Rowland Cottage Is Sold To Sisters
Rowland Cottage Is Sold To Sisters
LITCHFIELD-The infamous Bantam Lake cottage owned by former governor John Rowland and his wife, Patty, was sold last week for nearly $600,000-almost half a million dollars more than the couple paid for a seasonal dwelling on White Memorial Foundation land where free improvements by contractors began a scandal that led to the governor resigning and going to jail.
The cottage, at 37 Van Winkle Road, was sold to sisters Susan Pollack and Elizabeth Boynton, daughters of William Mitchell Van Winkle, Jr., a founder of the White Memorial Foundation and Conservation Center. White Memorial's 4,000 acres of nature preserves spread like a blanket of green over parts of Litchfield and Morris.
Local and state conveyance taxes were paid on a purchase price of $590,000 for the cottage.
Mr. Rowland bought the four-room cottage in 1997 for $110,000 from the White Memorial Foundation, which retains ownership of the land and gives the owners of structures on its holdings long-term leases. The foundation was given the first right of refusal on the cottage, and it also must approve the purchase.
"They rent the property from us, plus pay all the taxes on the building and the land, but the town sends the tax bill to us so we are ultimately responsible for those," explained Keith Cudworth, executive director at White Memorial Foundation.
Ms. Pollack and Ms. Boynton were renting the cottage during the summer and eventually showed interest in purchasing it. They spent their childhood in the cottage two doors down for the one owned by the Rowlands, who now live in West Hartford. Their grandparents owned the neighboring cottage.
"We spent many happy times down there," Ms. Pollack said Tuesday afternoon. "Our grandchildren will be the fifth generation to spend summers there. ... We're really excited about it; it feels like going home."
Their father, William Van Winkle, Jr., was a founder of the White Memorial Foundation, and the road accessing the cottage was named after him. The sale of the cottage involved a trustee and was handled by Torrington attorney Charles Ebersol, Jr.
The sale includes the cottage and all kitchen appliances, window treatments, furniture, patio furniture, outdoor grill, dock, boats, canoe, kayak and yard equipment on the property. It does not include a hot tub, one of the highly controversial gifts Mr. Rowland received from an aide.
He also benefited from renovations and repairs for which the Rowlands were not charged, or only paid a token amount. In the larger investigation into corruption within Mr. Rowland's administration, there were many claims that contractors' actions concerning the governor and his staff members were meant to help them secure lucrative state contracts.
It is unclear how much Mr. Rowland and his wife will profit from the cottage sale. The former governor's ex-wife, Deborah Rowland, filed a lien last year claiming she was owed money from the divorce settlement. The lien was lifted Aug. 17 to allow for the cottage's sale.
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