The Wall Street Journal-20080118-WEEKEND JOURNAL- The Home Front- House of the Week - High-Court Hideaway
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WEEKEND JOURNAL; The Home Front: House of the Week / High-Court Hideaway
What: 1938 Federal-style home with five bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms measuring 8,600 square feet on 12.5 acres
Where: Weston, Conn.
Amenities: Three fireplaces, 2,200-bottle-capacity wine cellar, pool, one-bedroom pool house of 1,500 square feet, views of the Saugatuck River Valley.
Asking price: $5 million
Annual property taxes: $43,356 in 2007.
Listing Agent: Gail Lilley Zawacki, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 203-349-8992, [email protected]
Due Diligence: Don and Phyllis Gary, who develop energy-efficient homes, bought this Fairfield County house in 1988. It was built for John Marshall Harlan, a U.S. Supreme Court justice from 1955 to 1971. Justice Harlan -- whose grandfather and namesake had also served on the high court -- supported a clear line between federal and state powers and often opposed the decisions of socially activist Chief Justice Earl Warren. Justice Harlan built the home to withstand fire with 12-inch-thick brick and stucco walls and an exit to the outdoors from most rooms. The Garys left the steel frame, brick exterior walls and concrete plank floors intact but redesigned the interior completely, replaced the asphalt roof with cedar shingles and put in a new deck, a tennis court and a garage with a sleeping loft.
