanging out all day and night, playing records and planning shows and fixing transmitters.

Pam Docters is proud of the role she played. Dennis Jackson, Larry Perlstein and all the others she interview for her book are too.

And in that great radio station in the sky, Stuart Soroka and Gordon Joseloff are listening and smiling too.

(“o6880”  regularly covers Staples High School, Westport teenagers, our town’s history — and much more. If you enjoy stories like these, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

2025 John Drury Awards.

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Futures And Options: Bridgewater And Nyala Farms

Posted on January 26, 2026 | 13 comments

Ever since Edward T. Bedford bought a farm in 1910, and his son Frederick raised award-winning Guernsey milk cows there, “Nyala” — named after antelopes he saw in Africa — has been one of Westport’s most cherished sites.

There was concern in the late 1960s, when Stauffer Chemical Company bought the 53-acre property between Greens Farms Road and the Sherwood Island Connector.

They planned a large office park on the site — the first of its kind in Westport. After long negotiations with the town and the Greens Farms Association, an agreement was reached.

Stauffer’s worldwide headquarters — just a few yards from I-95 Exit 18 — would be unobtrusive. The rolling hills and meadows — including an iconic well — would remain largely undisturbed.

Nyala Farms office complex. I-95 is at the right; the Sherwood Island Connector is at the bottom.

Similar fears arose nearly 20 years later, when Stauffer — facing financial difficulties over pollution issues, and an audit by the government — sold Nyala Farms to Bridgewater Associates. for $130 million.

It was one of 2 Westport properties owned by the world’s largest hedge fund. The other was Glendinning Place, off Weston Road.

Much to neighbors’ relief at both sites, Bridgewater has been a largely responsible steward of both sites.

Nyala Farms, last week. (Photo/JD Dworkow)

The Glendinning land was sold to David Waldman in 2023, for $10.6 million, and Bridgewater moved out. Last month, the family office of Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio and his wife Barbara bought it back, for $20.4 million. No announcement has been made as to its future, but 15 units of housing proposed by Waldman will not be built.

Last week, a few miles south, neighbors of Nyala Farms were surprised to receive notices about a meeting to be held in the Bridgewater office park 4 days later. The letter said Bridgewater would “share some exciting updates about the future of the Nyala campus and, importantly, to hear your perspective.”

At that session, one attendee tells “06880,” they and others — listening in person and online — were told that the hedge fund is considering selling the property.

Five buildings (brown), set amid hills and meadows. 

The potential buyer is Hartford HealthCare. The network — with 500 locations in 185 towns, including 3 on Post Road East and Post Road West, plus St. Vincent’s Behavioral Health on Long Lots Road (the former Hall-Brooke) — would consolidate those locations at Nyala Farms, meeting attendees say.

Bridgewater currently uses 3 of the 5 buildings there. The remaining 2 would continue to be rented to other tenants. The total area is 372,000 square feet.

One neighbor tells “06880” that while Bridgewater has “largely” kept to its agreement regarding care and upkeep of the open space — as evidenced by the abundance of wildlife on the property — there are concerns about additional traffic Hartford HealthCare might bring.

Nyala Farms well, with an office building far in the background. (Photo/Mary Beth Murray)

According to someone familiar with the situation, there has been no sale. For many years, Bridgewater has evaluated a range of long-term options for Nyala Farms.

This includes a sale in which the firm would remain, but as a tenant — not an owner.

The hedge fund continues to assess a wide range of options.

Over time, Bridgewater has expanded its footprint globally. With offices now in New York, Singapore and Shanghai, it looks to increase proximity to clients, expanding its talent pool, and better serving its employee base.

Buildings (right), and the original Nyala Farms structure (left).

The person familiar with the situation says that Bridgewater and Hartford HeatlhCare have met with town officials, as well as neighbors, to discuss HHC’s preliminary vision if they were to purchase the property.

The discussions included Bridgewater as a tenant — with preservation of the external footprint, and the natural integrity of the grounds.

The only change proposed by Hartford Healthcare would be to use one of the 5 buildings for medical use, during normal business hours.

Other parties have also expressed interest in the property. Discussions will continue, with no timeline urgency.

In the meantime, Bridgewater continues to be Westport’s second highest taxpayer.

60 Nyala Farms LLC — the company that officially owns the complex — had an assessed value of $83,331,700 on the 2024 Grand List. That trailed only Connecticut Light & Power ($144,150,180). In third place: Bedford Square Associates LLC, at $51,520,000. (Hat tip: Andrew Colabella)

(“06880” covers Westport businesses, real estate, the environment and local history. Sometimes they all intersect. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Westport Schools Announce Snow Day — 2026 Style

Posted on January 25, 2026 | 13 comments

Back in the day, my generation learned about snow days by listening to the radio.

Westport’s WMMM and Bridgeport’s WICC would go through the list.

It was alphabetical — and agonizing.

Ansonia Public Schools. Bridgeport public schools. Darien public schools. Even Our Lady of Fatima, wherever that was.

Who cared? What about Westport?!

Sometimes they’d be closed. Sometimes they wouldn’t. It was a crapshoot.

Then came a more high-tech method: emails and voicemails.

Still, it was a crapshoot. Longtime superintendent of schools Elliot Landon made it a point of pride to keep Westport schools open.

“Today is Monday, January 26. The Westport Public Schools will be open!” he cackled.

It didn’t matter that schools from here to Buffalo were closed. Suck it up!

Former superintendent of schools Elliot Landon. He is probably smiling because he just announced that schools would be open.

But this is 2026. Social media is everywhere. High school students make full-length documentaries; 8-year-olds create Instagram reels.

So, to announce tomorrow’s snow day — which there was little doubt about, from Friday’s predictions on — Westport Public Schools officials got creative.

Assistant superintendent John Bayers headed to Long Lots Elementary School. He consulted with Leo the Lion — the mascot. They punted.

The decision was left to Long Lots’ staff: teachers, cafeteria workers, custodians, and the school resource officer.

Click here to see their announcement. 

So kids: Sleep in!

You don’t have to wake up at 6 a.m., to listen to the radio.

Or the superintendent’s voice.

Screenshot, from the Westport Public Schools video.

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Westport Arts Scene, Part 3: Finding — And Losing — A Home

Posted on January 22, 2026 | 8 comments

Our town’s thriving visual arts scene includes 2 major institutions: MoCA|CT, and the Artists Collective of Westport.

How did they get there?

In part 3 of this 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores the history. Click here to read her first story. Click here for the second piece.

After the Westport Arts Center became MoCA\CT, many members felt abandoned by the very board cobbled together to support them.

They felt that their Riverside Avenue gallery had been exchanged for a grander “regional culture center,” straddling the Norwalk border.

One member says, “All of us were shocked and upset by the relatively sudden decision by the Westport Arts Center, after 50 years, to divorce themselves from the very artists who were the heart and soul of that organization from day one in 1969.”

Early Westport Arts Center logo.

Being kicked out of their gallery, however, was not new to the WAC.

In the early 1980s, fewer students in Westport rendered unnecessary the Greens Farms Elementary School building. WAC paid $1 a year for the space.

In exchange, WAC paid for its upkeep.

A WAC board member at that time recalls, “The town only took care of the roof in that building. Everything else was our responsibility. So we had to deal with a rather ancient boiler. We painted walls and we did everything to make it look nice.”

The WAC rented classrooms to artists as affordable studio spaces, at $80-100 a month. Members would wander to other studios to spark ideas and share techniques.

Artist Sue Sharp, in her Westport Arts Center studio.

One of the first artists to rent space was Herz Emanuel. His sculptures and drawings are on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Whitney, an the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He worked in the same space that — more than 25 years earlier — had been his son Adam’s 3rd grade classroom.

Other artists at the WAC included Howard Munce and Miggs Burroughs.

Sculptor Herz Emanuel, at work in his studio.

Pianist Heida Hermanns donated about $500,000, to turn the gymnasium into a 200-seat performing arts space for the Theatre Artists Workshop, and symphonies and orchestras. Named Artur Holde Hall, after her husband, and designed by architect Arthur Rothenberg, it was also used for visual arts exhibitions.

Jason Robards read “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” surrounded by works by Paul Cadmus, the controversial Weston artist whose works are now in the collections of the Whitney, Met and many more institutions.

Artur Holde Hall, as exhibition space.

The WAC was funded by studio rentals, ticket sales, and donations.

Best of all, the school superintendent — brightly, warmly, with a signed agreement — guaranteed their lease through 1999.

In 1992, executive director William “Clancy” Thompson told the New York Times, “I have never seen a model like it. I know of theater companies and ballet companies sharing facilities, but not a community of artists such as this, such fine performance space in a town with the wisdom to make the building available. It’s’ an unusual combination of factors, filled with promise.”

The center thrived.

Westport Arts Center, by a resident illustrator.

Until 1996 when the same superintendent broke the lease, and demanded that WAC compliantly leave the premises. The town schools were now packed with students.

Instead of building another school, officials decided to renovate this one.

Greens Farms School, as the Westport Arts Center.

Greens Farms School had been WAC’s home for almost 20 years.

However some parents — many of them new to Westport — were upset that  artists were populating school space that could belong to their children.

A then-WAC board member says, “They thought the Arts Center was full of frivolous housewives with all this money to burn, who wanted to become painters so they could rent from us.”

In fact, some of those “frivolous housewives” included Anne Chernow, a lithographer with works at the Met, and artists like Marianne Rothballer and Judy Kamerschen, well noted for their work in juried exhibits and shows.

Still, according to an accomplished WAC member, “We became pariahs. It was really horrible. People would come to exhibitions and grab anybody they realized was part of the board or an artist and tell us, you know, you’re not very nice people.”

How did the artists respond to the loss of their home? That’s part 4 of this series. Much of this information comes from a WAC film, produced by Katie Hacala and 4th Row Films.

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MLK

Posted on January 19, 2026 | 31 comments

This story has become a Martin Luther King Day tradition on “06880.” At this point in our nation’s history, today — more than ever — we should think about the history of our nation before Dr. King was born.

And where we are, nearly 6 decades after his death.

Today is Martin Luther King Day. Westporters will celebrate with a day off from school or work. Some will sleep in; others will shop, or go for a walk. Few will give any thought to Martin Luther King.

Twice, though, his life intersected this town in important ways.

The first was Friday night, May 22, 1964. King had been invited to speak at Temple Israel by synagogue member Jerry Kaiser.

King arrived in the afternoon. Kaiser and his wife Roslyn sat on their porch that afternoon, and talked with King and 2 of his aides. She was impressed with his “sincerity, warmth, intelligence and genuine concern for those about him — our children, for instance. He seemed very young to bear such a burden of leadership.”

Martin Luther King, with Sarah and Tema Kaiser at their home on Brooklawn Drive, before his Temple Israel appearance. Their brother Michael had a cold, and was not allowed near Dr. King.

King’s sermon — to a packed audience — was titled “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” He analogized his America to the time of Rip Van Winkle — who also “slept through a revolution. The greatest liability of history is that people fail to see a revolution taking place in our world today.  We must support the social movement of the Negro.”

Westport artist Roe Halper presented King with 3 woodcarvings, representing the civil rights struggle. He hung them proudly in the front hallway of his Atlanta home.

Artist Roe Halper (left) presents Coretta Scott King with civil rights-themed wood carvings.

Within a month Temple Israel’s rabbi, Byron Rubenstein, traveled south to take place in a nonviolent march. He was arrested — along with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

In jail, the rabbi said, “I came to know the greatness of Dr. King. I never heard a word of hate or bitterness from that man, only worship of faith, joy and determination.”

King touched Westport again less than 4 years later. On April 5, 1968 — the day after the civil rights leader’s assassination in Memphis — 600 Staples students gathered for a lunchtime vigil in the courtyard. Nearby, the flag flew at half-staff.

A small portion of the large crowd listens intently to Fermino Spencer, in the Staples courtyard.

A small portion of the large crowd listens to Fermino Spencer.

Vice principal Fermino Spencer addressed the crowd. Movingly, he spoke about  his own experience as an African American. Hearing the words “my people” made a deep impression on the almost all-white audience. For many, it was the 1st time they had heard a black perspective on white America.

No one knew what lay ahead for their country. But student Jim Sadler spoke for many when he said: “I’m really frightened. Something is going to happen.”

Dr. Martin Luther King

Something did — and it was good. A few hundred students soon met in the cafeteria. Urged by a minister and several anti-poverty workers to help bridge the chasm between Westport and nearby cities, Staples teachers and students vowed to create a camp.

Within 2 months, it was a reality. That summer 120 elementary and junior high youngsters from Westport, Weston, Norwalk and Bridgeport participated in the Intercommunity Camp. Led by over 100 Staples students and many teachers, they enjoyed swimming, gymnastics, dance, sports, field trips, overnight camping, creative writing, filmmaking, photography, art and reading.

It wasn’t easy — some in Westport opposed bringing underprivileged children to their town — but for over a decade the Intercommunity Camp flourished.

Eventually, enthusiasm for and interest in the camp waned. Fewer Staples students and staff members wanted to devote their summer to such a project.  The number of Westporters willing to donate their pools dwindled. Today the Intercommunity Camp is a long-forgotten memory.

Sort of like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Even on his birthday.

MLK speech

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Martin Luther King Day bonus feature: In the late 1950s, Westporter Tracy Sugarman took his son Dickie, and Dickie’s friend Miggs Burroughs, to a picnic in Stamford.

Rev. Martin Luther King was there, at the invitation of the host: Jackie Robinson.

Sugarman — a noted illustrator – was also a civil rights activist.

Miggs — a junior high student — took the Minox “spy” camera he’d bought earlier that summer.

He still has those photos. Here are the 2 pioneering Black Americans: Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson.

(Photos/Miggs Burroughs)

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Posted in History, Looking back, Politics, religion

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Westport Arts Scene: Drawing Out The Back Story

Posted on January 14, 2026 | 7 comments

Westport’s arts scene is robust. And it has been, for over a century.

Right now the 2 major visual arts players are MoCA\CT, and the Artists Collective of Westport.

In this first of a 4-part series, “06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung explores how we got here.

Sources asked for anonymity, to describe sensitive issues.

The management of any institution is rife with roadblocks. And in an institution for the arts, financial realities can sometimes guide, or perhaps overwhelm, artistic missions.

Which brings us to the highly anticipated — and controversial — 2019 opening of MoCA Westport (now MoCA\CT).

As early as the 1920’s, Westport’s arts scene drew attention. In 1929 a newspaper called this “the home of the most distinctive arts community in the world.” (Um … Rome? Paris?)

James Earle Fraser was one of Westport’s earliest, and best known, artists. He designed the buffalo nickel, the “End of the Trail” sculpture of a Native American slumped over a tired horse, and the Theodore Roosevelt statue at the Museum of Natural History.

In 1934 the town of Westport provided $3,000 ($75,000 today), to kick off the Westport- Weston Arts Council (WWAC). The goal was to encourage and nurture the burgeoning arts scene, including writers, actors, fine artists, cartoonists, illustrators, musicians and more.

WWAC thrived for decades, in a variety of venues. In 1983 it found a physical home in what had been Greens Farms Elementary School. After years of declining birthrates, it and 2 other elementary schools were closed.

The WWAC leased the building from the town, for $1 a year. They changed their name to the Westport Arts Center (WAC). They rented the school’s classrooms at affordable rates, as studios for members.

The WAC also built an exhibition space for shows and performances, in the former gymnasium. In return, they were responsible for the building’s maintenance and upkeep.

From 1983 through 1998, this was the Westport Arts Center.

Gradually, the school population rebounded. In the late 1990s, town officials decided the building would revert back to a school.

They broke the WAC’s lease, leaving members without economical studio options or dedicated exhibition space.

After a years-long search the WAC landed in a brightly renovated Riverside Avenue gallery, not far from the Post Road. They sponsored exhibits from members and other artists around Connecticut, and offered arts education for youngsters.

The long, narrow space was not adequate, however. Offices were cramped, and it could not accommodate large pieces.

Westport Arts Center, on Riverside Avenue.

Around 2018, the executive director of the WAC and supporting board members decided they needed a larger, more suitable location. After examining the Baron’s property on Compo Road South, and Martha Stewart’s former television production facility, they chose the latter.

A press release gushed, “Thanks to 50 years of connecting an entire community around a love of the arts, it will open its new doors at 19 Newtown Turnpike under an evolved identity and mission.”

A town official added, “We are excited to see the Arts Center expand to meet the creative demands of our active, artistic town … the new campus will be a regional cultural destination, drawing audiences to Westport from all over Connecticut, Westchester County and New York City.”

Mo\CA, at 19 Newtown Turnpike.

WAC member sources for this article say they were not made aware of either the search, the new name or the new mission — which mentioned a local audience but not local artists.

Nor did it say that the building is primarily in Norwalk, with most taxes paid to that city.

Instead, members learned the news from the press release.

What happened next? That’s in Part 2 of this series.

(“06880” regularly covers Westport’s arts scene — and the town’s history. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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