Once
threatened with demolition, a house in the city’s Westville section has been
restored. The Miles and Eleazer Hotchkiss house, built in about 1835 by two
brothers who owned a nearby paper mill, had been vacant for more than 25 years
and fallen into disrepair. A developer wanted to demolish the Greek Revival house
to build condominiums, a plan that sparked widespread community opposition.
Westville
Village Renaissance Alliance (WVRA), a Connecticut Main Street organization, led
the opposition. The group wanted to encourage preservation not only in the main
business corridor and the high-income residential areas of Westville, but also in
the less prosperous area where the Hotchkiss house is located, a designated empowerment
zone.
The
developer finally sold the house to two local activists, Thea Buxbaum and
Rebecca Gratz, to hold for WVRA. The plan was for WVRA to apply for grant funds
to restore the house and operate it as a site for community events and to
produce income for the organization.
WVRA
nominated the house to the State Register and obtained an Historic Preservation
Technical Assistance Grant from the Connecticut Trust to prepare renovation plans,
and Buxbaum and Gratz restored the house themselves, working with Kenneth
Boroson Architects and contractor JNA Construction, both of New Haven.
Due
to the economic downturn, the house’s long-term use remains uncertain.
Possibilities include a bed-and-breakfast, studios for local artists, or
multi-family housing. Buxbaum hopes that WVRA eventually will be able to take
over the building.
