Dolphin Cove

Dolphin Cove Community Info

STAMFORD — In the city, descriptions of multimillion dollar houses set against tree-lined streets with a private clubhouse and yachts afloat nearby typically bring the storied seaside community of Shippan to mind. But a younger and lesser known waterfront neighborhood is that of Dolphin Cove, which lies at the southeastern tip of Waterside, past a motley stretch of businesses and homes that include a cement factory, seafood restaurant and luxury condominiums.

Beginning on a street named Dolphin Cove Quay, a swath of closely clustered colonial homes forms its own enclave. Each of the private roads have nautical-inspired names such as Joshua Slocum Dock, named after the first man to sail around the world.

“It’s a strong boating community,” said Patti Meyer, a resident who was found Tuesday sitting on the grassy grounds of the neighborhood’s private club. Motioning to the row of large boats docked in the nearly 7-foot-deep lagoon, she said, “You have access to deep water. No where else can you get that” in Stamford.

Meyer knows Dolphin Cove perhaps as well as any resident. She and her husband, Tom, were among the early builders who arrived in 1974 and eventually constructed about 10 homes.

Developed in 1972, the land had been part of the 121-acre estate of C. Russell Feldmann, an industrial mogul involved in the manufacturing of radio and cars. After purchasing the property, developer Barry Montgomery envisioned a community for empty nesters that would architecturally resemble New England seacoast villages spanning the period from 1650 to 1820.

Among the features of many of the houses are wood-shingled roofs and brick chimneys. Today there are 107 properties, most of which sit on less than a quarter acre. “We have small lots, but we do get to know each other,” Meyer said. Only about 10 homes do not have direct water access.

Meyer, who now works as a real estate agent, said houses in Dolphin Cove can fetch anywhere from $1.7 million to $3 million. As intended, the community is mostly made up of “downsizers,” although Meyer said her son and daughter-in-law recently moved into the area with their toddler son.

Over time, many owners have expanded their homes, adding garages or attic extensions. But as the result of a design review committee, on which Meyer sits, all renovations are subject to rules spelled out by the original developer. Recently, Meyer’s family held a memorial for her father-in-law, developer Herbert Meyer, who helped build the nearby corporate complex, Soundview Farms. Among those in attendance was Montgomery, who is now 70. In a phone interview, he acknowledged the neighborhood was losing the diversity of small and large homes, turning into mostly the latter. But he added, “The character has stayed the same.”

Recalling that early buyers spent less than $200,000 during the recession of the early 1970s, he said, “It’s a good investment on somebody’s part.”