As part of our “Discover Greenwich” Program, we welcome you to explore historic Byram with a guided walking tour. Led by Patricia Baiardi, in association with Byram Shubert Library, the tour will take approximately one hour, and will begin with a brief talk at the library to provide background and context on the history of the area. Following this talk, head out to learn the stories of the people and places that have made Byram the vibrant community that it is today. Join local architect and historian Patricia Baiardi as she shares fascinating facts, maps, stories and pictures that she has discovered through her in-depth research of the beloved Byram neighborhood.
Meet your tour guide: Patricia Baiardi Kantorski
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved historic areas and everything vintage. So when my husband and I decided to move our family to Greenwich in 1984 after I graduated from architecture school, we bought an 1896 house in historic downtown Byram. What most attracted us to Byram was the tight-knit neighborly feeling created by the century-old homes with small backyards nestled among a cluster of hills. We also really like that it was within walking distance to the train, shops, library, schools & beach and there was space to grow flowers and vegetables. It was exactly what we wanted.
Over the 35 years that I’ve lived in Byram, I’ve grown to love its community spirit. I believe this is partly due to the large population of 3rd & 4th generation Byramites as well as it’s ethnic diversity. For 25 years, I owned and operated a small architecture firm here that specialized in renovating and restoring older homes. I was especially interested in all the historic houses and buildings in my area, and enjoyed reading everything I could find about Byram’s history. So I was delighted in 2011 when my friend Marylin Chou asked me to give a walking tour of Byram for the At Home in Greenwich organization’s monthly outing. Ever since then, I have been doing in-depth research on the history of Byram and constantly discovering more and more interesting facts, maps, stories and pictures. My initial walking tour grew into opportunities to lecture and show slides of historic Byram at the Byram Shubert Library, the Greenwich Main Library and many other venues.
I have recently been in contact with the Historical Society in Byram, England to confirm some compelling evidence I found that it is the namesake of Byram, Connecticut. It would be a reasonable conclusion considering most New England towns are named after the birthplace of their founding fathers. In addition, I am documenting a comprehensive history of Byram and exploring ways to make it an official historic district.
Byram School
Byram School at Weaver Street and the Boston Post Road, ca. 1920
