GREENWICH — The State Historic Preservation Office has begun reviewing the proposed demolition of a row of Tudor Revival buildings at the top of Greenwich Avenue after preservationists and town leaders asked the agency to intervene.

A coalition of town and neighborhood leaders asked the state office to determine whether the buildings at 2 Greenwich Ave. qualify for protection, arguing they are an irreplaceable part of the town's historic character.

The Tudor Revival-style buildings date to the 1890s. The property, owned by New England Investment Partners and executive Jonathan Marcus, is the subject of a redevelopment proposal that would demolish the main building and two adjoining structures and replace them with two new four-story buildings with ground-floor retail space and 14 residential units above. A preliminary application was filed with the Planning & Zoning Commission last month.

Among those urging state intervention was Frederick Lee, chairman of Representative Town Meeting District 1.

“My constituents and I believe reconstruction is not preservation: Demolition would permanently remove authentic nineteenth-century fabric and extinguish the building’s status as a contributing resource,” Lee wrote to the State Historic Preservation Office.

On Thursday, Lee said he had received a written notice from the state office that "SHPO will begin its investigation" of the proposed demolition.

The State Historic Preservation Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The town's Historic District Commission recently held a public discussion on the proposal, describing the meeting as a forum for residents to weigh in on plans to demolish the highly visible buildings.

Karen Fassuliotis, a former member of the Board of Estimate and Taxation who spoke as a neighborhood resident, said the buildings at the intersection of Greenwich Avenue and West Putnam Avenue are irreplaceable.

“This is not just another commercial building,” she said. “Future generations deserve the opportunity to experience the genuine historic streetscape that previous generations chose to preserve. ... Preservation should always be the first option, with demolition reserved only when no reasonable alternative exists.”

Greenwich native Cheryl Moss called the site a gateway to downtown.

“It’s the entryway to Greenwich Avenue, which is the anchor of the town. It’s a very meaningful site," she said. "We need to be preserving what makes our town the place where we all want to stay and raise our families.” 

Another speaker, Melinda Carroll, said many historic buildings in Greenwich have already been lost.

“It’s important to note … there have been so many buildings that have been taken down, and the buildings that are going up are radically different than the established vernacular architecture that makes Greenwich special,” Carroll told the commission.

Martin Kagan, who chaired the meeting this week, said no formal application has yet been submitted to the town's Historic District Commission. The commission reviews proposed changes to historic properties and makes recommendations to the Planning & Zoning Commission. It also can designate a historic overlay zone, which provides property owners with economic incentives and zoning benefits in exchange for permanently preserving a building.

Commission members said they had received more than 20 letters regarding the proposal.

Under Connecticut law, local land-use agencies have limited authority over the demolition of private property. The Historic District Commission can request a 90-day delay in demolition, as can any member of the public.

Planning & Zoning Commission Chairwoman Margarita Alban attended the meeting and clarified her commission’s role.

“We will see the rebuild application — that’s all we see,” Alban said. She said the Planning & Zoning Commission has no authority over demolitions and reviews only the redevelopment proposal.

“P&Z can’t stop this demolition,” she said, adding that any effort to halt it would likely have to come through state intervention under the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act. "We are all looking to what state law can do at this point."

Town officials and preservation advocates launched a letter-writing campaign seeking state intervention.

Lee asked the agency to determine whether the Connecticut Environmental Protection Act, which addresses the "unreasonable destruction" of historic resources, could be applied.

Historic District Commission Secretary Andrew Melillo said the commission also plans to discuss preservation incentives with the property owner.

The buildings are contributing structures within the Greenwich Avenue Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, that designation alone does not prevent demolition.

In documents submitted with the redevelopment proposal, the development team argued that preserving the buildings is not feasible.

“Multiple renovations and alterations over more than a century have left the underlying structure in a condition that renders conventional rehabilitation impractical and inadequate for long-term durability. The applicant has concluded — after careful evaluation — that the only responsible path forward is to rebuild the structure from the ground up, using modern construction techniques, while replicating many details in the architectural character that gives the building its significance,” the application states.

The Planning & Zoning Commission has not yet scheduled a preliminary hearing on the redevelopment proposal for 2 Greenwich Ave. and the adjoining properties.

July 10, 2026|Updated July 10, 2026 10:33 a.m.