Rafael Viñoly Connecticut House Listed for $9.75 Million

Rafael Viñoly’s, FAIA is best known for his towering urban projects, many of which become icons on city skylines. The famed Uruguayan architect’s 191 Ridgebury Road house, however, remains an outlier as one of Viñoly’s rare private residences. Located in Ridgefield, Conn., International Style 191 Ridgebury Road is 16,000-square-foot and features three bedrooms and three full bathrooms. Although the property has been on and off the market several times since 2008, 191 Ridgebury Road is back on the market for $9.75 million following a restoration by the current owner.

Viñoly originally designed the house for Alice Lawrence, the wife of real estate mogul Sylvan Lawrence, in 1984. Working with slabs of pre-cast concrete and glass windows, Viñoly assembled the house on a 35 ton steel frame, resulting in clean, open spaces. By the time the project was completed almost three years later, construction costs had reached an estimated $25 million plus an additional $3 million in landscaping for the five acre estate.

Built to display Lawrence’s vast art collection, the Ridgeport house contains expansive, light-filled areas that include a living room, a dining room, a custom kitchen, and a sitting room. The house also features a penthouse office, indoor and outdoor heated pools, and an observation deck offering views of the Hudson River.

Following her death in 2008, Lawrence left the residence to Fairfield University, a private, Jesuit university in Farfield, Conn. The university listed the house for $10 million in 2008 and, after it sat on the market, relisted the property again in 2011 for $3.2 million. According to Connecticut Open Data, the house was sold to the present owner for $2.17 million in 2012.

Over seven years, the owner restored the property beyond its original condition, adding a lower-level suite to the original house and a driveway heating system. According to the Sotheby’s International Realty listing, the price also includes the adjacent High Medow Farm at 224 Ridgebury Road, an 11-acre property with a five-bedroom farmhouse. While it is not part of the original Viñoly project, the current owner acquired 224 Ridgebury Road with the intention of having an associated equestrian facility, but is now is selling both together.

191 Ridgebury Road is listed by Laura Freed Ancona at Sotheby’s International Realty.