Fairfield County connecticut

Edward Dillon Flower Shop Building Circa 1910

November 1, 2020November 1, 2020Blog, connecticut, StratfordLeave a Comment

To follow up with yesterday’s Halloween post, this wonderful building circa 1910 was looking rather macabre this October. The store front’s windows are filled with witches, pumpkins and a haunted New England charm that only a town like Stratford can provide. The town of Stratford was established in 1639, some fifty years before the Salem Witch trials took place.

This building has long been the home of Edward Dillon Flowers since the 1970’s. Long before it was a flower shop, this small building was a grocery store called WM Lawrence Groceries. You could buy roast beef, coffee and penny candy inside. The building is pictured on page 24 of Stratford’s Postcard History Series available here. Today the original awning and front steps into the building are gone. It would be interesting to know if the original store sign is still around in an attic, barn, or collection.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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Stratford History in Images

English Tudor Cottage Style 1928 Home in Stratford, Connecticut

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020Blog, connecticut, paradise green, Stratford, Uncategorized2 Comments

Stratford, Connecticut has a wonderful variety of home styles, and if you look hard enough, you’ll find some really unique prewar homes around town. Before World War II, during the roaring 1920’s, ornate and complex building styles were embraced as materials, money and labor was abundant. During the war however, everything was scaled back as many resources were dedicated to the war effort. Today, we can appreciate prewar homes for the special time in which they were constructed. They just don’t build them like this anymore.

This English Tudor cottage style home is located at 919 Wilcoxson avenue in Paradise Green. The round arched front door is still original and is set back in 3-4 layers of brick arches. The craftsmanship and detailed masonry work that was done on this home could only be created during prewar times. Priorities forever changed in 1939, and period homebuilding in particular provides this signature in history we can forever look back on.

This home was built in 1928, and is located in Stratford’s Paradise Green on Wilcoxson Ave, just a few hundred yards from Donut Crazy on Main Street. The home is featured on page seventy of Stratford Historical Society’s Images of America: Stratford.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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Stratford History in Images

New Construction at 224 Wakelee Ave Stratford, Connecticut

October 27, 2020October 27, 2020Blog, connecticut, new construction, paradise green, Stratford, Uncategorized1 Comment

The home at 244 Wakelee Ave in Stratford is a very nice Cape Cod originally built in 1949. It was in a very rundown state as of September 2017, when it was sold to a developer who completely renovated the home. The vacant lot at 224 Wakelee ave (to the left of the home) appears to have also been a part of the sale of number 244. The total deal value was $256,750 for both pieces of property. The renovated home at 244 Wakelee Ave was sold in January 2018 for $344,500 according to public record.

Site of Former Vacant Lot at 224 Wakelee Ave in Stratford, Connecticut

Several years later, it appears that the once vacant and overgrown lot is finally being put to work. To see what the vacant lot originally looked like on Google Street View, click here. A brand new home (pictured above) has been newly constructed on the property at 224 Wakelee Ave and looks to be a real show stopper. The construction team did an incredible job, and we can’t wait to see the finished product soon.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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93 Brewster Street, Stratford, Connecticut

October 24, 2020October 25, 2020Blog, connecticut, Homes for Sale, Uncategorized1 Comment

Just on the market is an extraordinary oversized cape home in the heart of Paradise Green neighborhood of Stratford, Connecticut. This home is nestled just off one of the most beautiful streets in all of Stratford: Plymouth Street. Plymouth and Brewster are two of the most sought after streets to live on – homes here are usually long term ownership, just like this one. 93 Brewster last sold in 2010 for $329,000. It’s now available for the first time in 10 years at a very reasonable $375,000. Considering what smaller homes in less ideal areas are selling for, I would say this house will likely sell over the asking price.

This Brewster Street home is only one house away from Brewster’s Pond, a beautiful and popular spot for walkers and runners in Paradise Green. Here is a view from the other side of the pond looking towards the home.

Stepping out of your front door, you would be about a 10 second walk from this view of Brewster’s Pond looking South. Heading the other direction would put you right on Main Street in Paradise Green. This house has an excellent location and we think it will sell fast.

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Information posted is merely the opinion of Time or Space for entertainment purposes only. All information published can be found in Town Records which is made available to the Public.

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Housing is Hot in Stratford’s Paradise Green Neighborhood

October 12, 2020October 23, 2020Blog, connecticut, paradise green, Stratford5 Comments

Paradise Green is a quaint North-end neighborhood in the Fairfield County suburb of Stratford. This neighborhood is nestled along the beautiful Housatonic River that empties out into Long Island Sound next to Milford. It’s located above I95 and below the route 15 Merritt Parkway. In the center of the neighborhood is Paradise Green Park, a large triangular shaped green situated between Huntington road and Main Street where the farmers market operates during the summer months.

The Paradise Green neighborhood is within walking distance to Longbrook Park, which is next to beautiful new athletic fields, and offers many shops and restaurants on Main Street. On Main Street you’ll find brick oven fired pizza, a wine shop, an American tavern, a donut shop, bakeries, coffee shops, Italian restaurants and more. This area is excellent for commuters due to its convenient location. Paradise Green residents will enjoy a 5 minute drive up north to get on the Merritt Parkway or a 5 minute drive south down to the Stratford metro north train station.

Fairfield County is now experiencing a very hot seller’s market this year due to several factors; read more about that here. Paradise Green is arguably one of the best neighborhoods in Stratford due to its convenient location, good schools and amenities. This neighborhood has beautiful mature tree-lined streets with sidewalks, offering a high quality of living in a peaceful suburban setting that’s perfect for families. New York City transplants and Connecticut homebuyers looking for a safe and affordable place to call home often land here.

Homes in this area are well-kept and often extensively updated with a wide range of styles to choose from. Smaller ranch homes, two story colonials and a mix of large and small pre-war homes can be found here. Pre-war homes are more rare as the building boom in town didn’t take place until the post-war years once servicemen returned home. With the support of the 1944 GI bill promoting home ownership, low interest mortgages helped fuel the growth of the suburbs.

The Great Recession from 2007-2009 had a large impact here in Town. Foreclosed homes resulting from this recession were still widely available in 2015-2016 when I began looking at homes in Stratford. However, from 2015-2019 home prices recovered dramatically, nearing pre-recession levels. The pandemic in 2020 has further pushed the already hot market into an even hotter one, with homes going under contract within a day or two and prices at or above historical peaks.

Even with home prices continuing to rise, Stratford still offers the best value proposition in Fairfield County today. Beautifully updated 3 bedroom homes in the $350,000 price range in Stratford would easily reach into the $500,000 range and beyond in the town of Fairfield, just over 10 minutes drive away. While these two towns offer different benefits, the fact remains that Paradise Green offers quite a lot for those looking to affordably break into a Fairfield County town on the metro north train line.

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