Press release from Branford Land Trust

Working closely with the Branford Land Trust Building Committee, project principal Richard Wies, along with project manager Max Bunton from Gregg Wies & Gardner Architects of New Haven, are working to ensure that the historic Branford Land Trust House will continue to be in service to the community for future generations, while supporting the trust’s mission to preserve open space. Bunton, who grew up in Branford, has built a strong affection for the town and all that comes with its community. Richard Wies, who also grew up in Branford, has long been involved with a wide variety of community architectural projects, many in the Branford area.

The Branford Land Trust House consists of a schoolhouse constructed in 1865. It’s a one-room structure with high ceilings; tall, double-hung windows; and a simple but handsome exterior used as a gathering place for Land Trust meetings and occasional community events. A one-story masonry addition adjoins the schoolhouse to the two-story fire house (circa 1900), which has a later garage addition. All together, this assemblage of mostly wood-framed buildings has a pleasant street presence and mimics the quiet gable forms of its neighbors in the Stony Creek Historic District.

For more information or to donate to the renovation project, visit branfordlandtrust.org.

The Branford Land Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, accredited by the Land Trust Alliance, established in 1967 to protect Branford’s open space and natural resources. Run by volunteers and supported by member families and businesses, the Land Trust maintains more than 30 miles of hiking trails, manages and protects over 1,000 acres in more than 130 parcels, and holds conservation easements on another 400 acres in Branford.