Conyers Farm

Conyers Farm is a tract of land in Greenwich, Connecticut, near the New York-Connecticut border. Established by U.S. Steel founder Edmund C. Converse in 1904, the property represented the consolidation of 20 farms. Much of the land had long been uncultivated, but the farm became an important source of employment and food for Greenwich. The 1,481-acre (599 ha) site was unoccupied for 15 years after Converse's death. Conyers Farm was repurposed for luxury home development in the 1980s and several celebrities have owned property there since that time.

Conyers Farm was established by U.S. Steel founder Edmund C. Converse in 1904. It was named after the Old English spelling of Converse's name. To acquire the land for Conyers Farm, Converse purchased and consolidated 20 farms. Initially, he was the sole owner of the property, which consisted of a main house and several other buildings that served as quarters for 200 workers that maintained the farm.

When Conyers Farm was established, the land required a great deal of work. Ditches had to be inserted and loose stones and boulders covered the soil. Much of the land had not been cultivated in a generation. A layer of dry, hard matter sat a few inches below the topsoil, necessitating the installation of subsurface drainage. A 1908 issue of American Homes and Gardens said that while apple orchards on the property initially seemed lost, they had been restored to pristine condition. By that time, Conyers Farm also housed one of Converse's daughters and his brother's widow.

The farm flourished and became a source of food and employment for Greenwich residents. Eggs, butter and milk were produced, and cows, pigs and poultry were raised there. In addition to its manor house, Conyers Farm had a large stone storage barn, a 40-foot clock tower, several greenhouses and one of the grandest music rooms in the United States, which included a pipe organ valued at $50,000. Conyers Lake ran through the property and water flowed into two water towers, which had capacities of 22,500 gallons and 35,000 gallons.

The farm sat unoccupied from Converse's death in 1921 to 1936. Converse was the first president of Bankers Trust, and the group took over ownership of the farm for several years. A new owner purchased Conyers Farm in 1927 and planned to renovate it, but the Great Depression set in and the renovations never took place. Lewis Rosenstiel, a liquor magnate, purchased the land in 1936. He attempted to change zoning rules for the property so that 83 acres (34 ha) of it could be divided into 0.25-acre (0.10 ha) parcels. He also wanted to erect office buildings on the land. After a legal battle, Rosenstiel decided to leave the land mostly untouched.

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