Restored Greenwich Point Gateway and Pavilion Unveiled

Photo gallery below: Ribbon cutting ceremony with Sue Baker with friends and supporters of the Greenwich Point Conservancy and local officials on Oct. 18, 2015. Credit: Barbara Heins.

The indominable spirit of Sue Baker, the retired and much beloved Greenwich High School teacher and environmentalist, will live forever at Greenwich Point Park.

In a fitting tribute to the woman who used the popular waterfront park in Old Greenwich as a classroom for legions of students, the restored barn near the park entrance was dedicated Sunday afternoon as the Sue H. Baker Pavilion by the Greenwich Point Conservancy and numerous local officials. Baker is a co-founder of the conservancy.

The ceremony was the culmination of years of planning and design following the damage caused by Super Storm Sandy in October 2012. The project included renovation and restoration of the 1887 building that housed a concession stand and a lifeguard station.

The conservancy partnered with the Green Fingers Garden Club to redesign the entrance to the 147-acre park that is now handicap accessable with a lush landscape of indigenous plants, with walkways built of stone and brick, and a boardwalk that leads from the pavilion to the adjacent Innis Arden Cottage housing the Floren Family Environmental Education Center.

The building includes a new stone and shingle exterior and new shingle roof, state-of-the-art FEMA-compliant infrastructure, rebuilt food concession and lifeguard/ first aid station and new rest rooms. The restored Old Barn includes a new 4,000 square foot dining deck, with 27 teak tables and seating for 125. The Gateway project also included the removal of the brick municipal restroom building adjacent to the Old Barn.

The project was funded in part with a donation from Deborah and Chuck Royce, Greenwich philanthropists and close friends of Baker. There also was $35,000 donation for the Gateway Gardens from the Green Fingers Garden Club, and a $500,000 Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Assistance Grant for Historic Properties from the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Deborah Royce told Baker and the crowd of about 200 who braced themselves against a biting wind, “You are an extraordinary friend. How lucky are we, for us to be able to call friends and ask them to donate in your honor.”

Local officials including First Selectman Peter Tesei and state Sen. Scott Frantz and Conservancy co-founder and president Chris Franco recalled memories of having been students of Baker at Greenwich High School. In addition to those school memories, Frantz said, “She’s also my neighbor. This project is a real testament to the concept of private public partnerships and to Susie Baker. This is a glorious day.”

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal quipped, “I wish I had Susie Baker as a teacher.” He quickly added, “She used Greenwich Point as her classroom for environmental studies. This could be more apt...something enduring for Greenwich, for all who come here.”

Baker said, “How lucky am I that I came here 47 years ago, with my profession … this is a lucky day for me.” She thanked Blumenthal for being “the best friend of conservation” and Tesei, Frantz and Franco for “being my hometown heroes. You were born here. You were raised here and are giving so much back to the community.”

With that, Franco presented Baker a giant pair of scissors engraved with her name and with one snip, the green ribbon was cut on the dining deck. Snow flurries earlier in the day prompted the reception that included freshly shucked clams and oysters to be moved indoors at the Innis Arden cottage.