Greenwich Looks To Protect One Of Its Oldest And Most Historic Homes

GREENWICH, CT — One of Greenwich's oldest and most historic homes and museums could soon be protected in perpetuity.

The Israel Putnam House Association, which oversees Putnam Cottage at 243 E. Putnam Ave., wants to move forward in achieving local historic property status for the house and property.

Anne Young from the Greenwich Historic District Commission went before the Board of Selectmen on Thursday asking for approval so the commission can examine and study the components and merits of the site for the designation.

This would be the first step in a lengthy process required by the state to issue a local historic property designation.

"What [the designation] does is it ensures that the property really is going to be maintained as it currently is in perpetuity," Young explained. "Any changes that the owners of Putnam Cottage wish to make will have to go through to receive a certificate of appropriateness by the historic district commission."

Young likened the scenario to the famed Bush-Holley House in Cos Cob, which has undergone some additions and renovations over the years that have been approved for appropriateness.

She said having the town be in charge of any changes would be ideal since residents understand the nuances of the home better than those who don't live in town.

The site is currently already recognized by the National Register of Historic Places as both an individual site as well as a contributing structure to the Putnam Hill Historic District.

But those recognitions do not protect the home from being demolished, Young said. A local historic property designation would.

Historically known as "Knapp's Tavern" and referred to more commonly as "Putt's Cottage," the home is believed to have been built in the first quarter of the 1700s, according to associated documents submitted to the selectmen.

What began as a one-room structure expanded over the years into its current form of a three-bay wide, two-story house with a central chimney.

Putnam Cottage was a home, farm and tavern that once welcomed the likes of George Washington and John Adams, among other notable figureheads. It has housed several generations of families such as the Knapps, Meads and Traceys, according to submitted documents.

General Israel Putnam never lived in the home, but the story goes he was staying over when the town was invaded by General William Tyron in 1779 during the Revolutionary War.

The invasion prompted Putnam's notorious escape from British troops down a nearby hill into Stamford where alerted the militia. The escape on horseback is emblazoned on the town of Greenwich seal.

In 1897, the Putnam Hill Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) was formed, and by 1900, the group had marked and commemorated "Putnam's Hill."

A year later, Putnam Hill Chapter DAR Regent Mrs. H.H. Adams, who was appointed to find a permanent home for the group, announced that her husband Colonel H.H. Adams had purchased Putnam Cottage from Frank Harkned and would hold it until the chapter could pay for it themselves, according to submitted documents.

In 1902, enough money had been raised and the title was taken in Adams' name. Later that year, a corporation was organized called the Israel Putnam House Association, and the title for the house was conveyed to the association in late 1902, documents state.

In 1906, the Putnam Hill Chapter DAR dedicated the house as "Putnam Cottage," and the conversion process from house to house-museum began.

Putnam Cottage is now open to the public as a historical museum and a learning center for area students, as well as a setting for Revolutionary War celebrations.

The Putnam Hill Chapter DAR and other like-minded organizations use the site to host meetings, Young said.

The house is the only 18th-century home along the Post Road in Greenwich that has not been moved from its original foundation. Several other structures had to be relocated due to the widening of Route 1.

"As the oldest operating museum in town, it is in a unique position to offer a Colonial and Revolutionary experience not available elsewhere in the community," submitted documents state.

The selectmen did not take any action on Young's request, and will likely vote in two weeks to allow time for public feedback.

However, the board offered support in preserving one of Greenwich's crown jewels.

"There certainly, I think, would be a rebellion if somebody tried to take this structure down," Camillo said with a laugh. "I think you'll have three 'yes' votes here."

The designation is being worked on as a co-sponsorship with Historic Properties of Greenwich, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to historic preservation, and the Putnam Hill Chapter DAR.

President of Historic Properties of Greenwich Elise Hillman Green said the designation "will ensure that nobody will ever look at that property as a great commercial piece of land."

"We're going to help... usher it through and guide through the process as much as we possibly can. We're looking forward to it," she added.

The idea for pursuing the designation came about as a result of the Israel Putnam House Associaiton and the Putnam Hill Chapter DAR revisiting their bylaws, said DAR member Suzanne Branch.

"We were just trying to think about what we could do to really protect it going forward," Branch said.

This is not the first time the Greenwich Historic District Commission is seeking this kind of designation. Last November, Young went before the Board of Selectmen regarding the Samuel Ferris House.