Our Mission, Our Past, Our Present

Our Mission

The essence of The Ridgefield Community Center is to serve as the heartbeat of Ridgefield community life in collaboration with the town, its citizens and organizations. We are committed to preserving and promoting the historical significance of The Lounsbury House for the use and benefit of all, now and in the future.

Our Past

Built in 1896 by Phineas C. Lounsbury, a former governor of Connecticut, The Lounsbury House at The Ridgefield Community Center, located in Veteran’s Park and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has all the original charm originally supplied by Governor Lounsbury’s family. This center of Ridgefield life is one of its greatest assets—a shining jewel among the sparkling gems along Main Street.

While attending the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, Governor Lounsbury was deeply impressed with the Connecticut State Building, so much so that when he retired from politics, he built a replica to serve as his family home. Of elaborate Neo-Classical style, the house is two and a half stories of clapboard with a pedimented two story portico, supported by Ionic columns. Its wraparound porch is as inviting as it is serviceable.

The interior, designed on a monumental scale, reflects the elegance of turn-of-the-20th Century privileged society, and through the efforts of the Women’s Committee, all the original work survives—from the exquisite moldings to the massive doors to the superb staircase with its call to graceful living.

Phineas Lounsbury originally called his home “Grovelawn,” living here with his wife until the 1920s. At that time, the house was surrounded by beautiful gardens, an orchard, a green house and a windmill; it required an indoor staff of 14 plus 12 others to maintain the grounds. In the early 1900s Phineas brought many of his wealthy New York friends to visit Ridgefield-- some liked what they saw and built summer houses nearby, adding more sparkle to the town.

Our Present

At a special Town Meeting in 1953, The Town of Ridgefield approved the lease of the Lounsbury House to The Ridgefield Veterans’ Memorial Community Center Association, Inc. at $1 per year.

Today The Lounsbury House is owned by the town of Ridgefield and operated by a not-for-profit association, with a board of directors, whose purpose is to serve as the heartbeat of Ridgefield community life in collaboration with the town, its citizens and organizations and to preserve and promote the historical significance of The Lounsbury House for the use and benefit of all, now and in the future.

In order to maintain the property at no expense to the town, the Lounsbury House in all its glory is available for rent. From weddings to reunions to galas, people from all over have relished the ambiance, the convenience and above all, the vibes from an era of graceful living co-mingled with modern-day ease.

The Lounsbury House at the Ridgefield Community Center, is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Membership dues, annual appeals and fundraising campaigns, along with the house rentals, help offset the mounting costs of caring for, maintaining and restoring this home.

While the Center’s Board of Directors concerns itself mainly with the exterior and maintaining the structural part of the interior, the Women’s Committee was formed to provide interior designing and purchase of fixtures and furniture. For information about this effective group, contact the Center at 203-438-6962.

To learn more about the National Register of Historic Places, please visit nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. To learn more about the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago and to read about the original design of the Lounsbury House as the Connecticut State Building, visit columbus.iit.edu/bookfair/ch22.html.

Ridgefield Community Center
Lounsbury House
316 Main Street Ridgefield, CT 06877
203-438-6962 – Office Hours: M-F, 9:00am – 4:00 pm
©2010 The Ridgefield Community Center