20 Davis St
Hamden, CT 06517
Lucerne · Office Property For Sale

A rare opportunity to acquire a significant architectural landmark — overlooking Lake Whitney and set on private 3.28 acres. A stately office property with ample on-site parking. Redevelopment opportunities with potential for residential, school and other uses. Lucerne is the castle-like mansion at 20 Davis Street in Hamden designed by architects Brown and Von Beren and built in 1906 for Frederick D. Grave. Grave, a German immigrant who arrived in America in 1861, learned the cigar trade, and in 1884, founded his own company, F.D. Grave & Son on State Street in New Haven. The company is still in existence today at another location. Hamden’s only castle commands a hill in true feudal fashion, with Lake Whitney forming a moat at its foot. This is a highly romanticized castle — Its crenellated towers (historic photographs show that the right tower originally had a conical roof), ornate chimneys, stepped gable and other decorative features derived from various medieval precedents are used to create a picturesque mansion perfectly suited to its site. Significant Architectural Landmark The Grave Mansion is significant as a landmark example of America’s fascination with Gothic precedents in architecture. Built long after the mid-19th Century peak of the Gothic Revival style, the mansion is an idiosyncratic house reflecting the wealth and social prominence of its tobacco magnate owner. Grave was active in civic affairs. He was a charter member of the Whitneyville Improvement Association, which was instrumental in getting street lights installed on Whitney Avenue, and instrumental in the formation of the Whitneyville Fire Company in 1909. Prominent architect Eero Saarinen remodeled the mansion and built the rear addition during the 1960s and used it as his office. Lucerne presently houses the offices of Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo & Associates.