By Gretchen A. Peck

Situated on 2.76 idyllic acres at 486 Joshuatown Road in Lyme, Connecticut is a three-bedroom classic New England shingle-style home—recently introduced to the market, with an asking price of $925,000. Roger Parkman and Cynthia Sigurdson, Realtors with William Pitt Sotheby’s, are the listing agents for this estate. Earlier this week, Parkman spoke with Welcome Home about this unique home with notable history.

Fine art was part of Henri Charles Veit’s DNA. He was an American, who was born to a French mother. His grandfather was the renowned French painter, Maurice Bompard. Veit served as the chief librarian for the Brooklyn Museum. And so, fine art and books became Veit’s passions. In the mid-1990s, when he enlisted Architect Scott Samuelson to build a home in Lyme, he envisioned more than a mere residence, but a personal art gallery, where he could display his most treasured pieces, with a library to shelve his beloved books.

Samuelson chose antique shingle-style architecture, which fits well into this bucolic New England setting. Though the house affords one-level living, the gabled roof line adds height and texture, so that the house doesn’t broadcast itself as a ranch.

But he balanced old and new with 2,515-square-foot interiors that are more modern in aesthetic.

“It has these wonderful wood floors throughout the house,” Parkman said. “And the great thing about the house is it’s been designed so that the primary bedroom is at one end of the house—opposite the kitchen—and the guest wing is at the other end of the house. For privacy’s sake, that’s really excellent, but it’s also very dramatic when you walk into the house and look left to this lovely hallway toward the main bedroom, and you look the other way to the right and see a lovely view of a sitting area by the two guest rooms.”

Parkman noted the generous proportions of the kitchen and the beautiful adjacent conservatory embraced by a bay of windows, with exterior access out to the stone entertaining patio. It’s a room with flexible utility—a space to nurture tropical plants, to have memorable sit-down dining affairs, or perhaps to create a reading and conversation room.

In addition to the kitchen and conservatory, the floor plan affords a dramatic living room, with a fireplace and soaring ceiling, a library with built-in bookcases, two full baths and an attached two-car garage.

Veit resided here until his death, but the property’s art legacy carried on. The next owner was Donald Millerbernd, who had an extensive collection of paintings, as well, including some of Bompard’s paintings he acquired from Veit’s estate. Millerbernd was an art restorer by trade and was known for restoration work on behalf of the Matisse Gallery in New York City. He relished this home until his death at 87 years old in May 2024. His estate is now selling the property, replete with local and art history.

Among the recent improvements to the property this year are a new roof on the house and a newly installed driveway.

The location is special, too, and compelling in a number of ways.

“As the days go by, Whalebone Cove becomes more and more visible,” Parkman said.

Parkman noted that the property sits among other homes valued in the millions. He pointed out that it’s just a 10-minute walk to the Connecticut River, to the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry and to a charming country store nearby. It’s just an hour away from the region’s airports, and approximately two hours to New York City and Boston.

“It’s very close to the Fox Hopyard Country Club, which is an excellent golf course around the corner from the house. There’s a nearby boat ramp, where you could put in a kayak, canoe or perhaps a small Boston Whaler,” he suggested.

Property: 486 Joshuatown Rd., Lyme

Bedrooms: 3

Baths: 2

Square Footage: 2,515

Acreage: 2.76

Asking Price: $925,000

Listing Agent: Roger Parkman and Cynthia Sigurdson, William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty; Parkman’s Mobile: (203) 676-1061; Sigurdson’s Mobile: (860) 227-2611; rparkman@wpsir.com; csigurdson@wpsir.com