Connecticut inn preserves its heirloom history

Stanton House Inn in Greenwich, Conn., was built in 1840, renovated in 1899, and rejuvenated - including the garden area - by its present owners. The antique clock is in a common room. (Ron Driscoll/Globe Staff)

GREENWICH, Conn. - The antique clock sat on the fireplace mantel in the north common room of the Stanton House Inn, just outside Room 10, our weekend abode.

"Oh yes, that came from England," said innkeeper Doreen Pearson when we asked about it. "It was part of a collection my in-laws had. It belonged to my husband's great-great-grandfather. Unfortunately . . ." her voice trailed off, "my children discovered it and made it inoperable."

It's ironic that we should have learned that the heirloom was broken. Pearson and her husband, Tog, pride themselves on the lengths they have gone to in restoring and preserving this historic showplace, which was built in 1840 and expanded and renovated at the turn of the 20th century by architect Stanford White.

The inn's day-to-day operation resembles a well-oiled machine, one whose workings are mostly unnoticed by guests. When we visited on Presidents' Day weekend, we almost felt guilty for not tiptoeing to breakfast in the library-like stillness.

Our morning meal was livened by the banter of two couples from New York boroughs making acquaintances. Greenwich is 28 miles from Grand Central Station, and we made it the jumping-off point for an evening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Unfortunately, traffic often extends the drive to more than an hour. If you're heading to Manhattan, the train makes more sense. Taxi service is available 24 hours from the inn to the railroad station in downtown Greenwich just over a mile away, and off-peak fares to the city are $8 one-way.

"We have a woman who comes out here every weekend," said Pearson. "It's only 30 miles, but it makes a world of difference."

Greenwich is a world apart, with its brick-studded downtown flanking postcard-perfect churches and municipal buildings. It seems every tony designer is required to have an outpost here. Pearson sees unwelcome change, though.

"It seems lately in Greenwich that everything that's older and historic is torn down," she said, noting what she called the "hedge-fund wealth" and the "McMansion" phenomenon sweeping the region. "We're in a sense the stewards of this house."

The land on which the inn sits was granted in 1717 to the Reverend Richard Sackett of the Second Congregational Church next door. In 1840, John Sackett built the original structure, and in 1899 it was purchased by Edward and Susan Brush, longtime local benefactors. The Brushes brought in White to renovate and expand the house.

"People who know White's work talk about his personal touches - someone just remarked the other day on the way the staircase railing was applied," Pearson said.

The inn's name comes from Nora Stanton Barney, who bought the estate in 1937 and called it Stanton House in honor of her grandmother, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the women's rights activist. After 25 successful years as an inn, the house began a slow decline before the Pearsons took it over in 1983.

In a concession to the inn's age and a recent storm, the room we booked on the third floor was off-limits for repairs. Instead, we were upgraded at no charge to a king suite, two steps up from the north common room.

Our room featured an anteroom with dresser and an open closet, turning right into the airy bedroom. We noticed the white columns peeking through the walls, which were painted in a latte shade. Turns out that, according to Pearson, the corner room was originally part of a porte-cochere, and the sun porches on either side were enclosed and winterized to expand the house's capacity.

The king bed's matelasse spread and coverlet were draped across an added treat. A Duxiana store in town provides three Dux beds to the inn, one of which was in our room. Duxiana sometimes arranges for potential customers to try one of the inn's beds. "They're very popular," said Pearson.

We slept well, but were not tempted to spring for a bed, which can run to several thousand dollars.

The weekday breakfast consists of cereal, yogurt, grapefruit, coffee, tea, juices, and some packaged pastries. On weekends, the inn adds cooked-to-order eggs with sausage or bacon. "On weekdays, the business people just want to grab something and go," Pearson says.

They would be more inclined to linger come spring, when inn business peaks and the grounds are more accessible. A swimming pool is off the patio outside the breakfast room, and the yard also features some reclaimed gardens.

"The original estate had nearly double the space behind the house, terraced down to the street beyond," said Pearson. "It had a party platform that looked out over sunken gardens. But it had been abandoned and totally overgrown; no one knew it existed. It had been used as a dumping ground for years and years."

As with much of the interior space, the Pearsons brought it back to life. You could say it has timeless appeal.

Ron Driscoll can be reached at rdriscoll@globe.com.