Tom Anderson grew up on a quiet street in Noank, Connecticut, enjoying expansive views of the Mystic River from his family’s 1845 Greek Revival home and taking part in the local sailing scene. “[It] suited my parents just fine for over 60 years,” says the 68-year-old Stamford, Connecticut, sailmaker.
Anderson’s great-great-grandfather, Robert Palmer, built the house. “Probably for workers in his shipyard on Noank’s Morgan Point, which employed some 500 workers in its heyday.”
Anderson has reluctantly decided not to update the property and retire there. He and his brother, who co-own it, are asking $895,000 for the three-bedroom, two-bath home and one-bedroom, one-bath guest house, which sit on a 0.2-acre lot. Furnishings are negotiable.
Low hedges mark the property’s boundaries, and flagstones lead to the front door of the clapboard house, which is within walking distance of Noank village. As befits a craftsman’s home, elaborate woodwork trims the downstairs interior. Most windows have the original glass, and wide yellow-pine boards cover all floors except the utility room and baths.
The original front parlor is now a bedroom that connects to a full bath, which is also accessible from the hall. A wood-burning fireplace faces the sitting room’s floor-to-ceiling bay window overlooking the Mystic River. “We spent many hours watching all the boats passing by,” says Anderson.
The adjacent dining room has a smaller bay window with similar views and a door to the wraparound waterfront porch. The fully equipped rear kitchen’s breakfast area occupies another bay window and opens to the porch.
Upstairs are a front bedroom with built-in closet shelves, an adjacent full bath, a small front office and a central sitting room with a wood-burning fireplace and river views. A second bedroom with built-in storage and water views connects to the rear laundry room, which has stairs down to the back door.
Anderson’s parents moved the original garage to the rear of the property and converted it to an insulated two-story guest house with a concrete patio. “Its second-floor deck has the best view on the property,” says Anderson. Panoramic views extend across Ram Island Yacht Club’s docks and the Mystic River to Mason’s Island.
The property has deeded water rights to the river, where the neighbors have built a dock and float that has 4-foot depths at mean low water. The mooring field has a waiting list, but several neighboring marinas have moorings and slips.
“I’ve sailed here since I crewed in Blue Jays as a kid,” Anderson says. “It’s a great area for sailing, with many cruising destinations nearby.”
An oil-fired, five-zone hot water baseboard system heats the house. The property shares a driveway with the neighbor and has public water and sewer service. Taxes are about $14,300. U.S. Route 1 through Mystic and Groton is about three miles away. Interstate 95 is about five miles away.
Ann Bergendahl, (860) 460-3909, of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, New England Properties, Stonington, Connecticut, lists the property. bhhsneproperties.com
The price of the Deltaville, Virginia, home in the June issue was incorrect. The price is $569,900. Neena Rodgers, of Isabel Horsley Real Estate, lists the property. horsleyrealestate.com
This article originally appeared in the July 2016 issue.
