Connecticut's Gold Coast
Silvermine
A century ago, sculptor Solon Borglum converted a barn along the Silvermine River into a studio and invited fellow artists to critique one another's work on Sunday mornings.
About Silvermine
A century ago, sculptor Solon Borglum converted a barn along the Silvermine River into a studio and invited fellow artists to critique one another's work on Sunday mornings. That gathering became the Silvermine Guild of Artists in 1922, and the wooded valley straddling Norwalk, New Canaan, and Wilton has carried an artistic identity ever since. Homes here sit on one-to-three-acre lots beneath hardwood canopy, with median prices near $1.25 million - a fraction of what comparable acreage commands across the town line in New Canaan's backcountry.
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Country Living in Silvermine
Borglum Road still carries the name. The sculptor Solon Borglum - brother of Gutzon, who carved Mount Rushmore - settled along the Silvermine River in 1906 and christened his property Rocky Ranch. He offered his barn for Sunday critiques, and within a year Edmund Ashe, Hamilton Hamilton, and other painters and illustrators had taken up residence nearby. That informal gathering, which the artists themselves called the Knockers Club, grew into the Silvermine Guild of Artists after Borglum's death in 1922. Today the Silvermine Arts Center operates on the same riverside campus, running more than 1,000 annual courses in painting, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture alongside a gallery that hosts juried exhibitions year-round.
The terrain explains why artists chose this valley and why developers never subdivided it. Silvermine occupies hilly, ledge-studded ground above Norwalk's coastal plain, rising through second-growth hardwood forest toward the New Canaan and Wilton borders. Silvermine Road, Perry Avenue, and Comstock Hill Avenue wind through the landscape without sidewalks or commercial signage. Stone walls mark property boundaries that predate the Revolution. The Silvermine River threads through the center, its small falls audible from several bridge crossings. GrayBarns on the Silvermine River - a boutique inn, tavern, and event space occupying a former textile mill and Prohibition-era speakeasy - sits along the water, its terrace overlooking Guthrie Pond.
Housing here resists easy categorization. Antique colonials dating to the 18th century stand a short drive from mid-century moderns built by architect-owners in the 1950s and 1960s, and both share the hillsides with contemporary custom builds designed around ledge outcrops and mature tree cover. Lot sizes run from one acre to five or more. Many properties retain original stone walls, barns, and outbuildings that predate the houses themselves. The median sale price is approximately $1.25 million, though fully renovated estates on two-plus acres routinely exceed $1.5 million. What Silvermine does not offer is uniformity - every parcel answers to the topography rather than to a subdivision plan.
The New Canaan municipal line runs directly through the neighborhood, which creates a useful asymmetry. Some Silvermine addresses carry a New Canaan mailing designation but fall under Norwalk's tax jurisdiction, giving owners access to Norwalk's lower mill rate on land that looks and functions like backcountry New Canaan. The Silvermine Dual Language Magnet School serves the neighborhood's K-5 families within the Norwalk Public Schools system. Commuters drive roughly fifteen minutes to the South Norwalk Metro-North station for express trains to Grand Central, or eight minutes north to New Canaan station for Branch Line service connecting at Stamford. The trade-off is real: no train, no village center, no corner store. But the buyers who choose Silvermine are not optimizing for errands.
What Draws Buyers to Silvermine
- •Silvermine Arts Center - rooted in Solon Borglum's 1906 colony - runs 1,000+ annual courses and juried gallery exhibitions on a riverside campus of converted barns and studios
- •GrayBarns on the Silvermine River operates a boutique inn, farm-to-table tavern, and event barn in a restored 19th-century textile mill overlooking Guthrie Pond
- •Properties on one-to-five-acre lots with stone walls and hardwood canopy trade at a median near $1.25 million - significantly less per acre than neighboring New Canaan
- •Norwalk tax jurisdiction applies to many parcels that carry New Canaan mailing addresses, creating a mill-rate advantage on backcountry-caliber land
Housing in Silvermine
Silvermine's inventory resists the usual suburban taxonomy. The neighborhood's artistic lineage and rocky, stream-cut terrain prevented large-scale subdivision, yielding a housing stock that spans three centuries of construction. Renovated antique farmhouses with original stone hearths sit within a mile of flat-roofed mid-century moderns designed for hillside siting. Contemporary builds - often commissioned by owners working with regional architects - use glass, timber, and standing-seam metal to integrate with wooded lots rather than clear them. Outbuildings are common: converted barns, detached studios, and potting sheds that reflect the neighborhood's creative heritage. Lots range from approximately one acre along Perry Avenue to five-plus acres on the upper reaches of Silvermine Road near the Wilton border. Irregular parcel shapes follow ledge lines and watercourses rather than survey grids. The median sale price hovers near $1.25 million, but condition and acreage drive wide variance. An original-condition ranch on one acre and a fully renovated colonial on three acres may differ by $700,000 or more. River-frontage properties and parcels with views toward the Silvermine valley command consistent premiums.
Real Estate in Silvermine
Silvermine trades on scarcity. The neighborhood's zoning, topography, and lack of developable flat land keep inventory constrained, and many homeowners hold properties for decades. When listings appear, they attract a specific buyer pool: families upgrading from smaller Norwalk lots, New Canaan seekers looking for comparable land at lower tax rates, and creative professionals drawn to the arts center and the colony's history. Turnover is low enough that individual sales can shift neighborhood-wide statistics meaningfully. Buyers entering this market should expect variability. The spread between a dated mid-century on one acre and a renovated estate on three acres can exceed half a million dollars on comparable addresses. Properties requiring septic system replacement or well upgrades carry additional due-diligence considerations uncommon in Norwalk's municipal-sewer neighborhoods. The reward is a landscape that reads as rural exurbia - stone walls, canopy roads, river sounds - while remaining fifteen minutes from Metro-North express service and ten minutes from the Merritt Parkway.
Market Snapshot
Silvermine Market Snapshot
Residential real estate trends for Silvermine, Norwalk, Connecticut.
Active Listings
9
6 under contract
Median List Price
$707,727
9 active listings
Median Closed Price
$913,000
48 sales
Median Days on Market
34
9 active listings
Median $ / Sq Ft
$412
9 active listings
Sale-to-List Ratio
104.3%
48 sales
Based on 9 active listings and 48 closed sales (trailing 12 months). Source: SmartMLS · As of July 26, 2026.
-22.5%
Pricing Posture
current asking median vs trailing 12-month closed median in Silvermine
48
Sales Activity
closed sales in Silvermine over the trailing 12 months (-18.6% vs prior 12 mo)
1,993 sq ft
Typical Home Size
median size across the Silvermine active sample
Homes for Sale in Silvermine, Norwalk
0 listings available
Listing information is supplied by SmartMLS, Inc.and other licensed IDX sources for consumers' personal, non-commercial use. Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified.
© 2026 Smart MLS, Inc. All rights reserved.
Getting Around Silvermine
Silvermine's inland hilltop position places it approximately fifteen minutes by car from the South Norwalk Metro-North station, where New Haven Line express trains reach Grand Central Terminal in roughly 60 minutes. New Canaan's town center - with its shops, restaurants, and Metro-North Branch Line station connecting at Stamford - is about eight minutes north on Silvermine Road. The Merritt Parkway is reachable via Exit 39 or Exit 40 within ten minutes, linking to Stamford, Bridgeport, and the broader I-95 corridor. Route 7, accessible along the neighborhood's western edge near the Wilton border, provides a direct north-south corridor to Wilton center, Ridgefield, and Danbury without requiring highway driving. The Silvermine Dual Language Magnet School sits within the neighborhood on Perry Avenue. There is no walkable commercial center - the nearest retail cluster is in New Canaan's town center or along Norwalk's Connecticut Avenue corridor. All transit, shopping, and commuting require a car, which is the fundamental exchange Silvermine makes for its acreage and seclusion.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Silvermine
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