Darien Historical Society
Cherry Lawn School: Former Local Boarding School, Founded by Immigrants, Ended by Fires
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Before Cherry Lawn Park became a park, it was the campus of a boarding school that was founded as the result of one tragedy and ended after a series of others. Dr. Fred Goldfrank, a physician in New York, founded the school in 1915 after his daughter Beatrice was stricken with a severe case of polio, leaving her unable to walk. Goldfrank abandoned his medical practice and decided to found a school that catered to her and other children with similar special needs. His home in Stamford served as the school’s original campus, with his backyard the students’ playground. By 1919, the school population had quickly grown, so Cherry Lawn School moved to a new 28-acre campus in Darien, where the school had classes for grades 6 to 12.