The Pearl of Rowaton

Beinfield Architecture transforms a former working oyster house in the quaint coastal village of Oysterman's Row in Rowayton, CT.  We are honored to have Connecticut Cottages & Gardens Magazine feature this awesome house in their 10 Years of Design September 2014 issue.

“One of the more remarkable aspects of the house is the way it fits together in a three-dimensional kind of way,” says Beinfeld. “We were able to give them so many areas to enjoy, each with its own personality."

"The biggest challenge," says project architect Mark Goodwin, "was creating enough storage space."

These floors are making it hard not to think of sailing away to some far away island!

You can read the article about The Pearl of Rowayton here.

Photos by Keith Scott Morton from cottages-gardens.com

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

The Beinfield Preserve | Expansion of the Farm Creek Preserve

Last week, The Norwalk Hour covered the planning of the area to be named, the Beinfield Preserve. Exciting! The Norwalk Land Trust is raising funds to acquire the estuary peninsula where Bruce was intending to build a fantastic little house along the former trolley line in Rowayton. 

Bruce has an excellent eye for interesting locations, and there was concern expressed in the community for this area adjoining the Farm Creek Preserve. Bruce jumped into the debate:

"I heard there was interest on the part of the Land Trust in the property. So I decided, based on my strong interest in the exciting things the Land Trust does, that opening the land up to the public would be a positive thing to do."

photo courtesy of The Hour

Frankly, I think more things should be named after Bruce. And I'm excited about the prospect of the Beinfield Preserve as a protected sanctuary in the community for interesting birds. It's so very "Moonrise Kingdom." As is the fact that The Hour suggests Bruce is calling open season on bird hunting:

Beinfield said the property offers refuge and hunting opportunities for birds such as sandpipers, osprey, herons and egrets.

Don't start polishing your rifles. I'm pretty sure we'll be bird watching on the peninsula.

You can read the whole article here at The Hour.