Connecticut
They Rescued a Teardown and Raised the Roof
The Office “It’s a weird, giant one-bedroom house,” Al Ravitz says of the property he and his wife, Sue, a fiber artist, bought in 2018. The paintings on the floor are his, and the rug is Moroccan. The sofa is by Martin Visser, and the chandelier is by Achille Castiglioni.
Photo: Annie Schlechter
Most people could have torn it down,” Al Ravitz says of the 1929 country house he shares with his wife, Sue Ravitz. The property, which sits on three and a half acres in Wilton, Connecticut, had been owned for more than five decades by the president of a regional hosta society who was mostly preoccupied with the landscaping. “The house was in really bad shape inside,” Sue says.
The couple—he a painter and psychiatrist, she a self-taught fiber artist who has shown with the gallerist Patrick Parrish—own a studio apartment in Tudor City. They saw the derelict fixer-upper as a weekend home where they could host their grandchildren.
A year or two into their renovations, they cleared out the area above the garage, which had been divided into four small bedrooms. They made it one great room that Al uses as an office and studio. Their contractor created a wood structure to support the cathedral ceiling, which was finished with plaster by professional church restorers.
“They would bring little spray bottles of water and then smooth it with their hands. It was spectacular watching them,” Al recalls. “We have photos of the material underneath. It’s incredible.”
The Ravitzes, who spent 30 years in Chicago, where Al was on the faculty at the University of Chicago, met in the 1970s at a disco in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where Sue grew up. Al was already a hobbyist buyer of Maxfield Parrish prints, beat-up old oriental rugs, and velvet Victorian furniture, and collecting soon became a joint effort.
“We really didn’t know anything,” says Al. “The bigger, the louder, the better. That was our philosophy then.” Later, they came to appreciate conceptual art. “We’re interested in things that are reductive and in the way that objects interact with one another or evoke a sensation that can’t be characterized verbally.”
Sue’s own practice came late in life. “I was always doing handiwork, and when the kids left for college, I started obsessively knitting little squares, doing these color combinations,” she says. “And then I did blankets and rugs.”
Her pieces are scattered around the home, where their furniture adheres to a pared-down modernist aesthetic. “We just want to find stuff that nobody else has,” says Sue, who adds that Al has more than 400 alerts on auction sites. One of them recently turned up a chair by the Dutch company Droog for $1,500. “Not everything has to look the same,” Al says. “But it has to feel the same.”
The Library The stained glass is original. The light is by Castiglioni. The wall sculpture is by Jesse Hickman. The paintings on the top shelf are by Al, and the throws are by Sue. The large artwork above the Otto Zapf daybed is by Alain Biltereyst.
Photo: Annie Schlechter
The Living Room The artwork above the Theo Ruth sofa is by David Schell. The painting behind the Sarah Burns armchair is by John Dilg. The side table is by Erwine and Estelle Laverne. The chandelier is by Castiglioni. The piece above the stairs and the two rugs are by Sue.
Photo: Annie Schlechter
Photo: Annie Schlechter
The Kitchen The red cabinets are original. “The real estate agent said, ‘Everyone hates this kitchen. You’re going to change it, aren’t you?’ We thought it was so cool,” Al says. The dice chairs are unattributed and the artwork above the windows is by Celeste Fichter.
Photo: Annie Schlechter
The Bathroom The penny tile was added during the Ravitzes’ renovation. The artwork on the right is by Al and the pink piece is by Letitia Quesenberry.
Photo: Annie Schlechter
The Primary Bedroom The artworks are (from left) by Gwenn Thomas, Martí Cormand, Al, and John Dilg is over the bed. The bed is flanked by Dutch midcentury wall lights. The table next to the Chris Rucker chairs is by Roy McMakin.
Photo: Annie Schlechter
The Landscaping “When we bought it there was nothing but hostas,” Sue says. “We must have some very rare specimen hostas.” The pool was already in place.
Photo: Annie Schlechter
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ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTNH) – A water main break in Rocky Hill Sunday morning will impact traffic for much of the day on Grimes Road.
According to Rocky Hill Police the break happened at approximately 7:10 a.m. in the area of 40 Grimes Road between Louis Place and Hillside Avenue. Motorists are advised to take alternatee routes and avoid the area.
The Metropolitan District Commission is on scene making repairs which could take up to 8 hours.
Two people have been arrested in connection to a shooting at an event hall in Waterbury last weekend.
Officers received information about a shooting at So Blu’Niq on Wolcott Street on Sunday around 5 a.m. It was also reported that a victim from the incident had admitted themselves to the hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds.
Police said they made contact with the 27-year-old victim at the hospital. According to investigators, she had a gunshot wound to her abdomen and her arm. She is reportedly still admitted and receiving treatment, but is considered to be in stable condition.
Investigators responded to So Blu’Niq and found a crime scene. Authorities said they determined there was an isolated disturbance that happened inside the business that escalated to a firearm being discharged and the woman being hit by a projectile.
While investigating, authorities said they also determined that at the time of the incident, liquor and alcoholic beverages were illegally being sold without a permit or license.
Warrants were secured for a 50-year-old woman from Waterbury and a 29-year-old man from Waterbury.
The woman was taken into custody on Friday and is being charged with illegal sale of alcohol. She is set to appear in court on June 10.
The man was taken into custody on Wednesday and is facing charges including assault, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal possession of a pistol/revolver by a convicted felon, illegal discharge of a firearm, reckless endangerment and carrying a pistol without a permit. He appeared in court on Thursday on a $1.5 millon bond.
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