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The hottest new "reality show" these days may be the live feed on YouTube featuring the workings at the Madison, Connecticut Planning & Zoning Committee, I kid you not. This specifically concerns the special exclusion application by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation to rezone a residential six-acre property for some kind of an art center and event venue with accommodation.
The foundation funds arts, learning disabilities, and environmental programming, and it also is a key funder of a scheme called Sustainable CT. This scheme, tied into most Connecticut cities and towns since 2018, advocates for environmental sustainability. With a certification awards scheme, it’s top criteria is "inclusive and equitable community impacts" with a DEI slant.
The proposal in Madison has curiously kept changing since first previewed back in March 2024, and angry residents do not find the project inclusive, detail environmental concerns and find it arguably authoritarian. In early May, about 60 residents formed a group in opposition, reported by the state’s Hearst media newspapers. To date, over 120 letters-- including a petition signed by medical professionals concerned about the impact of increased traffic on the narrow road in front of the property--have been filed mainly against the project. (See "Correspondence".)
Last week on July 16, angry residents showed they are not having it, with a range of concerns. One has alleged institutional corruption and threats from a town government official. An alleged conflict of interest was put forward regarding a supporter of the project with documentation.
There have also been calls for the chair of the Planning and Zoning Committee to recuse herself due to allegations of structural bias, citing her extensive background as a preservationist in the arts sector, but with no prior connection to the foundation. The application aims to, in essence, resurrect the home of deceased 20th century art collectors Burton and Emily Hall Tremaine, but offer new programming.
The property features an 18th century farmhouse with Modern additions by controversial, architect Philip Johnson, an ex-Nazi agent and a post-WWII favorite of the elite cultural left. Johnson’s Nazi past has been slammed extensively in the American and international press, and even MSNBC presenter Rachel Maddow has questioned Philip Johnson’s role in history and certain people after WWII giving him a pass. Among many allegations and documented facts, Johnson’s secretary told the FBI that Johnson wanted to become the American Hitler in 1933-34. He also travelled to Germany and attended Hitler rallies. (See Johnson’s FBI report.)
The structures of the Madison property became dilapidated and it fell into foreclosure in 2019. The foundation purchased the property in February 2022.
Most of the complaints about the special exclusion application and project plan involve environmental concerns about traffic, noise, light and air pollution, but some have spoken out against ex-Nazi agent Philip Johnson and his association with the property. School teacher B. Bowdren didn’t mince any words. "We feel great pride in how Madison public schools celebrate diversity, promote inclusion and teach tolerance," said Bowdren. "This is why I am extremely disturbed and upset over the Tremaine Foundation's substantial relationship with the architectural designer Philip Johnson, a known racist, fascist, white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer. But I am even more shocked and dismayed that my own town of Madison would even consider accepting the Tremaine's application."
It is unclear to what extent Madison residents are concerned about the Philip Johnson associations, as some may be reluctant to state this publicly.
Nearby resident R. Levin added, "We are not just a few people. There are hundreds of signatures on that petition. We don't appreciate feeling gaslighted.” Levin also proposed a possible referendum for the town regarding the special exclusion zoning request.
Resident J. Capone rose up and said, "I'm 67 years old, and I've become an activist. For the applicant to suggest their development will put Madison on the map is both condescending and insulting. Madison IS on the map, and it's on the map for the lifestyles we are trying to maintain by getting this application DENIED.
Before the meeting, Princeton University architecture professor V. Mitch McEwen sent in a letter slamming the project. "I am writing to encourage the municipality of Madison to heed the local concerns around the proposed rezoning of The Tremaine Barn," advised McEwen. "It may easily become a nationally recognized memorial to antiblack and antisemitic brutality, albeit a glamorous one."
"As far as the Tremaine site, it is important to note the SS repurposed barns in Poland. Auschwicz was built on a stolen farm," adds McEwen. "Johnson had the humor of a sociopath."
McEwen linked to a letter condemning Philip Johnson written by Sarah Whiting, the Dean of the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
Surprisingly, a range of Connecticut mainstream media has reported on the controversy over recent months, but arguably with a soft touch. Philip Johnson was a darling of the cultural left after the Second World War, with many structures designed by him across the United States.
The most detailed, critical coverage has come unsurprisingly from New York, via the Architect's Newspaper, entitled "The curious case of Emily Hall Tremaine: Plans to convert home with Philip Johnson-designed addition into cultural center divide quiet Connecticut town". However, the last meeting suggests that the project isn’t dividing the town, but unifying the residents in the town against it. (Also see the previous Connecticut Centinal article on Emily Hall Tremaine.)
The hearing is scheduled to continue on August 1 at 6PM and can be watched live on the Madison Town Hall YouTube page. More angry residents are lined up to put forth their concerns. If you are in the Madison area, you might be able to secure an open seat and witness the Madison P&Z "reality show" in person. Presumably beach attire is not permitted.
