Building Of Longtime Funeral Home To Be Restored, Become Retail Space
GREENWICH, CT — The space that formerly housed the Fred D. Knapp Funeral Home for many years on Greenwich Avenue will be converted to retail space, and the historic building will be restored to its original look from 1906.
The Greenwich Planning & Zoning Commission this week unanimously voted to approve a final site plan for a change of use from a funeral home to retail at 267 Greenwich Ave.
According to the proposal, the retail space will be divided into two stores, one being accessed from the rear parking lot area and one from Greenwich Avenue.
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Notably, the Gothic facade above the building’s entrance which was constructed in the 1930s will be removed, according to architect Rudy Ridberg, who has worked on the building on and off over the past 20 years.
Ridberg told the commissioners that the facade is made with terracotta tile material that has rebar in it, and it’s very difficult to maintain waterproofing. The material has cracked and water has steeped in.
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“This is not easily repairable,” Ridberg said, adding that building/funeral home owner Matt Murphy has tried to repair it over the years.
P&Z Commission Chair Margarita Alban expressed a desire to keep the fascia with the “Fred D. Knapp” lettering and the Gothic style as an homage to the history of the building, one of the oldest structures on Greenwich Avenue.
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“The property has been on the market for retail tenants for about a year,” explained Thomas Heagney, attorney for applicant 267 Greenwch Avenue Associates LLC. “For the most part, what the prospective tenants are saying is, ‘When you have a retail facade, let us know, we’d be very interested in renting the space.'”
Fellow commissioners said they preferred reverting back to the original look of the 1906 building.
Commissioner Nick Macri said trying to maintain the Gothic architecture would create a cluttered look for retail businesses.
“The 1906 actually provides a very good continuity from the street all the way to the corners,” he said. “It also has the opportunity to provide a proper place for signage, which could actually get cluttered and make that facade difficult to work with. The 1906 kind of bakes that into it where the signage would go.”
Alban said she would cede to her fellow commission members on going with the 1906 look.
However, the approval came with a note that the applicant shall provide a plaque at the building to note that it was the former site of the funeral home.
The Fred D. Knapp Funeral Home moved to Hamilton Avenue in June 2023.
Ridberg and the applicant will go back to the Architecture Review Committee to review the materials that will be used for the restoration, and the details related to awnings, signs, lighting and masonry paint hues.
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