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Every day, state Sen. Bob Duff and state Rep. Larry Cafero drive by what they consider their proudest accomplishment: saving the Grumman-St. John House. Although the house, at 93 East Ave., is in sad shape, it is expected to be restored thanks to an agreement Cafero and Duff brokered among the Norwalk Inn & Conference Center, its neighbors and the Norwalk Preservation Trust.
Last week, the men were presented with the 2010 Valle Weber Fay Preservation Leadership Awards, as recognition of their efforts, by the preservation trust. In turn, the trust received a Certificate of Special Recognition from U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Greenwich, for the preservation of the Grumman-St. John House.
Owners of the Norwalk Inn originally intended to demolish the historic home to expand the hotel. The trust sued to stop them, and litigation continued for nearly a decade as the house fell into disrepair.
Tod Bryant, president of the trust, said the parties were at a standoff before Duff and Cafero intervened.
"Contention would be a mild word," he said.
Cafero, a Republican, agreed. "Bob and I knew it wasn't going to be easy, and there was a high chance of failure, as well," Cafero said. "We decided beforehand that we would take a shot. ... After 18 meetings, a year, we were able to pull it together. We had our times where it was close to falling apart, but it didn't."
Duff, a Democrat, said he expected the agreement to be among his most important accomplishments. "Long after we're out of politics we'll be able to drive by and smile, one of the good things that we might have done," Cafero said.
Bryant appreciated Himes' participation in the ceremony. "All three of them understand the value of historic preservation as it bears on the sense of community, and the way the community feels about itself," he said.
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