55th Annual House Tour in Litchfield

The 55th annual Open House Day Tour of Litchfield to benefit the CT Junior Republic (CJR) will be held on Saturday, July 13 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., rain or shine. Conducted by the Litchfield Aid of CJR, a voluntary organization, the tour will feature six private residences and several historic points of interest.

A Preview Tour will be offered on Friday, July 12 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Tour will be followed by a cocktail reception from 7-9 p.m. at Goddard Meadow, a gracious home in a lovely private setting. Tickets are $50 per person and attendance is limited.

The self-guided tour on Saturday, July 13 begins at the Information Booth on the Litchfield Green. Ticket sales, information and the "lost and found" will be located there. Highlights of the six homes featured on this year's tour are as follows:

The Samuel Cone House — Built in 1884 by Samuel Cone, this vernacular Victorian home features a three-bay facade sheltered by a millwork verandah with chamfered posts and simple corner brackets. A circular head window accents the front gable end. Currently owned by an artist, this home is highlighted by many unusual and charming decorative touches.

Edwin McNeil House — Litchfield native Edwin McNeil built this Colonial Revival home in 1867. Subsequently used as an inn in the early 1900s, the house was purchased by a wealthy Waterbury industrialist in 1911 and renovated to create the gracious Colonial Revival estate that it is today. The house was extensively renovated and updated in the early 1990s. Special features include a magnificent, formal two-story entrance and stair hall, sunroom and restored porch on the second floor.

Deming Perkins Cottage — Built prior to 1874, this structure originally consisted of a barn with three carriage bays, and a two-story, four-room house. It is speculated that the buildings were moved to their current location and attached between 1910 and 1923. The cottage was redesigned in the late 1980s. Structural highlights of this home include extensive use of beadwork for walls and ceilings, French green rough pine floors throughout the two-story section, and the original windows on the second floor.

Ludlow Bull House — Built circa 1828, this L-shaped Colonial Revival home was built by Leonard Goodwin and purchased by Ludlow Bull in 1925. Mr. Bull was an Egyptologist with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and transformed his purchase into a gracious weekend home. This house is an excellent example of the mid-20th century custom Colonial Revival style that was favored in Litchfield.

Myron Osborn House — Constructed in 1822, this home was one of the first houses built by Myron Osborn. Although there have been many additions and alterations, the central part of the house and original windows of twenty-four panes are intact. Other notable features include the flush six-panel entrance door with flanking pilasters, a turn of the century three-tier fieldstone terrace on the side of the house, and pool flanked by stone wall and perennial border.

The Laurels — This property has extremely varied terrain with four ponds, large rock outcroppings, forest, field, and extensive amounts of native Mountain Laurel. The owners have gradually added a Christmas tree farm, retail landscape nursery, and a home site. The three-story, center-hall Colonial home was built in 1987, and is designed to take advantage of the gracious views of the koi-stocked ponds and gardens.

Preview Party Site — Goddard Meadow is the site of the Preview Party for the 55th annual Open House Day. Built in 1999, Goddard Meadow is an adaptation of a shingle-style house, with an open and sunny floor plan. The house sits at the top of a meadow once owned by the Goddard family, and is located on 18 acres. The rear of the house faces the road to take advantage of the unobstructed view of the small pond, Mohawk Mountain and glorious sunsets.

Litchfield History Museum — Admission to this year's tour will include the Litchfield History Museum and its recently-restored Tapping Reeve House and Law School. The 1774 Tapping Reeve House and 1784 Law School feature the award-winning exhibit, "The Noblest Study," which describes the experiences of more than 1,000 students who traveled to Litchfield to attend the law school between 1774 and 1833. Recognized as the first law school in America, the Litchfield Law School was operated by Tapping Reeve and his partner James Gould until 1833. The school has many illustrious graduates, including vice presidents, supreme court justices, governors, senators and other prominent government and community members. Both the Tapping Reeve House and Law School are owned and operated by the Litchfield History Museum, a private nonprofit organization founded in 1856 and dedicated to collecting and interpreting the history of Litchfield. A new exhibition, "Inspiring Fashion: Litchfield’s Costumes in Context, 1770-1930," features exquisite costumes and rare household textiles from the 18th century through the 1930s, in period room settings.

Luncheon — Visitors may enjoy lunch at the CT Junior Republic for $6 from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. A choice of a seafood salad or smoked turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich plate, including pasta salad, brownie and iced tea, will be offered. CJR students will provide tours of CJR’s beautiful country campus, and a student art show will be featured.

The Litchfield Aid's popular and unique cookbook will be sold at the luncheon ticket tent on the Green, and at the CT Junior Republic, for $19 (including tax). Each copy of the book comes with its own handmade gift-wrapping and makes a wonderful "ready-to-give" present for family, friends and professional associates.

Advance tickets for the house tour are non-refundable and may be obtained for $15 by contacting the Litchfield Aid of CJR, PO Box 214, Litchfield, CT 06759. Please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your check or money order. (All checks should be made payable to: Litchfield Aid of CJR.) VISA, MC and AMEX are also accepted; orders should include type of card (VISA, MC, or AMEX) card number, expiration date, name on credit card, billing address and signature. Orders must be received no later than Friday, July 5; requests for tickets after this date will be held for pick-up on the day of the tour at the ticket booth on the Green. Advance tickets are also available at Barnidge & McEnroe, Murphy's Pharmacy, and Talbots, all located in the center of Litchfield. Tickets will be sold on the Green on day of the tour for $20 each for adults and children (no charge for infants). For more info call CJR at 860-567-9423.

Founded in 1904, the CT Junior Republic provides residential and community-based care, treatment and education for troubled youngsters. In addition to its residential campus in Litchfield, CJR operates a group home in East Hartford and community programs in Bridgeport, Hartford and Waterbury. Each year, the organization serves approximately 1,200 boys, girls, and their families through its various services. CJR is a private charitable organization supported by contributions from individuals, businesses and organizations, and through services funded by the CT Department of Children and Families, CT Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division, and by Connecticut's public schools.