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)
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“It was an honor to play a small role in this amazing organization’s century-long service to the Westport and Weston community,” McCormick says.
The Westport Weston Family YMCA — today’s official name — used a portion of the bequest to establish the Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund, to continue developing youth, promoting healthy living and fostering social responsibility.
