Bel-Air Site, 355 Cherry Brook Road
 

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A long stone wall and pillars of Vermont granite on the east side of the road mark the site of this fancy fifteen room summer estate built in 1870-1872 by John Howard Foote who grew up on a farm across the street and moved to New York City at age 18 where he made his fortune in the musical instrument importation business.  He missed life in Canton and so built a mansion here at the cost of $150,000 (close to $2 million in today’s dollars).  After Mr. Foote died in 1896, the estate fell into disrepair and was eventually sold.  The house burned to the ground in 1919 under suspicious circumstances that suggested arson.