PHOTO GALLERY
Houses of Change: Restoration and Adaptation in 19th-century Norwalk
Norwalk Preservation Trust’s 2024 Living History Tour originally sought to explore architectural adaptation and change in Norwalk’s early Victorian period (1860 to 1880), but we were unable to arrange for several of the houses we had in mind. As a result, thanks to the last-minute generosity of former NPT board members, we included a humble 1794 building with 19th-century additions and 230 years of history, along with a restored 1889 high Victorian (1880 to 1900) classic. We also visited the Stiles Curtis House on Park Street, part of the Norwalk Green Historic District. It was built in 1832 in the Greek Revival style, but by 1870 it had received an elaborate renovation in the Italianate style. Today, it has been adapted and incorporated into new residential apartments. For more on this house and its history, see Heritage Resources’ review of the proposal (PDF). The last stops on the tour were two mid-19th century homes with a variety of additions and renovations, across from one another on Chestnut Hill Road.
Restorations and renovations can and should be done with sensitivity to traditional building methods and materials. Helping you to “get your house right” is part of our mission. The Second Empire house (1860) shown below, located on France Street in Norwalk, is a fine example of this balance. NPT created a virtual tour video with the homeowners, which premiered at the reception following the tour. In addition, in preparation for the tour, Christopher Wigren, Deputy Director of Preservation Connecticut, presented a lecture on the topic, Buildings of Change, at the Norwalk Public Library.
Finally, a special thanks to all of our sponsors and participants, especially our Gold Sponsor, Tom Stalzer of Stalzer Design in Rowayton, who was both!
KEYNOTE LECTURE: BUILDINGS OF CHANGE
FRANCE STREET
MORGAN AVENUE
PARK STREET
NEWTOWN AVENUE
CHESTNUT HILL ROAD
Photos by Norwalk Preservation Trust.
Norwalk Preservation Trust
MAILING ADDRESS
P.O. Box 874
Norwalk, CT 06852
PHONE
(203) 852-9788