While the famous estate on Long Island Sound has always been referred to as Katharine Hepburn’s home, it has not been part of her property portfolio since it was sold back in 2003. It was acquired by Frank Sciame, an architect and construction CEO, undergoing a major renovation back in 2005 prior to a listing for sale in 2011. While the renovation was significant the property did not lose any of its character and indeed there were some major improvements.
Back story
We will go through the details of the property later in this article but the back story to Katharine Hepburn’s estate is intriguing to say the least. It was originally acquired by her parents back in 1913 with the lady herself spending much of her childhood in the house. In 1938 a hurricane washed the property away just a few years after Hepburn won her first Academy award. Unperturbed by the hurricane she set about rebuilding her former home after literally digging her mother’s silver service out of the sand.
A model of the property was constructed using building blocks from FAO Schwarz which was to be the blueprint for the rebuild of the property itself. Interestingly, despite the property having been washed away in 1938 the structure left today is the original one rebuilt by Katharine Hepburn.
Details of Katharine Hepburn’s former home
The decor throughout the property is plain white although there is an array of exposed brick work which adds character. There is 8368 ft.² of living space spread over three floors with six bedrooms, with adjoining bathrooms, plus an additional 1.5 bathrooms and a staggering seven fireplaces. The whole development sits on 1.47 acres of land with a private beach, private dock and private pond. Rumour has it that Katharine Hepburn used to take a daily dip in the sea no matter what the temperature!
Stunning views
While the property itself is stunning and now an integral part of the local environment, the views across the countryside and the ocean are breathtaking. The white decor throughout the property can on occasion give a cold hard feel but this is most certainly not the case. The furniture is exquisite, the open plan design perfect with a kitchen that befits a five-star hotel. In many ways the property has managed to hold its character from years gone by, even after the rebuild, yet also give a modern day twist.
The master bedroom, complete with ensuite bathroom, has an absolutely huge window looking out over the sea. What better scene to wake up to each and every day than these beautiful views?
Leisure time
For those looking to relax there are tennis courts, a golf course not to mention lounge areas where you can catch as many rays as you want. There are porches aplenty, shelters and areas open to the elements not to mention a beautifully manicured garden.
We could write page after page about this property but you would still not get the overall image, the ambience and the exquisite design with exposed ceiling beams – all rebuilt by Katharine Hepburn. We know that the property was originally relisted for sale in 2015 at $14.8 million although it has just sold for $11.5 million. We can only hope that the renovations, which saw the whole structure lifted by 5 feet, is able to avoid water damage and worse in years to come.