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A Stately 1930s Brick Colonial in Suburban Connecticut

The Yardley soap family built the house and lived here for nearly 50 years

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Listing of the Day

Location: Darien, Connecticut Price: $3.475 million

This grand brick Colonial on 4.5 acres in suburban Darien, Connecticut, has been owned by just two families since it was built in the 1930s.

"It is an iconic house built in 1938 that was commissioned by the Yardley soap family, and it stayed in their family for nearly half a century," said listing agent Amy Barsanti. "Three generations of Yardleys lived in the house."

Frank Miller, the founder and president of the Miller Automobile Corp., a well-known Connecticut automobile dealership, bought it in 1985 from the Yardleys. Miller died in October 2017, and his estate is selling the house.

"It’s quite an impressive house," she said, with a grand entrance, generously proportioned rooms and high ceilings. Other original details include four working fireplaces, fumed wood paneling, hardwood floors, an elegant elliptical staircase and arched doors. Sets of French doors in some of the rooms lead to handsome stone terracing.

Unusual black and ivory wood tiling can be seen in the foyer, hallways and dining room, Ms. Barsanti said. "It looks like stone, but it’s actually very cool wood tiles."

While the house has been beautifully maintained, it needs an update. It does have newly refinished floors and a freshly painted interior throughout much of the house.

"It needs a new kitchen and some new systems," Ms. Barsanti said. "We’ve created a beautiful blank slate for someone to come in and do what they want."

All of the bathrooms are original to the 1930s, with their original fixtures.

"Every bedroom had its own bathroom, which is quite unusual for the 1930s," Ms. Barsanti said.

"Every room has a servants call button," she said.

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Stats



The 6,220-square-foot house has six bedrooms, five full bathrooms and three partial bathrooms. It sits on a 4.5-acre lot.

Amenities 



The property has a pool and a charming old pool house, with his-and-hers changing rooms and two kitchenettes.

There is a long driveway and plenty of room for parking, with an attached two-car garage as well as a detached four-car garage. There are also tall trees and many mature plantings.

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Neighborhood Notes 



The Dorchester Road house is about 2.8 miles from the Darien town center, which includes Interstate 95, a Metro-North Commuter Railroad station and "all of the great restaurants and shops of Darien," Ms. Barsanti said. The house is also quite close to the center of New Canaan, Connecticut, which "offers great parks, and more restaurants and shops."

Agent: Amy Barsanti and Carolyn Brook, William Pitt/Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty

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