Branford, Connecticut’s 127-year-old Warner House is no more after selling for $1.3 million. The 10,105 square foot stone cottage had been on the market since 2008 for as much as $2.9 million. The Middletown Press reported the demolition earlier this week, stating that, “While some saw the enormous stone house as a historic treasure in the center of Pine Orchard, others said they were happy to see it torn down.” The Middletown Press also revealed, “The original Warner House was a much smaller version of what it was in 2021 before the demo. It was built in 1894 for Milton & Olive (Young) Warner, called the Stone Cottage. Her father Alden M. Young was a pioneer utility and transportation man and developed much of Pine Orchard. Olive lived until her death in 1967.” In 1927, the home was expanded to include a gorgeous two storey 50-foot x 25-foot entertaining hall.

This room featured wood panelled walls, a large fireplace and the “little sister of Woolsey Hall”, a 1927 Skinner organ with 1500 pipes and its own pipe room in the basement. The residence also included a living room with mahogany panelled walls & ceiling, hand-carved bar, a sun room with large windows and views of the Long Island Sound, hand-carved wood ceiling panels, panelled library with pocket doors and a 28-foot x 16-foot formal dining room. Additional amenities included a working 1931 elevator, reglazed windows (2011), professional kitchen and original servant’s area. The Middletown Press noted that, “Neighbor Betty Ann Donegan said that before the demolition, she saw a New York salvage company spend about a month at the house, removing wood, paneling, the elevator, bar, Stony Creek granite and the organ.”