On the Market

Charming By-The-Sea Antique

Address: 13 Academy Lane, Old Lyme, CT
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 half
Square feet: 2,299
Acres: .34
Price: $1,395,000

The charm of this by-the-sea cottage begins with the lacy bargeboards of its Carpenter Gothic Victorian style architecture. The covered front porch provides an open-air shaded spot for dining or sitting with a cup of coffee as you watch the sun rise.

“The home is just one block from the main street called Lyme Street, so close to everything and in a peaceful setting,” says real estate agent Jodi Strycharz at Coldwell Banker in Old Lyme, CT. “There is a dock one house away on the Lieutenant River and it is a wonderful spot to view up and down the river and see the beautiful sunsets.”

The updated antique home, noted by the Old Lyme Historical Society as one of the community’s “noteworthy houses,” is painted all in white, which highlights the hardwood floors and Gothic Revival windows with pointed arches. “The architect is not known, but it is entirely possible that Judge Robert Noble, who built the house in 1880, used a pattern book issued by Andrew Jackson Downing titled The Architecture of Country Houses, published in 1850,” says Strycharz. “It allowed carpenters of the time to improvise on traditional Gothic homes and the home resembles that of the home depicted in Grand Wood’s iconic American Gothic painting.”

The home may be an antique, but its kitchen is newly updated and well-appointed with Thermadore appliances, marble countertops, a breakfast nook, coffee station and large pantry. The kitchen is open to the vaulted family room with doors to the outside patio. The room is punctuated with a large chandelier and detailed moldings. “The high beamed ceiling of the family room is dramatic,” notes Strycharz.

Upstairs, shiplap walls give a nautical vibe to the halls and laundry room. A stained-glass window gives a bit of color in the stairwell. The primary bedroom with en suite bathroom has a free-standing tub, large rain-head shower and double sinks. On the upper most floor, a third bedroom and a cozy den provide a fun hideaway on a rainy day.

The separate garage has a workshop space for easy WFH options or a home art studio, which may be attractive due to the home’s location near many local shops and art galleries. In fact, Old Lyme has a history closely tied to the arts for more than a century. The Old Lyme Art Colony, established in 1899 by American painter Henry Ward Ranger, was, in its time, one of the most famous art colonies in the United States and the first to adapt Impressionism. “Old Lyme remains a thriving art community, including the Florence Griswold Museum, the Lyme Association, Lyme Academy of Fine Arts and the Cooley Gallery,” says Strycharz.