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Danbury Seeking Grant for Abandoned Hearthstone Castle

Off Brushy Hill Road, through a fence and up a steep hill sits Hearthstone Castle, a stone castle that has seen better days. For example, the roof appears to be sitting in the basement. The windows are gone.

The Danbury City Council agreed Tuesday to spend $5,000 on its historic castle in an effort to win a $50,000 grant from the Connecticut Historic Trust.

Danbury bought the Hearthstone Castle in 1985 with its purchase of Tarrywile Park, a 700 acre park for passive recreation downtown.

E. Starr Sanford built the castle from field stones and rocks quarried nearby between 1896 and 1899. He sold it in 1902 to Victor Buck, a New York City industrialist, who in turn sold it in 1923 to Charles Darling Parks, president of the American Hatters & Furriers Co.

"There may be reasonable options for its use," said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, although he didn't sound convinced. Danbury will use the grant to figure out what to do with the building.

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The castle has a well, but no city sewer or water. Boughton said bringing water and sewer to the castle would cost $1 million. With no sewer, it can't host hundreds of people, so the city has to figure out first how it wants to use the castle. Another idea is to stabilize the building, and the city has a $1 million estimate for that work as well as the million to bring city water and sewer to the site.

Once Danbury decides how it wants to use the castle, the city can estimate the cost of renovating the castle to accommodate that use.

Dennis Elpern said the city doesn't have a strategy for the castle yet. It doesn't know how much money it needs to keep the building from further deterioration.

"We'd all love to see a restoration, but we don't want to pay for it," Elpern said. When Elpern first visited the castle 24 years ago, he said it looked fine, but it had a roof leak. "Benign neglect let it fall apart."

Some of the grant money would be used to survey the city to find out what people think.

Boughton said the city has a whole lot of work to do on a whole lot of things, and he isn't convinced the Hearthstone Castle is at the top of anyone's list.

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ABA May 3, 2012 at 12:16 pm
The castle is not abandoned - it is owned by the City of Danbury. The City of Danbury has chosen to neglect the Castle since it took ownership in 1985. If any homeowner did what the City has done, they would be hit with fines, etc. for blight, and forced to make repairs or take the building down. The City has chosen to squander and lay waste to the property of the taxpayers of the City with regards to the Castle. A fate which seems not too far away for the Richter House.
Still Flowing: The Movie May 3, 2012 at 02:02 pm
And Eriquez and every administration has promised to do something. And they never did. Only when they seem to accomplish everything else, then they move on to Hearthstone. I've been inside before, waaaay back. Wow.
bordwithbs May 3, 2012 at 04:18 pm
Sell it.
Christine Rose May 3, 2012 at 09:13 pm
Great story!
Lynn Taborsak May 4, 2012 at 03:35 am
Grants to figure out what to do with a castle and no grants to provide supportive housing for the homeless. Maybe we can combine the two.
Peg Lupton May 4, 2012 at 11:58 am
I've heard that we have 120 people who are now sleeping on the streets of because winter shelters closed. It's my understanding that federal and state money is available for grants to help cities address homelessness. Why doesn't Danbury apply for these grants to solve a humanitarian crisis?
bordwithbs May 4, 2012 at 02:10 pm
No problem with support for the hometown homeless......however Danbury is bearing the burden of the problem for all the surrounding towns. Build supportive housing in Brookfield, Newtown, Ridgefield, Bethel, New Fairfield and yes, even across the "line" in Brewster and the Putnam County towns.
Danbury is not able to bear the weight of the problem alone. And Hearthstone Castle would be the wrong place to house the homeless.
Kiki September 16, 2012 at 04:25 pm
I have been homeless in Danbury. I am a 28 year old female with no drug problem no children. There is absolutely no support or programs out there for people struggling just to survive. The jobs are scarce and with all the illegals running around Danbury is not the same anymore. Boughton was my high school history teacher in 2002. Now as mayor this city has turned into a big joke.
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Richard Frascone June 17, 2013 at 07:37 am
Sorry guys. Watch who's telling the truth, Comcast channel 23 tonight at 7PM. Live call in show.