257 Wahackme Road

257 Wahackme Road is the James Swallen House, constructed in 1954 using Carl Koch’s Techbuilt prefabricated design. Koch developed the prototype in 1953 as part of an effort to make modern houses more affordable. At the Swallen house, that standardized approach was later paired with a custom addition by Landis Gores, one of New Canaan’s Harvard Five architects.

Completed in 1964, Gores’s one-story addition provided family and great-room space with a steel-column frame and a narrow corridor linking it to the original house. These two construction campaigns connect the property to both prefabricated housing and New Canaan’s custom-designed modern architecture. The house was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 under the Mid-Twentieth-Century Modern Residences in Connecticut program. Later renovations received preservation recognition: in 2015, the New Canaan Preservation Alliance honored the property with a Sense of Place Award.

Research note: The National Park Service confirms the residence’s individual National Register listing. The detached carport’s construction date and contributing status were not independently confirmed. Separate State Register and local designation statuses also remain unverified.