By Robert Marchant rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
GREENWICH- A descendent of one of Greenwich's oldest families is hoping a grass roots campaign will help to preserve the old Mead homestead in the backcountry and give the 300-year-old property a new life.
The Benjamin Mead II House at 23 Cliffdale Road was built sometime around 1728 is now listed for sale. Jeffrey Bingham Mead, an author and historian, is attempting to put together a buyer and a nonprofit organization to create an educational and agricultural center there.
"We have a seller and listing Realtor who are very interested in parting with the property, and its preservation in perpetuity," said Mead. "The farm is truly one of the town's most breathtaking and beautiful."
Mead, who divides his time between Hawaii and Greenwich, said he hoped the old farmstead could be repurposed for the 21st-century.
"I'd like to see the old house dating from 1728 turned into a learning center, providing an immersive, hands-on experiences focusing on Greenwich's agricultural history. We'd like to see the restored farmstead as a setting for public events," he said.
The farmstead, which sits on 9 acres of land, also includes an ancestral Mead family cemetery. The last member of the Mead family resided on the property through the 1910s.
A large main house built on the property around 1808 was demolished in the early 2000s.
Mead said the seller personally contacted him to advance the concept of preserving the property, which is off Riverside Road near the Griffith E. Harris Golf Course.
"I am working with and adding others interested in serving on a working group. We are presently searching for a nonprofit to partner with and then form one for this property," Mead said.
The proposal for the property is somewhat unorthodox, he acknowledged.
"Is this a viable method to preserve history? I certainly hope so," he said. "There is no single way to do this. Or circumstances often require us to be flexible and imaginative."
Jo Conboy, chairwoman of the Greenwich Preservation Trust, said the project for the Mead property sounded like a novel one. The best way to ensure an older building's preservation is through a legal restriction, she said, and hoped that might be the case when the Cliffdale Road property is sold.
"A legal protection, that's the best way to go," she said.
She said she hoped the old Mead farmstead we'll find an owner who will preserve it. "Not many of the old homes are left," Conboy said.
The Preservation Trust isworking to preserve and restore the Thomas Lyon House which was built around 1695, and is located on West Putnam Avenue.
A recent survey by Historic Properties of Greenwich, a local preservation group, found that there are only about 100 homes left in the community that date to the 18th century or before.
The Mead property is not open to the public. It can be seen by appointment only through Houlihan Lawrence. The property is listed for sale with an asking price of $3.99 million.
For information on preserving the property Jeffrey Bingham Mead can be contacted at JeffreyBinghamMead@gmail.com.
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