Historic Private Property in the Heart of Connecticut Horse Country
2 Bethway Road, Bethany CT
$1,495,000
Whether you’re a current Connecticut resident or seeking to relocate from the New York metropolitan area, chances are, if you’re now in the market to buy a home, you’re considering how that home will figure into our new COVID-19 reality while simultaneously standing the test of time. For many home-buyers, room to work from home, outdoor living and recreation space, and ample light to brighten ex-tended time spent indoors are figuring more prominently than ever.
Luckily, our new listing at 2 Bethway Road in bucolic Bethany, Connecticut meets all of these criteria—and so much more. In fact, while this stunning home on 10.2 acres boasts a storied history dating back to 1941, its interior has been completely renovated to welcome even the most discerning buyer seeking solace in their home and surroundings. And, with a location less than 2 hours from midtown Manhattan, this historic private property in the heart of Connecticut horse country offers homebuyers the unique opportunity to inhabit the best of both worlds as often as they desire.
A Home with a History
Originally built as a country house for prominent Yale political science professor Nicholas J. Spykman and his wife, a children’s author, the home at 2 Bethway Road in Bethany was designed by L. Bancel LaFarge (1900-1989) of LaFarge & Knox, an architectural firm in New York, New York. Mr. LaFarge was
a founding member of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
Detailed notes from the architect allow today’s homebuyer to glimpse a way of life both charmingly erstwhile and wholly prescient: Listed under the “special needs” of the client, LaFarge noted that the home must accommodate two maids and a governess, and that the “owner does intellectual work at home at least three days a week and needs secluded working space.” While our modern lifestyle may not call for separate staff quarters unless we’re watching an episode of Downton Abbey, now more than ever we understand the benefits of having a quiet room from which to work from home!
Mrs. Spykman also requested a separate “flower room,” which the architect noted would have to be on the ground floor, on the side of the house “nearest to the cutting garden.” Located in the heart of New England, the house “may have to be self-sufficient for four or five days during winter snow,” LaFarge noted, and the family’s outdoor lifestyle would also need to be considered, as they would “constantly enter the house with muddy boots. This means a corridor through the whole house with doors in both fronts and direct approach of bathrooms or sleeping rooms without having to go through living rooms.”
When LaFarge pondered building out a library and “work-room,” he mused about the usefulness of these rooms for a growing family who enjoyed entertaining: “The availability of a chimney suggests a grouping of seats around a fireplace. The advantage is that later when the girls begin to entertain in the living room the parents will have a retreat of their own.” And, in a question now charming by today’s stand-ards, LaFarge noted under a column entitled ‘kitchen equipment,’ “What are the advantages of electric dishwashers?”
Present Day Details
Of course, current homebuyers know the advantages of electric dishwashers—and many want top of the line amenities throughout their homes. Today, this sprawling 5,730 s.f. Colonial at 2 Bethway Road retains its original shell and structure, but has a fully renovated contemporary interior in move-in ready condition. Sleek lines, muted hues and natural light figure prominently throughout the home, merging a modern design aesthetic with the warmth and charm of historical details.
Set on a pastoral 10.2 acres, this private level lot abuts Regional Water Authority property that boasts trails for horses, hikers and joggers. The sprawling acreage stretches all around the house and can be enjoyed through the wall of windows and glass doors in the living room—with its crown molding and fireplace with bluestone surround—and beyond into the great room and family room, which overlooks an outdoor patio.
In the kitchen, the benefits of the electric dishwasher that Mr. LaFarge once questioned are evident; in fact, buyers will enjoy all Viking appliances set among a center island, beautiful light wood cabinetry and quartz countertops that extend into the butler’s pantry—a nod to the home’s historic roots, now updated to include a wine refrigerator and Viking dishwasher—to create a flowing floor plan that makes entertaining seamless and serene.
In addition, there is a sunlit breakfast area and a spacious dining room detailed with custom trim, crown molding and wainscoting. The great room invites guests to gather around its wood-surround fireplace or the granite bar counter, behind which a second Viking dishwasher and Monogram small refrigerator re-side; with such spacious rooms, entertaining while maintaining a safe social distance has never been easier!
Meander from room to room underneath elegant archways on some of the flooring original to this historic Bethany, Connecticut home; where original wood could not be salvaged, it has been replaced with white oak floors. The original curved staircase leading upstairs has been preserved and updated with new railings; there, on the second floor, the owner’s three-room bedroom suite is a modern reflection of the rooms once desired by Mrs. Spykman: a dressing room, a spa-like bath with marble countertops and a soaking tub and an office—ideal for today’s demands for remote working and telecommuting. With a total of five bedrooms and four full baths, 2 Bethway Road is a historic Colonial home perfect for gathering loved ones while still maintaining privacy.
Imagine Your Future Here
Such a home carries history in its bones, but when considering homes for sale, buyers want to make certain the house will stand up to the elements of cold our Connecticut winters, hot humid summers and everything in between—sometimes on the same day!
The updates at 2 Bethway Road extend beyond the interior aesthetics to include new heating and plumbing systems and fixtures, new windows and doors throughout, a brand new attached garage, new roof and stucco exterior, new wood siding, new gutters, new paved driveway and stone top of driveway and a new patio, walkways and a new fire pit.
Now, homebuyers seeking to relocate to Connecticut—or within it—need look no further than this personal paradise in Bethany. With a completely remodeled home that has retained its historical charm and land that’s approved for the addition of a barn and an in-ground pool, this house offers endless opportunities to embrace our COVID-19 reality while planning for future memories.
Whether you’re searching for an elegant horse property, gorgeous grounds on which to garden, a place to gather loved ones around your backyard fire pit or somewhere to cultivate your own peaceful retreat, 2 Bethway Road merges the past with the present for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own the Connecticut home of your dreams.
