House Tour | written by: MARIAN CASTELL, Darien Town Historian | photos courtesy Houlihan Lawrence
A fine example of Tudor Revival architectural style is at 8 Butlers Island
As America moved from the Gilded Age of prosperity of the late 19th century into the new 20th, Teddy Roosevelt took the helm as President and steered us into a bigger and more energetic America. He created a powerful Navy, pushed completion of the Panama Canal, fought for a freed Cuba, and developed the Philippines so we could demonstrate to the English Empire that the USA was on its way to becoming a world player. Meanwhile, the daughters of wealthy American industrialists were marrying English aristocrats in droves, trading wealth for titles. It started with Jennie Jerome, the daughter of a prosperous American financier and a socially ambitious mother, who married Lord Randolph Churchill in 1874 (and with whom she produced a son—Winston …but that’s a story for another day).
As American might grew and the high society fixation with titles peaked at the turn of the 20th century and through its early decades (think Downton Abbey), it created a new sense of American Aristocracy. This focus on England was immediately reflected in our architecture.
Left: Pitched roofs and gables, prominent chimneys and hand-hewed timber frames with stucco shown here, mark this as a Tudor Revival home, right: This interior shot shows the exposed beams and paneling (painted white in keeping with current tastes) characteristic of the Tudor Revival style
Drawing from the great Tudor historical period in England, Tudor Revival style emerged, becoming prominent in many new homes as well as country clubs in suburbs and towns across America from 1900 to the 1920s. (Bronxville, NY is a particular hotbed of the Tudor Revival style.) Tudor Revival was popular also in England at this time …and at 8 Butlers Island Road in Darien. This lovely example of Tudor Revival was built in 1902, expanded in 1993 and extensively updated in 2004 to take full advantage of its large, private sandy beach and sweeping views of the Sound to the south.
While beautifully restored and modernized for the 21st century, this home maintains its Tudor Revival grandeur. It is a very distinctive style with its steeply pitched roofs and gables, prominent chimneys and hand-hewed timber frames with stucco. Exteriors are in brick and stone, with round or leaded glass windows—a striking architectural reflection of an exciting and formative time in England’s history and our own.
For more information about the house, (currently on the market) contact Nan Peter at npeter@houlihanlawrence.com or 203-247-1188.
