Originally written by Carl White.
The Homestead Inn
Every Christmas season, I make a point of driving past The Homestead Inn at 420 Field Point Road to see their holiday lights. On several occasions, out-of-towners have stopped at the library to ask about its location. I gathered they were going there to enjoy a delicious breakfast or lunch. Others come to stay at the Inn for the weekend. It’s become a landmark in town. The history is rather interesting.
Early History of The Homestead Inn
It was originally called the Isaac Mead House, having been built by Mead in 1799. It was used as a farmhouse, and the farm property was shared by his 3 brothers – Abraham, Augustus, and Zophar. The property was divided between them, but no boundaries were ever set. They just took random spots and worked the land as a farm. Eventually, Isaac Mead gave it to his son, Abraham, and the land remained in the Mead family until 1923.
In 1865, a dentist from New Jersey bought the main house. When he had trouble making ends meet, his wife began taking in boarders to stay overnight. The same year a porch was added. Although the house was built close to the road, it was moved uphill by 16 oxen teams (32 oxen). An architect believes this was done to make it more aesthetically pleasing. On one side was “The Boulders” and on the other side was Captain Lockwood’s house. The houses were now in line on the brow of the hill. A cupola and wrap-around porch were added. They discovered 3 kitchen roofs – one on top of the other. The Historical Society came in and discussed what architectural features should be saved. Chestnut beams were added to hold up the structure.
The Inn experienced some difficult financial times. There were several owners over time. One owner went bankrupt, and the building was falling apart. At one point, there were 217 liens against the property. Not only was the building beginning to show signs of wear and tear, but the property was unkempt. The grass was overgrown, weeds were abundant and trees had fallen down. On top of this, the owner’s health was beginning to fail. He decided to sell.
New Inn Keepers
Local resident Nancy Smith and her husband took an interest in the Inn. Surprisingly, they had no knowledge of bars, food, commercial dining rooms, innkeeping, or hotels. Mr. Smith was just looking for a business opportunity, and this seemed promising. Besides, the owner was anxious to sell, and since they had made a bid with no contingencies, he sold it to the Smiths in 1979. Fortunately, an acquaintance – Leslie Davison – agreed to become a partner and help out. Their main priorities were to repair the main building and find a Chef.
They hired a designer – John Saladino – who had worked on two of Mr. Smith’s offices in New York City. He was educated at Yale and lived in Lime Rock. He specialized in preserving historic buildings. Since there had been a lot of water damage, and the water poured all the way from the attic to the basement, the house had to be repaired first. Contractor John Greco handled the construction. It took over a year. He shored up the roof and ceilings with I-beams. The bedrooms were expanded to 22 rooms, and a commercial dining room was added as well as a bar. A new entranceway was also built. Saladino, meanwhile, strived to save everything to make it as authentic as possible. He chose quiet colors to blend in with the neighborhood.
Inn Renovation
The managers experienced some difficulties during the remodeling:
- They were only able to remodel the commercial kitchen in the main house. The cottage and independent house were closed up, and it took almost 4 years before these were fixed.
- Each room had to have two means of egress. One of the rooms lacked one. The Fire Marshall came in and helped them find a second fire exit. By the way, it’s believed author Inge wrote his famous play “Picnic” in the room. He may also have written “Bus Stop” there.
- As with most construction projects, everything took longer than expected to complete.
- Approximately 5 or 6 layers of wallpaper had to be removed to prepare the walls. This turned out to be very fortuitous because they discovered stenciling on the walls. It was a bird pattern thought to have been added in the 1800s. Since it was in good condition, they decided to forego extensive painting.
- Asbestos had to be removed.
- The builder thought there was a fireplace behind a wall so he knocked it down, but all he found was a fireplace crest and no fireplace.
- Some lighting fixtures were unacceptable and had to be replaced.
- There was a swimming pool in the back, which was the first public swimming pool in Greenwich. However, it was cracked and was in terrible shape. The owners consulted with an attorney, who advised them to remove it for insurance reasons.
Despite these problems, there were several positive developments. During remodeling, they discovered some fabulous beams with awl marks that dated back to 1799. The original molding was still in place. Windows were covered with louvers, which gave it a real historic look. The builders were able to remodel the dining room to provide extra room between tables. (I thought it was very interesting that they put coffee in the paint to give texture to the walls.) When they were finished, the dining room provided the Inn with a beautiful, quiet, and dignified space for its guests.
Inn Cuisine
The co-managers, Nancy Smith and Leslie Davison had to decide what kind of cuisine to offer. Would it be American, French, or nouvelle cuisine? After much soul-searching, they settled on classic French cuisine. A search began to find a suitable Chef for the Inn. Several chefs were invited to come out and cook sample meals for the owners. Eventually, they chose Jack Thiebault – a sous chef at La Cirque in New York City – to be their head chef. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement since Jacques lived in Connecticut with his family and didn’t want to take the long commute to the city anymore. He was involved in every phase of planning the dining room operation. He helped with kitchen design, menu creation, pricing, and staffing. The Head Chef started in May 1979, and by September 20, 1979, the dining room was open for business.
Soft Opening
The Homestead Inn launched a “soft opening.” This means they didn’t publicize that the Inn was open. They relied on word of mouth and friends to help with this phase of the operation. The first night they had 37 customers, and the next night they had 60 guests. They needed to “shake out” the dining room operation by testing the food preparation and staffing. Once they officially opened, there would be a lot of pressure to provide meals for close to a hundred people per day. Better to do a “dry run” to identify any unseen problems. There were many run-throughs to prepare the staff. Although they didn’t have a grand opening, they did have a grand closing. The Inn never actually closed. It was just a way to mark the end of the “shakedown” period.
One interesting anecdote involves the sighting of The Homestead Inn car on Fifth Avenue in New York. The car had “The Homestead Inn” printed in large letters on the doors. A man stopped Nancy Smith and asked her when the Inn was going to open! She hadn’t realized news of the opening had spread so far.
Success and Fame
The Homestead Inn turned out to be very successful. It was recognized as having the 150th largest grossing revenue from Maine to Hawaii at one point. Part of its success might be due to its proximity to White Plains and Stamford, which were sites for many corporate headquarters. People used the Inn for engagement parties, weddings and honeymoons, anniversary parties, bar mitzvahs, conferences, and other special events. Guests loved its unique New England style.
Since its food was so good, people initially forgot that it was an Inn with comfortable guest rooms. The restaurant – nicknamed “La Grange” – was initially the main draw. Once people figured this out, they started staying there on a regular basis.
Nancy Smith and Leslie Davison were recognized as two of the earliest women entrepreneurs. Despite their lack of formal training, they were able to establish a very successful restaurant and inn. National magazines such as Fortune and Country Inn recognized them. They were asked to speak at various conferences and conventions about how they juggled business with family life. They turned out to be successful at both. I think it’s safe to say they loved what they were doing, and excelled at their work.
They sold The Homestead Inn in September 1997.
SOURCES
Fox, G (Interviewer); Narrated by Nancy Smith: The Homestead Inn; Greenwich Library Oral History Project, Greenwich CT; 1999.
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