Sign The Petition! Save the Mead Park Carriage Barn!

On Oct. 19, contractor's bids to demolish the Mead Park Carriage Barn, other wise known as the Richmond Hill garage, will be presented to the public.  A grassroots group spearheaded by Mimi Findlay, along with Lynn Tolin and Bill Martin, have formed the Friends of the Mead Park Carriage Barn to save the 110 year old building from demolition and see it survive as an historic New Canaan landmark. 

Residents who would like to join in the support can sign the online petition.  

Lynn Tolin and Bill Martin canvassed shoppers at the Farmers Market on Saturday, Oct. 2, and collected more than 200 signatures. Everyone they encountered was overwhelmingly positive about keeping the building alive, they said, including people that live on Richmond Hill Rd.  Sketches for restoration have been drawn by architect Richard Bergmann, himself no stranger to historical preservation in New Canaan.  

Ideas for the building's future include a VFW memorial and museum linked with the Gold Star Walk of trees, planted in the park to honor WWII veterans. Others envision a cafe and boathouse for canoes, and with the pond being dredged and soon to present sparkling, fresh, open water, it doesn't seem farfetched.  

Mimi Findlay told About Town, "A lot of work is going on under the table. We're talking to different organizations and researching public and private funding for the renovation. Whatever its future use would be, if preserved and restored it would remain a piece of New Canaan's history and past and that's worth saving." 

Bill Martin told About Town, "Our intention is to preserve and protect the history and charm of New Canaan as a quaint and wonderful town that people should respect the history of.  Unfortunately, at this time, the town government does not not agree with the sentiment of the residents regarding the building and are willing to spend $30,000 to $45,000 of tax payers' money to demolish it."

The garage is said to be the last surving building of its style in the state. Behind it majestically grows one of the largest Cottonwood trees in the state of Connecticut.

Lynn Tolin added her thoughts, "The building's integrity is humble but proud with so much attention to detail.  The lintels are all constructed of bluestone which is very rare and very old.  It is found at the Rockefeller Estate at Blue Hill.  The three lines of brick at the roofline are also another intact period detail.

"If I looked that well at 110 years, I would be thrilled!"