New Canaan historic district home receives ‘This Old House’ makeover

A long-neglected home in New Canaan”™s historic district is getting a new lease on life courtesy of a popular home repair television show.

The PBS program “This Old House” has selected 4 Main St. as the subject of its fifth annual Idea House show, which will detail the renovation of the property that fell victim to years of neglect and deterioration. While its earliest history is murky ”“ some sources trace it back to the 1780s, others to the 1830s ”“ the Greek Revival-style property had changed hands several times over the years, including a few years where it served as a tearoom. Vacant for many years, the property was the subject of foreclosure proceedings in October 2014. Its most recent residents were a family of raccoons until New Canaan developer Arnold Karp bought the 7,500-square-foot home and its 0.43-acre lot in June for $810,000.

Since Karp”™s acquisition, a later addition to the home has been torn down, and the “This Old House” crew has installed a webcam to provide real-time coverage of the work at the site. According to the “This Old House” website, “Plans are to save the historic faÃ§ade, but downsize to 6,000 square feet and modernize with the latest and best building materials today.”