On The Market For $2.9M, Oakledge Has A Wealth Of Rich History

MADISON, CT — A real estate story about 29 Island Ave., yes, but more, a compelling and rich-in-detail Madison history lesson.

Listed by Coldwell Banker and on the market now for $2.95 million, it cost around $4,000 to build in 1896, but what a home it is with updates including very modern convenience, a wrap-around porch, private beach and manicured gardens.

From a history researched by the Charlotte L. Evarts Memorial Archives and the Madison Historical Society, it turns out that being home to a princess was perhaps least among its historical significance to Madison.

One hundred and twenty-five years ago, the estate known as Oakledge, so named for an "ancient oak" on the property, was a summer home of attorney and businessman George Augustus Wilcox, and his wife Mary Hobart Grenell Wilcox, who was described as a "nature enthusiast, women’s suffrage advocate and patron of the arts."

Completed in 1896, it was designed by Mary and a local architect to resemble a Swiss chalet and was built by J.H. Willard, for around $4000.

At the home, Mary created a formal flower garden which included a fountain and Florentine benches, and it was here that the Garden Club of Madison was founded in 1924.

The estate with five fireplaces, was a "center of Madison’s cultural scene for decades." In summer, there were "musicales," theatrical performances. And for years it hosted charitable fundraisers including in 1918 and 1919 for "soldiers in France," social gatherings, and Conservation Society and Inland Wetlands meetings. And, it was for years the site of the annual town-wide Halloween party.

The couple's only daughter, Constance, married Prince Guido Pignatelli of Naples, Italy in the summer of 1925 at the 15-room estate. Their daughter, Donna Maria Elena Natalia Patricia Pignatelli dei Duchi di Montecalvo, more colloquially known as Dana Wilcox, was the last of the Italian royalty to live in the home. She was a poet, author, singer and thespian, devoted to Madison.

So, the house, while only accessible as a home to the wealthy, is itself a wealth of Madison history.

29 Island Avenue History Th... by Ellyn Santiago