March/April 2004 Ridgef ield Magazine 45

KING OF MAIN

OWNERS OF THIS 1890S MANSION ENSURE A SOLID FUTURE BY REVISITING ITS PAST

BY MIMI SHANLEY TAFTPHOTOGRAPHS BY PETER LOPPACHER

W“We moved to Ridgefield in 1994,” explains Annette O’Brien, a petitewoman with an easy smile and welcoming manner. “And we alwayswanted to own a house on Main Street.” In 2002 Annette and husbandDaniel got their wish—purchasing not just any Main Street house, butthe grand 1890s structure that commands the corner of Main Street andKing Lane. The stone wall edging the property cannot begin to shieldthe large gray clapboard façade from passing pedestrians. An architec-tural cousin of the Lounsbury House just a few doors up the street, theKing Lane Mansion was built by Joshua Ingersoll King to replace hisfather’s house, which a fire destroyed in 1888. »

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:13 AM Page 45

LIKE IT USED TO BEThe owners strived tocapture the house’s early splendor, from its grand staircase to the railings on either side of the front entranceand atop the porches.

house tour

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:13 AM Page 44

“THE DESIGN OF THEHARDWOOD FLOOR ATTHE WINDOWED END OFTHE ROOM FOLLOWS THEPATTERN OF A STAGE,WHERE IN YEARS PASTLIVE CHAMBER MUSICMAY HAVE PROVIDEDPOST-PRANDIAL RESPITE.”

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:14 AM Page 46

O’Brien, a nursery-school teacher inSouth Salem, has become well-acquaintedwith the home’s former owners by readingher collection of books on Ridgefield’s history. The story begins with Gen. JoshuaKing, who arrived in Ridgefield in 1783.Among his duties was marching BritishMaj. John Andre to the gallows. King mar-ried Anne Ingersoll, the youngest daugh-ter of the Reverend Jonathan Ingersoll,pastor of the Congregational Church.

According to A View From theInn, the recently publishedjournal of Anne Marie Res-seguie, the original Kinghome, built in 1800, was a“rather large, two-story edificealways neatly kept and glowingin fresh white paint.”

King was a leading memberof Ridgefield’s commercial and politicalcommunity. He co-founded the King &Dole store directly across the street fromhis home, in the Old Hundred buildingnow a part of the Aldrich ContemporaryArt Museum. Resseguie’s journal describesKing as “a high-minded, intelligent man.”After King’s death in 1840, members of hisfamily owned the house—rebuilt in 1888after a fire—until the 1920s. They thensold it to the Jackson family, who residedthere for several decades. “The Jacksonsgave a lot of parties,” says O’Brien, “somany people in town still associate thehouse with the Jacksons and rememberhaving good times here.”

VISUAL FEASTA palate of goldenocher, ginger, andcreamy beiges on wallsand furniture creates asophisticated butrelaxed atmosphere.

March/April 2004 Ridgef ield Magazine 47

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:14 AM Page 47

WARM AND RICHAn ornate mantel ofinlaid chestnut andebony wood looks over a tobacco-coloredleather sofa and wide-screen TV.

OLD AND NEWThe mosaic tile designin the oak-heavy butler’s pantry mimicsdetails of the dining-room fireplace.

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:14 AM Page 48

March/April 2004 Ridgef ield Magazine 49

By the time the O’Briens bought thehouse, much of the exterior detailing haddisappeared and the site, once totalingnine acres, had been whittled down to twoand a half. Shortly after moving in, theO’Briens hired building contractor NealHicks, with whom they had worked in thepast. Hicks, with the assistance of PeterCoffin of DCA Architects, had recentlyrestored the Lounsbury House. Struck bythe similarities between the two build-ings, Hicks introduced the O’Briens toCoffin, who signed on to the project.

Because of the home’s location, theHistoric District Commission had toapprove all exterior work. In preparing fora presentation to the HDC, Coffin showedO’Brien a 1924 photograph that capturedthe house in its former splendor, complete

with railings on either side of the front en-trance and along the tops of the porches.Charmed by the image, O’Brien seized uponthe idea of returning the façade of thehouse to its original condition. “She wasreally interested in bringing the houseback to what it was,” explains Coffin.

These restored railings, banisters, andcolumns are prominent features to a visitorarriving at the O’Brien home. The sameattention to detail has been taken on therestoration of the interior as well. A high,wide, dark-green door opens into a broadhallway flanked by generously proportionedrooms. Richly patterned oriental carpetslead toward a grand sweeping staircase andhighlight the hall’s golden wood floor. Thehall, furnished sparsely, is lit by delicatesconces, original fixtures in the house.

“A SWINGING DARK-WOOD DOOR IN THE REAR OFTHE DINING ROOM LEADS TO A BUTLER’S PANTRY STILLADORNED WITH THE ORIGINAL OAK COUNTERTOPS.”

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:15 AM Page 49

50 Ridgef ield Magazine March/April 2004

On the left is a library with a refinishedworking fireplace surrounded by an ornatemantel of inlaid chestnut and ebony wood.The rich tones of the mantel inform thedécor of this masculine room, which fea-tures a comfortable tobacco-colored leathersofa, large armchairs, and wide-screen TV.

Across the hall is a more feminine par-lor with niches and curio cabinets filledwith pill boxes, dishes, china figurines, andother collectibles. Family photos sit atop apiano, and other heirloom photographs dec-

orate the walls. The furnishingshere and throughout the house arewell-suited to the home’s originalperiod and to the proportion of therooms. “Most of the furniture Ialready had,” says O’Brien.

Tall French doors lead from this roominto the larger living room, with a babygrand piano set near a full wall of west-facing windows. The design of the hard-wood floor at this windowed end of theroom follows the pattern of a stage, where

in years gone by livechamber music may haveprovided post-prandial re-spite. As in all of theserooms, Hicks’ workmen

spent months repairing the plaster andmeticulously restoring the detail before asingle coat of paint was applied. Here apalate of golden ocher, ginger, and creamybeiges has been chosen for the walls andfurniture, creating a sophisticated butrelaxed atmosphere. On either side of the

“THE NEWLY PLACED KITCHEN SPORTS A 10-FOOT-LONG GRANITE ISLAND AND FLAT-FRONT CABINETS WITH INSET MOLDING.”

CHEF’S DELIGHTThe magnificently renovated kitchen features a strippedfireplace back that now houses the Viking stove.

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:15 AM Page 50

marble fireplace are glass doorways toppedby soaring arched fanlight windows. Thesedoors lead to an adjacent high-ceilingedglassed-in porch that runs the depth of the house.

Across the hall from the living room isa spacious, well-appointed dining room.Above the 14-seat English mahogany tablehangs an ornate brass-and-crystal chande-lier, also original to the house. As in theliving room, a pair of tall doorways cappedby arched fanlight windows dominates one

OUTSIDE WORLDBehind the kitchen area mudroom, laundryarea, and a porte-cochere that connectsto a two-car garagewith a studio above.

SUNNY DAYThe light-drenched window seat providesa comfortable vantagepoint for those sunnyspring mornings.

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:15 AM Page 51

51 Ridgef ield Magazine March/April 2004

wall. Coffin created a narrow porch to pro-tect the exterior dining-room doors and toshelter a shallow patio, employing thesame column and railing forms as wereused in the front of the house.

In the rear corner of the dining room asmaller swinging dark-wood door leads toan enchanting butler’s pantry still adornedwith the original oak countertops andshelving. Their rich, warm feel is comple-mented by a mosaic tile pattern that mim-ics the details of the dining-room fireplace.

A small breakfast room sits just beyond thebutler’s pantry.

The breakfast room leads into the mag-nificently renovated kitchen, featuring astripped fireplace back that now houses theViking stove, a 10-foot-long granite island,and flat-front cabinets with inset moldingcreated by Northeast Cabinet Design.Behind the kitchen are a mudroom, laun-dry area, and a porte-cochere that connectsto a two-car garage with a studio above.

All in all, the O’Briens tacked 2,500

square feet onto the 11,000 they purchased.The three-story house has 12 bathroomsand nine bedrooms, which also retain theiroriginal look and offer sweeping views ofMain Street. Down the stairs and back inthe main hallway, the old-fashioned soundof a deep ticktock resonates from a signedearly 1800s Patterson grandfather clock—a timeless reminder of the house’s past. RM

Tell us what you think:editorial@ridgefield-magazine.com

ROOM WITH A VIEWA bright and spaciousglassed-in porch, withexpansive ceilingheights, runs the depthof the giant house.

“THE OLD-FASHIONED SOUND OF A DEEP TICKTOCKRESONATES FROM AN EARLY 1800S GRANDFATHERCLOCK—A TIMELESS REMINDER OF THE HOUSE’S PAST.”

RIDGE-0401-HOUSETOUR 2/10/04 9:16 AM Page 52