When the White Barn Theater came on the market a few years ago there were fears that the property would turn into yet another cookie cutter housing development. With a theater, a pond and retreat like forest, a rare asset would have been lost had it headed in that direction. So a long process kicked off with the Save Cranbury group galvanizing to preserve open space and many people jumping in to get involved, like the Norwalk Land Trust.

Throughout the process, developers eyed the property, elections were held, administrations changed and yet somehow everyone involved came together to make the following happen– the Connecticut Friends School purchased the White Barn Theater property of 15.5 acres and granted a conservation easement of of 5.576 in perpetuity to the Norwalk Land Trust. It took the State of Connecticut, with a DEP grant of $450k and the City of Norwalk with a grant of $250k, to make the easement happen.

Connecticut Friends School purchased the property for $6.1 million, and has plans to rennovate the Theater and build a school. It’s an interesting project, keeping with the Quaker philosophy of being stewards of the land, the details can be viewed here at their website. The current plans are to renovate the theater, starting this winter and move the school from the Wilton campus in the fall of 2009. Between then its much clean up, the first being an organized clean up day on May 4th from noon on, welcoming the community that came together to save the property, to join in the process to restore the property. The Connecticut Friends School also plans a gala fund raiser on April 26th to raise money to cover the pruchase and restoration phases.

Mayor Moccia spoke at the property yesterday, during a press conference, pointing out not just the united effort to save the property, but also that the White Barn Theater “will be rehabbed and put to use.” Which is something Gail Wall also touched on by saying “Lucille Lortel is looking down and smiling.”

Lortel founded the White Barn Theater to stage experimental plays. She bequeathed the property to her foundation, in an effort to continue the legacy of theater productions, but somehow the trustees had some other ideas. With the Connecticut Friends School purchasing the land, restoring the Theater and building an innovative environmentally progressive school, the living history continues.