Connecticut Preservation News March/April 2008 Volume XXXI, No
Connecticut Preservation News March/April 2008 Volume XXXI, No. 2 Norwalk’s Grumman-St. John house in 2006 and 2008. Tod Bryant Victory in Norwalk dvocates of preserving the Grumman-St. John house inn or else expanded the inn on its present site and allowed the A scored a victory on February 6, when state Superior house to be sold for other purposes. Court Judge Thomas Nadeau granted a temporary injunction While none of these alternatives provided the full number of against demolition of the house. The judge found that there were rooms that Handrinos wished to build, Judge Nadeau concluded “prudent and feasible alternatives” to tearing down the 200-plus that they had the potential to provide a reasonable return. “It is year old structure, a contributing resource to the Norwalk Green true that all of the alternatives represent fewer new rooms than National Register district. In 2006 the Connecticut Trust listed defendant sought,” Nadeau wrote in his decision. “This factor the house as one of the Most Important Threatened Historic alone cannot serve to drop alternatives out of the feasible and Places in Connecticut. prudent atmosphere… . Were it otherwise, an applicant could Chris Handrinos, owner of the neighboring Norwalk Inn claim unrealistically high needs in order to brand most posed and Conference Center, bought the house in 2001 in order alternatives imprudent.” to raze it and expand his inn. After resolving a dispute with a Lawsuits under CEPA have been rare and often unsuccess- neighbor, Handrinos obtained a demolition permit in December, ful, so this decision is welcome to preservationists, particularly 2006.
[Show full text]