Rowayton is a section of Norwalk, Connecticut. Located on the Long Island Sound just 45 miles from New York City, Rowayton is a coastal New England village. According to Forbes magazine, the 2007 median home sale price was $1,300,000.[1]
The community is governed by the Sixth Taxing District of Norwalk, and has a number of active local associations, including the Civic Association, the Historical Society, the Rowayton Library, a Gardeners Club, and a Parents Exchange. Rowayton annually plays host to a Shakespearean production at Pinkney Park, produced by Shakespeare on the Sound,[2] and also has an active community of artists, many of whom are associated with the Rowayton Arts Center.
The Rowayton station on the New Haven line of the Metro-North Railroad is located in the community, as is an elementary school called Rowayton Elementary. This school is for grades kindergarten through fifth. The former Rock Ledge estate at 33 and 40-42 Highland Ave. was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. In 1910, James A. Farrell, later president of the United States Steel Corporation, built a Tudor revival mansion, which burned down in 1913 and was rebuilt in granite. The estate was later bought by the Sperry Rand Corporation.[3] Since 1966, the Farrell family stables have been converted to the Rowayton Community Center and the Rowayton Library.[4]
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The Rowayton coastline has been a source of inspiration for centuries. John Frederick Kensett, a famous nineteenth-century landscape painter of the Hudson School, frequently painted this seascape in his later life.[5] This tradition has been carried on in an active local arts scene.
Rowayton is home to a host of beaches. Three of them—Roton Point, Bayley Beach, and a coastal enclave of Wee Burn Country Club—share a common history. In the early days of the 20th century, the properties of all three made up the Roton Point Amusement Park.[6] A boat landing attached to Sunset Rock, just to the West of Belle Island, allowed steamers to bring daytrippers from New York City to the park. A trolley ran from both Darien and Norwalk, arriving at the Park via Highland Avenue and over present-day Langdon Preserve, located across Farm Creek.[7] At the Amusement Park, amenities included a bath house, a picnic grove, and rides ranging from the classic carousel to roller coasters with stunning views of the beach.
Since 1935, swimmers have competed annually in a one-mile race from the Greens Ledge Lighthouse to Bayley Beach in Rowayton. On September 9, 2006, 300 people (including twenty-five swimmers) showed up to watch or partake in the community event run by the Rowayton Community Association. Ladrigan was a longtime Rowayton resident and lifeguard. Along with the Ladrigan race, other races are held on the same day, including a quarter-mile competition between the Red Nun buoy and the beach, as well as several races for children in shallow waters. Other events on the same day include a pie-eating contest, egg toss, tug-of-war competition and greased watermelon race. In 2006, Glenn Houck won the race for the third time in a row. His time was clocked at 18:57. "You aim toward the [Five Mile] River and not the beach, because otherwise the current kills you," he said.[8]