Famous faces and infamous houses

From the ‘Grey Gardens’ estate in East Hampton to Cynthia Nixon’s Montauk condo, these high-profile real estate moves are the talk of the beach

Made famous in the documentary “Grey Gardens,” this estate is now listed at just under $18 million.
Made famous in the documentary “Grey Gardens,” this estate is now listed at just under $18 million.

Listings

Dick Cavett lists Montauk home for $62 million

At $62 million, making it one of the priciest listings to hit the market this year, Dick Cavett’s oceanfront spread is certainly worth talking about. The Stanford White-designed property at 165 Deforest Road sits on 20 acres, including 900 feet of beach frontage. Dubbed Tick Hall, the residence spans 7,000 square feet, with seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. Built in the early 1880s, it’s the last of seven houses known as the “Seven Sisters” designed by White’s firm, McKim, Mead & White. But today’s version of the home is just a replica; the original was burned to the ground in a 1997 fire. Cavett acquired the home with his then-wife, the late actress Carrie Nye, in the 1960s. Karen Kelley and Tim Davis of Corcoran share the listing.

Christie Brinkley drops price of historic waterfront mansion

The supermodel slashed the asking price for her 5,500-square-foot waterfront mansion to $20 million in June, a 20 percent decrease. The property was first listed for $25 million in October 2016. The five-bedroom, six-bathroom home was built in 1843 and still features details like wide-plank pine floors, according to the listing. But perhaps the most attractive feature is the more than 300 feet of frontage on the 4.4-acre plot. Douglas Elliman’s Enzo Morabito has the listing.

Matt Lauer cuts Sag Harbor home price by $2.1 million

Not finding any takers for his 25-acre spread in Sag Harbor, the “Today” host has once again reduced its price, this time by $2.1 million, to $14.9 million. It’s the second price reduction since the 8,000-square-foot home first hit the market for $18 million about a year ago, Behind the Hedges reported. Designed by architect Daniel Romualdez and built in 2004, the home has six bedrooms and a total of eight bathrooms, plus cathedral ceilings in the great room, multiple terraces and a pool and tennis court. Susan Breitenbach of the Corcoran Group has the listing.

Matt Lauer’s Sag Harbor home

“Grey Gardens” gets a $2 million haircut

The nine-bedroom estate formerly inhabited by socialite Edith Beale and her daughter — made famous by the 1975 cult classic documentary “Grey Gardens” — has lingered on the market for over two months. In April, owner Sally Quinn slashed the $20 million ask to $17.995 million, Curbed reported. Quinn and her late husband, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, bought the East Hampton home for $220,000 in 1979. Corcoran Group’s Michael Schultz and Susan Ryan have the listing.

“Shrinkage” house shrinks some more — to $7.9 million

There is a pool, but get in at your own risk. Immortalized in the classic “Seinfeld” episode “The Hamptons,” this Amagansett home just saw a price cut to $7.9 million from $8.75 million. The 4,000-square-foot pad first hit the market in February. It has four bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and a chef’s kitchen. An Army bunker during World War II, the beachfront residence retains a partial bunker in the basement. Corcoran’s Jackie Dunphy, Greg Schmidt and Tom Griffith have the listing.

Sales

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Actress Cynthia Nixon unloads tiny Montauk condo

“Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon sold her one-bedroom condo in Montauk for $575,000 in May, 27East reported. Unit 17, a 500-square-foot space at 23 Fort Pond Road, is part of the Rough Riders Landing condo complex and is right off the beach. Meanwhile, the actress has been wooing audiences on Broadway in the revival of Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes”  alongside Laura Linney. Nixon received a Tony Award for her work; she will also appear in three upcoming films.

B. Smith’s Sag Harbor home sells for $7.75M

Three months after it hit the market for $8.5 million, the 0.8-acre spread in East Hampton owned by restaurateur B. Smith and her husband has sold for $7.75 million, 27East reported. The new owner is an LLC that traces back to a Manhattan address. Built in 1954, the contemporary abode spans 3,400 square feet and has three bedrooms and three baths. There’s an open living area, a loft with a widow’s walk and a pavilion in the backyard. Smith used to operate an eponymous line of restaurants, including one on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor, but they’ve all shuttered since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Dick Cavett’s oceanfront spread, Tick Hall, is on the market for $62 million.

A new compound, with windmill, for Robert Downey Jr.

Iron Man is a big fan of the Hamptons. Robert Downey Jr. recently snagged a 4-acre compound in East Hampton, Behind the Hedges reported. Its most notable feature? A three-story windmill that’s a part of the house. The seven-bedroom pad was last listed for $11.9 million, but it’s unknown how much the actor paid. The 8,500-square-foot residence features a library, a two-bedroom guesthouse, a 50-foot pool and a tennis court on the grounds. Brown Harris Stevens’ Peter Turino had the listing.

Misc.

Designer Cynthia Rowley wants to raze a house in Montauk…

… and all it would take is “a six-pack of beer and three of my friends,” Rowley representative Richard Hammer told the East Hampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals in April. But the town Planning Department is concerned about how the endeavor would affect the wetlands surrounding her small lot at 69 Seaside Avenue, the East Hampton Star reported. Rowley acquired the nearly half-acre lot for $820,000. She also owns the lot across the street at 78 Seaside Avenue, which she bought for $3 million last summer. The public hearing over her request was rescheduled, and Rowley and her team are working out the details for demolition.

Paul Manafort got a fishy loan for a Hamptons house: report

President Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort appears to owe $36,000 in taxes on a Bridgehampton home. Manafort allegedly took out a $3.5 million bridge loan on the property, but mortgage documents were not filed by the lender, S3, a subsidiary of Spruce Capital Partners. This Hamptons home is under scrutiny as New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman takes a “preliminary look” at Manafort’s finances in general, according to the New York Daily News. In December, The Real Deal broke the news that Manafort was an investor in several now-underwater spec home projects in Los Angeles that were spearheaded by his son-in-law.