Academy Lane — Sapia Builders: Award Winning Custom Home Builders

Old Lyme, Connecticut

15 Academy Lane

The Lieutenant River runs along the back of this property. From inside the house, you'd hardly know.

J. Frederick Kelly built it in 1932. Eight years earlier he'd published The Early Domestic Architecture of Connecticut — a hundred and fifty houses, two hundred and forty-two measured drawings, and still the book every restoration in this state gets held to. What he left here had small rooms, small windows, and its back half-turned to the water.

We'd built 32 Main Street in Essex with Scot Samuelson between 2017 and 2019. The owner came back to the two of us the following year and asked us to help find the next one. We settled on this house in March 2020.

The detached garage came down. The main house was stripped to its structure and the later additions taken off, then rebuilt and extended around what stayed. It's the largest demolition and debris bill we've ever had on a remodel — and it is still a remodel. Kelly's house is inside it.

Opening it back up to the river took 110 Marvin Signature Ultimate windows and doors, through Ring's End. Every one had to read as 1932 and work like it was made this year.

Then a carriage house and a pool house, new, where the garage had been. Three buildings, 12,000 square feet. January 2021 to March 2023.

And a dock. We designed the motorized lift in house, and drew the steel ramp bracket ourselves and had it custom welded.

The round window in the attic was Kelly's. It's on the carriage house now too.

"A lot of the rooms were very small and cut off from the view, so the essence was to open it up to the view, get some light into the house, and take advantage of the site."

Scot Samuelson, Architect

What Kelly Left

The Lieutenant River seen through the original small divided-lite sash — The river, through what there was to see it with.

An original room at 15 Academy Lane before work, with small windows — Small rooms, small openings, the water forty feet away.

The 1932 Kelly house before work began — The house as Kelly left it.

Interior demolition at 15 Academy Lane — Opening it up.

II.

Back to the Bones

The main house at 15 Academy Lane stripped to its sheathing with later additions being removed — Clapboards off, later additions coming down, the structure standing.

III.

The Main House

Conservatory at 15 Academy Lane with windows on three sides looking down the Lieutenant River to the dock — Conservatory. Windows on three sides, and the dock through the middle one.

Kitchen at 15 Academy Lane with stools at the island and a bank of windows — Kitchen. The window bank runs the length of the wall.

Back stair at 15 Academy Lane rising past a full wall of windows — Back stair, against the window wall.

Dining room at 15 Academy Lane with hand-painted chinoiserie wallpaper — Dining room.

Living room at 15 Academy Lane — Living room, toward the water.

Main stair hall at 15 Academy Lane — Main stair.

IV.

The Carriage House

Carriage house at 15 Academy Lane — Built new, where the old garage stood. Kelly's round window is on the gable.

Carriage house doors and cobblestone apron — Doors and cobble apron.

The Pool House

Pool house at 15 Academy Lane reflected in the pool — Pool house, on axis with the pool.

Pool house entry steps and bluestone terrace — Steps and terrace.

Pool and pool house from the lawn at 15 Academy Lane — From the lawn.

VI.

The Dock

Aerial view of the dock and the Lieutenant River at 15 Academy Lane — The property from the river. Pool house, main house, and the pier at the bottom of the lawn.

Recognition

Alice Washburn Award — Pool House2024 AIA Connecticut
Alice Washburn Award — Main House2024 AIA Connecticut · Historic Renovations & Additions
Outstanding Pool House2024 HOBI Awards
Outstanding Historic Rehab2023 HOBI Awards

Press

Marvin featured the house in Architectural Digest, June 2026."Make space for bringing the past into the future" — Marvin campaign, AD June 2026

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