Lauralton Hall Carriage Barn Earns Preservation Award

The Award recognizes the outstanding restoration of the school’s 1864 Victorian Gothic Carriage Barn. The barn will be the new Center for the Visual and Performing Arts.

The original buildings at Lauralton Hall were built in 1864 and the estate was named “Island View” for it’s unobstructed view of Charles Island off the Milford coast. Enlarged in the 1890s by New York industrialist Henry Augustus Taylor, it was renamed Lauralton Hall in honor of his daughter Laura. Since 1905, when the Sisters of Mercy purchased it from the Taylor family, Lauralton Hall has served as an independent Catholic girls’ school, first as a boarding school serving pre-kindergarten to Grades 12 and now as a college preparatory school for Grades 9-12. The school is on the National Register for Historic Places.

The 1864 Victorian Gothic brick carriage barn is a part of the original estate, contains stalls and feeding bins for horses, as well as a tack room, livery closet, and space for carriages. In 2008, the school’s Trustees voted to demolish the decaying structure as a safety measure. But, facing a groundswell of alumnae and community support, the Board recognized the value of reclaiming one of the school’s historic legacies and agreed to reuse the building.

Phase I exterior restoration has included restoration of the brickwork and slate roof and replication of the cupola and wooden trim. Alden Bailey Restoration of Danbury provided the outstanding craftsmenship and expertise. Phase II will complete the carriage barn as the school’s Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. But the crucial thing was the decision to adapt this building for contemporary reuse which holds deep meaning for many Lauralton alumnae.

The results of Phase I Carriage Barn Restoration are outstanding and reflect on the strong and collaborative relationship among many partners. Initial funding from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation laid the groundwork for the success of the project. The architectural firm of Crosskey Architects, engineers James K. Grant Associates, builders Kronenberger & Sons Restoration, Inc. and Alden Bailey provided the expertise and talents. Additional support and financial investments were provided by the State of Connecticut Historic Preservation Office through the Historic Restoration Grant, the Edward E. Ford Foundation, and the Botsford Family Historical Association, and hundreds of alumnae and friends. In addition, the galvanizing force of local, state and federal government representatives and the Milford Historical Society have provided credible endorsement of the value of the project for both the school and the community.

The annual Connecticut Preservation Award recognizes outstanding preservation projects and people who have made significant contributions to the preservation of Connecticut’s historic buildings and places.The awards will be presented on Wednesday, April 8, at the Polish National Home in Hartford.

The other recipients of the Merit Awards include:

Branford: Stony Creek Village District

Stony Creek Association; Town of Branford; Robert Orr & Associates.

RH Greenwich: renovation of the Greenwich Post Office

Greenwich Retail, LLC; Restoration Hardware; Bracken, Gillam & Kroeger Architects; Granoff Architects; Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners.

The Forlorn Soldier, Hartford

Matthew Warshauer; Anthony Roy; Peter G. Kelly family; Francis Miller.

Stuart Farm Apartments, Kent

Kent Affordable Housing, Inc.; Stephen Lasar Architects; Haynes Construction; Brian Neff; Silva Associates; GT Consulting Engineers; Fuss & O’Neil EnviroScience; Housing Enterprises, Inc.

Sam Paletsky barn, Morris

Benjamin Paletsky; Clifford A. Cooper Architecture; Harrison Carpentry, Anvil Artistry, Juegler Associates, Seaborn Electric, Berkshire Alarm, G&S Construction, Marchetti Engineering, Warden’s Welding, Martin Plumbing and Heating, TNT Refrigeration, New England Building Products, L&L Contracting, Contractor Products, Quality Glass, Connecticut Post and Beam.

Preserve New Fairfield: Hubbell house and Parsonage

Preserve New Fairfield

NewHavenModern.org, New Haven

New Haven Preservation Trust; Blenderbox website design

Yale University, Saybrook College gates, New Haven

Yale University; Christopher Williams Architects LLC; Hammersmith Studios; Exactitude, Inc.

Path Academy: Renovation of the Willimantic YMCA

Path Academy, Our Piece of the Pie; Crosskey Architects, LLC; Construction Resources, Inc.; TO Design, LLC; Flynn & Cyr Land Surveying, LLC; James K. Grant Associates; Acorn Consulting Engineers, Inc..