Sad: Landmark "Gateway to Greenwich Avenue" Building Set for Demolition
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A proposal to demolish three adjacent historic structures at the top of Greenwich Avenue has sparked widespread community concern.
Developers Greenwich Avenue Properties LLC and MBMB Greenwich LLC (entities managed by Stamford’s New England Investment Partners, co-founded by Jon Marcus) have submitted a pre-application to demolish the iconic, Tudor Revival-style Isaac Mead Building at 2 Greenwich Avenue. The plan also calls for tearing down adjacent properties at 10 Greenwich Avenue (home to Taqueria) and 10-12 West Putnam Avenue to consolidate the lots into a single four-story, mixed-use building.
The proposed replacement would feature ground-floor/below-grade retail and 14 market-rate apartments topped by a rooftop amenity deck. While the developers claim they will build in the "spirit of its Tudor character," they have clarified that the structure "will not be a facsimile," arguing that over a century of piecemeal renovations has left the original building structurally compromised beyond rehabilitation.
Public Outcry Over Historic Loss
Built in 1894, the brick-and-timber Isaac Mead building anchors the highly visible intersection of Greenwich and West Putnam Avenue (Route 1). Though it is a contributing structure in the Greenwich Avenue National Register Historic District, it lacks a local Historic Overlay zone, leaving it with no local legal protection against the wrecking ball.
At an emotional, highly attended Historic District Commission (HDC) hearing on July 8, 2026, residents and preservationists passionately spoke out against the demolition. However, because the HDC lacks the power to deny demolition permits, it can only issue a temporary 90-day stay of demolition.
Zoning Obstacles and Next Steps
The development requires significant zoning variances and Special Permits, as it violates several local regulations:
Story & Height Limits: The developers want a four-story building (featuring a 52-to-53-foot parapet) in a CGBR zone that limits buildings to three stories.
Floor Area Ratio (FAR): The project proposes a 4.06 FAR, vastly exceeding allowable site density.
The proposal is a major discussion item on the upcoming Planning & Zoning Commission (P&Z) meeting on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 4:00 PM.
First Selectman Camillo Urges State-Level Intervention
Because Greenwich's local commissions cannot block a demolition outright, First Selectman Fred Camillo has urged concerned residents to bypass local boards and take their fight directly to state authorities.
Camillo formally wrote to Todd Levine at the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, requesting their direct legal intervention to halt the project.
"Demolition would permanently remove authentic nineteenth-century fabric from a beloved part of Greenwich's downtown," Camillo stated, comparing the loss to the widely lamented demolition of the historic Pickwick Arms Hotel decades ago.
Between the Lines: While developers argue that high-density projects expand the local commercial tax base, residents are increasingly left asking whether the trade-off is worth it. Tearing down irreplaceable, century-old history to make room for high-end apartments and chain retail space permanently erodes Greenwich's historic charm. At the same time, the added strain on town infrastructure, sewer lines, and traffic flows drives municipal maintenance budgets—and local tax rates—ever upward.