House Tour & Reception Will Allow Newtown A Look Into Its Newest Landmark

By Shannon Hicks

Newtown’s newest landmark will open with a public open house on Sunday, July 24. The event will run from 1 to 4 pm. Rain date is July 31, the following Sunday.

Tickets for A House Tour & Garden Reception at The Dana-Holcombe House, which will double as a fundraiser for Newtown Scholarship Association, will allow the first public entry into the building that has been mentally in the works for John and Jane Vouros for nearly 30 years. Visibly, the dwelling at 29 Main Street has been under construction for nine months.

“It’s like an overdue pregnancy at this point,” Mr Vouros said this week, with a laugh. “I’m tired of the labor pains,” he added, “no pun intended of course.”

Between the constant ringing of his cell phone and people stopping by to say Hello, Mr Vouros spoke with The Bee this week about the upcoming opening of The Dana-Holcombe House, the first newly constructed bed and breakfast (as opposed to a house being turned into a B&B) in the state in a number of years and the only such location in the immediate area. There are antique homes that have been turned into B&Bs across the state, and even a handful of fairly new establishments, but The Dana-Holcombe House is a brand-new construction built for the purpose of hosting overnight guests.

Another important point: There is no person named Dana Holcombe. The B&B’s name pays homage to two people (which is why in original plans the inn’s name has been hyphenated; Mr Vouros said this week he may drop the hyphen).

Dana is the birth name of Jane Vouros and also happens to be the name of the architect, Richard Dana, who designed the house in Litchfield upon which The Dana-Holcombe House is based. The building’s historic architecture is intended to reflect the visual character of Main Street.

Using the name Holcombe is the Vouroses’ way of paying honor to the late Josephine Holcombe, who became a dear friend when the couple first moved into Newtown in the early 1970s. The awe Mr Vouros has for Ms Holcombe, who died more than a decade ago, is still apparent in his voice when he speaks of her.

While their new home is not a replica of the historic Yankee Drover Inn — which many people had hoped for — the Vouroses nevertheless tip their hat at the previous use of their property. Jane Vouros points out that The Dana-Holcombe House does have the same roofline the Drover did. Second, the business is, according its logo, “A Yankee Drover’s Manor.”

The business has been classified as a residential property with a nonconforming use. The building is three stories tall and has six bedrooms with private baths for guests, and a seventh suite on the second floor that will serve as the residence for Jane and John Vouros.

There are overnight accommodations with breakfast for guests, and the facility will also be available for intimate catered affairs such as small wedding receptions. The B&B’s backyard features a tiered patio and garden area, perfect for hosting small events.

“Off-site caterers will be allowed to work on the premises,” said Mr Vouros. “We aren’t zoned to prepare food like that.”

The Dana-Holcombe House is not a restaurant, nor will it host a public tap room.

“This is not a drop-in restaurant,” stressed Mr Vouros.

For its guests there is a dining room that can seat more than 20 people. Plans also include a common living room and library. Room rates will range from $165 to $225 a night, including breakfast and complimentary beverages.

“I want guests to feet like they are in our home,” Mr Vouros told The Newtown Bee in September 2004, shortly after grand had been broken.

The Borough Zoning Commission approved the local couple’s plans to construct the inn at 29 Main Street in February 2004. The site had been vacant since 1981, when a fire destroyed the historic Yankee Drover Inn there. John and Jane Vouros have owned the property, off and on, since 1983.

The Vouroses and a local contract purchased the property with the intention of rebuilding the former Yankee Drover Inn. Eventually Mr and Mrs Vouros became the sole owners of the property, which is at the corner of Main Street and the southerly fork of West Street, adjacent to Newtown Meeting House and on a diagonal from the Main Street flagpole.

Construction on The Dana-Holcombe House began in September when builder Michael Stavrakis of Samos LLC directed an excavator to begin digging the basement for the new establishment smack in the middle of Newtown’s historic district.

“It was fated that we do something here,” Mr Vouros told The Bee then. “I sold the property five times and every time it came back to me.”

The couple sold their former home, the converted Taunton School building, put their belongings into storage, and have been renting near Lake Zoar during the building stage of this project.

When they began building their new home last fall, the Vouroses never imagined the legal challenges they would face.

“This is the first new bed-and-breakfast construction in the state since who knows when,” Mr Vouros said. “The problem is, the state regulations for B&Bs were changed a few years ago. B&Bs were taken out from under the hotel-motel umbrella and given a whole set of their own regulations.

“Those regulations were originally written for old homes being changed over into B&Bs,” he said. “For someone to come in with questions about new constructions was unexpected. I gave a lot of challenges to the state,” he said with a laugh.

“I have to say, however, that the town of Newtown has been extremely helpful in guiding us through this building process,” he said. “We’re grateful for the help in reading and interpreting the new laws and regulations.”

Next weekend’s event will not only serve as a public introduction to Newtown’s newest landmark but will also be a fundraiser for Newtown Scholarship Association. Mr and Mrs Vouros are both retired teachers who finished their careers in Newtown schools; he retired at the end of the 2002-03 school year, and Mrs Vouros celebrated the beginning of her retirement last month.

“Considering Jane and I both taught in Newtown, collectively for 70 years, it’s only logical that we chose NSA to sponsor this house and garden tour,” Mr Vouros said.

Jane and John Vouros have been planning this project for several years. Now it is down to the last few clearances and permits before The Dana-Holcombe House is fully up and running. The driveway and parking lot were paved on Monday, and new furniture for the guest suites was delivered to 29 Main Street on Tuesday.

Once the inn has opened, they will work with local businesses and corporations for business clients. The couple will also be working with Newtown graphic designer David Goodwick on creating the website for The Dana-Holcombe House.

The couple is hoping to move into their new home this weekend, and they already have a tentative booking. A former student of Mr Vouros who is getting married has asked to stay as soon as possible. Another woman has contacted the inn to say that she would like to surprise her husband with a birthday gift: She wants him to be one of the very first guests of the brand-new inn.

If all goes well, the inn will officially open on Monday, July 25 — the day after the house tour and garden reception. For those who cannot attend the July 24 event, the Vouroses have already said they will have The Dana-Holcombe House open for this year’s Family Counseling Center Holiday Festival in December.

Tickets for A House Tour & Garden Reception at The Dana-Holcombe House are $30 and can be purchased at Newtown General Store, Misty Vale General Store, Drug Center Pharmacy, Lexington Gardens, Century 21 Real Estate, C.H. Booth Library, Ricci’s Salon, and Elizabeth Ricci Fine Gifts.

All proceeds will benefit Newtown Scholarship Association.

For additional information call Stephanie Gaston at 426-2500.

The Dana-Holcombe House, at 29 Main Street in Newtown, can be reached by calling 426-2000.