St. Rose and Riverside Dr. Then and Now

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• Honestly, I like the McMansion better. It's not an eyesore; it's a nice, classy building. It captures a lot of classical looking elements and quality building materials unlike the ghetto suburban crap in South Windsor. It has a stone facade, not vinyl or stucco and glass. You have the Greco-Roman columns and portico on the front and side entrances. Several chimneys which give it a classical look. Different gables and peaks which give it variety, yet there's symmetry in the front entrance which almost give it a French Chateau look. Double hung windows instead of an uncut commercial looking window follow the style from a century ago. The metal roof reminds me of slate. It almost looks like a wrap around driveway in the front. This building seems consistent as an extension of the intent of Riverside Drive as millionaire's row as part of Windsor's roaring 20s post-industrial past and I'm sure there were small farmhouses that were demo'd to build those mansions. It's too bad it doesn't have more land surrounding it though because it looks a little cramped on that lot. But, I'd rather have this building than one of those horrid looking high rises that a lot of those mansions that were part of millionaire's row fell victim to. By building classical looking mansions along Riverside Drive which was millionaire's row for over a century, you've got no complaints from me.

  Also, who knows what the condition of the 150 year old French house was from the inside. I'm guessing a small farmhouse that old would have had a lot of problems with it that may not have been readily noticeable from the exterior photo. The modern looking mods on the farmhouse took away from its charm anyway.

• I like this house too. It's way too big for the lot, but at least it's not another cookie-cutter raised ranch eyesore. Just think about the house that replaced the "cat house" on Windermere!

• I don't think its fair to rip on that house... It may not match the farmhouses that were originally there, but at least it looks classy. It certainly is not one of those cookie-cutter subdivision houses that highlight a garage in the front. (or worse yet, the ugly "raised ranch" that seems to be in higher percentage here than any other city). Those old houses do not have the interior for today's lifestyle. And if Riverside Dr. is going to modernize, at least it is being done in a decent way. This house is nice, and I think it makes the trip down Riverside Dr. look classy and rich, as it is known for.

• It isn't a bad looking house but it certainly doesn't fit the footprint of the land very well.
  But I understand your sentiment. We remove yet more history for just another mcmansion which could have been built anywhere.

• Fair enough, my biggest problem is that it looks crammed on the lot.

  It looks like a marshmallow crammed in a coin slot. It's way too big of a house for the lot.

• It could have been worse... it could have been stucco'ed. :)

• I think style is a pretty personal thing. I was surprised that others like this house, personally I find the whole effect a little odd. To me, this super-large house, jammed on the small lot looks odd. I'm not a fan of this architectural style - but again, that's my tastes.

  To me, the effect of this house is as jarring as the one on Windermere......but that's just my opinion.

  The old house did stay vacant, I think, for a long time and maybe was beyond saving. There is a similar situation on the other corner - that house also replaced a much older house that had fallen on hard times.

• I think it's a nice looking house...if it wasn't crammed onto a corner lot beside other smaller houses. The three car garage alone looks gigantic compared to other houses around it. At least this house isn't the same cookie cutter design from a subdivision.

• It seems to me that the McMansion in all of it's monstrosity couldn't leave room for a sidewalk that was originally there.

• Shawn the sidewalk could still be there the two pictures are shot at different angles. I think it's a very nice house and very smart on how they maximized the use of the property for interior living space after all that's where most of the time is spent.