Elegant Rowayton Transformation

There's tons of buzz about Beinfield Architecture's work around town. Today, we're excited to share with you the cover story of the March issue of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens featuring the incredible transformation of the historic Winthrop House.

March 2014 cover featuring the historic Winthrop House transformation

The cover of CTC&G calls out 'The New Traditionalists', and that's an excellent notion for this team of Glazer, Beinfield and Whitcomb.  So much of each of their portfolios gives a reverent nod to the local history while harmoniously modernizing the aesthetics and comforts of today's design technology.

The article describes just a fraction of the care and effort that went into the conversion of the old, run-down hotel, originally built in 1848. It's current incarnation, completely respectful of it's history, houses 3 luxury condominiums in the heart of Rowayton.

Easing the run-down building into modern times wasn’t easy. “The bones of the building were there, but there was very little salvage,” says Glazer. “The building had been bastardized, and it was much like an architectural dig.” Glazer tapped Bruce Beinfield as the architect for the building, and together they worked closely with the Norwalk Preservation Trust and the Rowayton Historical Society to work around the historic constraints and match the detailing of the original Italianate structure with wraparound porches as closely as possible. “It was such a mess of a structure, it needed major surgery,” says Beinfield. “We needed to rebuild it from scratch. But based on its historic nature, we had to work around some of the features.”

Can you believe this was ever considered an eye sore? This porch is just calling your name for afternoon cocktails and a meditative view of the sound.

You can read the article about the historic Rowayton Winthrop House on the CTC&G website here. 
Photos by Keith Scott Morton from cottages-gardens.com