I had read a few years ago that Essex was supposed to be the place that the Gilmore Girls lived in. Always wanted to visit because of that!
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@MJMoore I believe the show’s creator based Gilmore Girls on the small town of Washington, in western Conn., though Essex is quaint enough to draw a comparison.
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At first I wondered why you would lead with a what lead with a story about the inner dismantling of a historic home. But, aha, who else would you interview about a unique village than an interior decorator and a real estate broker, trying to attract people with unlimited budgets from NYC? It could be another Hamptons!
And then it would be impossible to get into the Gris for brunch or dinner.
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@cheryl Indeed! Several of my friends fled "The Hamptons" and moved to Essex to get away from the nouveau riche horror that has become a once (pre-1979) sedate community. Sorry the NYT keyed in on Essex.
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Absolutely LOVED the article and the pictures were the icing on the cake! One more item to include on our bucket list - visiting Essex, Conn.
We may love it so much, we might want to relocate.
Thanks for a wonderful read and break in the morning.
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Nice article and exposure! We've lived here for 25 years and great place to raise a family.
Calling all New Yorkers, please come up and invest in our town, it is a buyers market and there are plenty of nice properties to be had. As the article states, property taxes are extremely low, especially coupled with the competitive home values.
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Seems like beautiful town. How vulnerable is the area to flooding?
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@Joy
Since the town sits down river, the area is not vulnerable to flooding. There is a tidal change because of the Long Island Sound influx, but the town rarely has any flooding issues.
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when I lived in Deep River - the perfect day was a bike ride along the river to Essex for lunch and a walk around, or a ride on the Eagle tour...the boat that showed where Eagles were nesting. I still miss that area.
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I've always had a fond place in my heart for Essex. As a kid in the sixties, we would take our modest little cruiser and anchor in the cove. A blast on the horn would bring out an elderly woman in a skiff to give you a ride to shore. There was a coffee can on the seat to deposit your fare. In those days, the movie theater was in an old barn, where you sat on hard benches. I believe the taxi was an old Woodie. Such a wonderful place. Life was good.
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@Young Geezer
My family built and owned the movie theatre in Essex - it was actually built as a theatre, not a barn (although it looked a bit like a barn, covered with wood shake shingles) and there were real seats, not wooden benches (but they probably were so hard they felt like wooden benches).
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Kept the exterior appearance, made the interior livable. Works for me. These comments make it plain that this is a closed-minded place. Where I live, a committee of blue-haired ladies hold sway over what is allowed in the central parts of town, but they have no say over interiors.
"Blue-haired ladies."
How original. And how nice.
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@Leading Edge Boomer
How do you conclude this is a closed minded place from one sentence about one house being renovated? No one is Essex has say over interior exterior or downtown.
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My family used to stop in Essex on our drive back from Martha's Vineyard en route to NYC. The Griswold Inn was a favorite. I am glad to hear it is still doing well. Later, I went to Wesleyan University, and we drove down to Essex for the rare "fancy meals."
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Essex is a lovely town, exactly as described in the article. My sons played Little League baseball there many times, in a beautiful park down at the end of a winding lane. But I couldn't help linking this Times story to a recent NYT editorial, which posited that a solution to the soaring cost of housing would be to allow more multi-family units in areas now zoned to keep them out. I can't help wondering how the burghers of Essex would react to the idea of a high-rise downtown.
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it's interesting that for an article about "history living on" in Essex, the writer highlights the purchase/renovation of a historical, Federal-era home that was "gutted". Since there were no photos, one doesn't know whether this was a sensitive rehabilitation, or as some commenters suggest, merely "facadism," with the interior reduced to the ubiquitous, white-washed open floor plan. I would find it very disappointing if this house was not properly rehabilitated -- gutting the interior is as much of a loss as demolition of the structure. I ask if, along with real estate marketing pieces such as this one, NYT could present a more informative article to include examples of "sensitive," historical rehabilitations and discussion of this approach compared to the white-washed gut. There are implications of properly rehabilitating historical homes beyond just personal taste, to include economic and environmental impacts that could be very helpful to others considering buying historic homes, as well as city leaders setting public policy.
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@Chris
The renovated home is real and done beautifuly right downtown. These older homes have high levels of lead and need to be abated. It's part of the deal when updating any part of the home. Sometimes you don't have a choice but to gut a home during a renovation. The article is spot on with it's depiction of the town.
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@ Kate many new homeowners and their contractors jump into gut jobs. For antique houses that's a perilous decision considering how much is lost. Lead can be dealt with in several scenarios. The gut, encapsulation and/or careful removal following strict guidelines. As you see, guts are easier. Even with the gut, the contractor had to abide lead removal guidelines. Might they not have slowed down a bit and chosen to do a more sensitive interior renovation? That depends on their taste and goals. I guess many of the townspeople and Times readers won't know until the house is on the market or included in a historic house tour.
As antique houses turnover, historical elements are lost evermore and that's why you'll encounter nervous comments of this sort. Would be a treat for NYT to do a series on different approaches to old house care and restoration. There's plenty out there. Kate, otherwise, Essex looks like a beautiful town!
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@ga
A series on different approaches to restoration/rehabilitation of old houses is an excellent idea! Thank you for suggesting this. I hope NYT listens.
With photos and more detailed description, readers could see the range of options. Rather than limiting choices, this could show readers that sensitive restoration offers a range of options and help people make better informed choices.
As someone once said, ..... old buildings are not good because they are old, they are old because they are good.
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I hope that all the homeowers in town read how precious Essex is and take care of their homes. There unfortunately, as with any town, are a few neglected homes that need some attention and I find that disheartening.
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They gutted the interior of a Federal era home? Why did they buy it? Why not just build a new house where the interior was to their liking rather than destroying the integrity of a historic house?
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My connection with Essex goes back at least 75 years. The Griswold Inn and the Oakdale Tavern in Wallingford were the first restaurants I ate in! My father loved Essex and, although we lived in Wethersfield, we always kept our boats in Essex. My father wanted to move there, but my mother vetoed the idea. Essex was too far away from G. Fox and Company, Hartford's premier department store! I married an Essex girl, Emily Kreis, now deceased. I live in a house built by the Denison's in 1762, and still in their family until the 1920s. They did some serious renovations over the years, but to them it wasn't an historic house, it was THEIR house.
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Over the years I have been to Essex, Conn many times and loved every aspect of it. However, I was shocked to hear about the Carroll's desecration of piece of history and culture they are merely custodians of. Demolition and gutting are not alternatives to care, conservation and restoration. The interior may not be seen by the public but it as important as the facade. At least they are happy at the bar of the yacht club.
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A shame the couple demolished the interior of a historic house.
You don't have to be a purist to bemoan cheap-looking "open-concept" design.
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I moved here in December 2014. Left city life behind due to husband's new job and I love it. I thought I was moving to Hooterville - a la the old television show Green Acres - however, I was wrong. Essex has many positives including a New England village quaintness, a boating lifestyle, wonderful restaurants such as The Copper Beach Inn, The Essex, the Griswold Inn Wine Bar, other ex-city dwellers who have chosen to settle here, plus easy access to NYC, New Haven, Hartford, and Boston for those times one needs the city experience.
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Essex is a great small town — nice restaurants, waterfront, historic homes... but to commute to NYC area from there is unrealistic, unless you work two-three times a week, max. It is even a bit of a reach from Hartford or New Haven. That said, it was ranked top small town in the US for a reason.
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Historic homes, yes -- but only for those who respect old buildings and don't mutilate them.
When new owners preserve facades but "open up" the interiors, they make osh of a place.
Open-concept kitchens are highly over-rated -- and when kitchens, dining rooms, and living rooms are all one -- well, I'd certainly prefer not to live in a cafeteria.
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Fond memories of Essex. My parents used to take us to the Gris for their famous Bloody Mary's and delicious brunch. The Gris aka The Griswold Inn has some of the best food especially the brunch special. We'd go for a day trip and walk around the quaint village.
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