Grey Gardens (estate)
Encyclopedia
Grey Gardens is a 14-room house at 3 West End Road and Lily Pond Lane in the Georgica Pond
neighborhood of East Hampton, New York
, that is chronicled in the Grey Gardens 1975 documentary
, 2006 Broadway musical
and 2009 television movie
. The mansion has been the topic of numerous other books and documentaries.
in 1836. The Phillips paid $2,500 from the estate of a Mr. Candy. The couple announced their plans to build a $100,000 house on the property. However, the purchase hit a snag when it was revealed that the property had been bequeathed to the U.S. government.
In 1897 Joseph Greenleaf Thorpe (1862–1934) designed the house. Thorpe had designed several other houses in East Hampton. But the house did not get immediately built.
Phillips died in 1901 leaving behind an estate valued at $250,000. His brother challenged Margaret for control of the estate, saying she had used undue influence on him and that she had cremated him so that an autopsy could not be performed to confirm this. The court sided with Margaret.
After the ownership issues were settled the house was built.
In 1913 Robert C. Hill, president of Consolidation Coal Company, bought the house. Hill's wife Anna Gilman Hill (1875–1955) imported ornate concrete walls from Spain to enclose the garden and hired landscape designer Ruth Bramley Dean (1889–1932) to design what would become the core of Grey Gardens. Ruth was married at the time to architect Aymar Embury II
and their offices were in the same building.
and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale
acquired the house. Phelan was a law partner of John Vernou Bouvier, Jr. and had married Bouvier's daughter, Edith. Bouvier had a house in East Hampton three miles north on Further Lane at Lasata
where his granddaughter Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was a frequent visitor.
Phelan Beale divorced his wife Edith around 1946 by telegram from Mexico
. Phelan provided his former wife an allowance of $300 per month to maintain herself and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale
, who was commonly known as "Little" Edie to distinguish her from her mother. They eventually lost contact. The property began to fall into disrepair due to the paucity of funds available. It remained inhabited by the two women, who kept a large number of cats and wild animals in the house.
In 1972 the Suffolk County, New York
Health Commission issued an eviction order stating the Beales would be evicted unless the house was cleaned up. The news of the order and of the squalor in which the two women lived received international attention because "Big" and "Little" Edie were the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of former US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and wife of Aristotle Onassis
.
Jacqueline and her sister, Lee Radziwill
, donated money to make the house habitable and bring it up to a standard that would rescind the order.
In 1973 Lee Radziwill suggested that film-making brothers Albert and David Maysles
make a documentary about Jacqueline's days in East Hampton. When this project fell through the Maysles turned their attention to the Beales and the result was the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens
.
for $220,000 under the terms they were not to tear down the house. Little Edie told them "All it needs is a coat of paint!"
Quinn recalled later that the house "was worse than the movie." The agent refused to even set foot in the house. She said they found the skulls of raccoons in the house as well as the waste from 52 feral cats.
“The smell of the house was beyond anything you can imagine,” she said.
Bradlee and Quinn restored the home. The home now hosts many parties and charity events yearly and has been featured in several architectural and home décor magazines.
Georgica Pond
Georgica Pond is a coastal lagoon on the west border of East Hampton Village and Wainscott, and was the site of a Summer White House of Bill Clinton in 1998 and 1999....
neighborhood of East Hampton, New York
East Hampton (village), New York
The Village of East Hampton is a village in Town of East Hampton, New York. It is located in Suffolk County, on the South Fork of eastern Long Island...
, that is chronicled in the Grey Gardens 1975 documentary
Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens is a 1975 documentary film by Albert and David Maysles, with Susan Froemke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive socialites, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived at Grey Gardens, a decrepit mansion at 3 West End Road in...
, 2006 Broadway musical
Grey Gardens (musical)
Grey Gardens is an American musical with book by Doug Wright, music by Scott Frankel, and lyrics by Michael Korie, based on the 1975 documentary of the same title about the lives of Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale by Albert and David Maysles. The Beales were...
and 2009 television movie
Grey Gardens (HBO film)
Grey Gardens is an HBO film about the lives of Edith Bouvier Beale/"Little Edie", played by Drew Barrymore, and her mother Edith Ewing Bouvier/"Big Edie", played by Jessica Lange. Co-stars include Jeanne Tripplehorn as Jacqueline Kennedy and Ken Howard as Phelan Beale...
. The mansion has been the topic of numerous other books and documentaries.
Design and early ownership
In 1895 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) of oceanfront land was bought by F. Stanhope Phillips and Margaret Bagg Phillips, daughter of John S. Bagg, who had acquired the Detroit Free PressDetroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
in 1836. The Phillips paid $2,500 from the estate of a Mr. Candy. The couple announced their plans to build a $100,000 house on the property. However, the purchase hit a snag when it was revealed that the property had been bequeathed to the U.S. government.
In 1897 Joseph Greenleaf Thorpe (1862–1934) designed the house. Thorpe had designed several other houses in East Hampton. But the house did not get immediately built.
Phillips died in 1901 leaving behind an estate valued at $250,000. His brother challenged Margaret for control of the estate, saying she had used undue influence on him and that she had cremated him so that an autopsy could not be performed to confirm this. The court sided with Margaret.
After the ownership issues were settled the house was built.
In 1913 Robert C. Hill, president of Consolidation Coal Company, bought the house. Hill's wife Anna Gilman Hill (1875–1955) imported ornate concrete walls from Spain to enclose the garden and hired landscape designer Ruth Bramley Dean (1889–1932) to design what would become the core of Grey Gardens. Ruth was married at the time to architect Aymar Embury II
Aymar Embury II
Aymar Embury II was an American architect. He is best known for commissions from the City of New York from the 1930s through to the 1950s. In this period, Embury frequently worked with Robert Moses in the latter's various city and state capacities, especially, early on, in Moses capacity of Parks...
and their offices were in the same building.
Beale ownership
In 1924 Phelan BealePhelan Beale
Phelan Beale was a wealthy attorney and sportsman in New York City.Beale, who was married to Edith Ewing Bouvier, an aunt of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, is probably best remembered as the absent father chronicled in the Grey Gardens saga portrayed in a 1975 movie documentary, 2006 Broadway...
and Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale
Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale
Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale , aunt of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, was an American amateur singer, known for her eccentric lifestyle, and part of the New York high society...
acquired the house. Phelan was a law partner of John Vernou Bouvier, Jr. and had married Bouvier's daughter, Edith. Bouvier had a house in East Hampton three miles north on Further Lane at Lasata
Lasata
Lasata was the girlhood summer home of First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in East Hampton, New York until she was about 12....
where his granddaughter Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was a frequent visitor.
Phelan Beale divorced his wife Edith around 1946 by telegram from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Phelan provided his former wife an allowance of $300 per month to maintain herself and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale
Edith Bouvier Beale
Edith Bouvier Beale was an American socialite, fashion model and cabaret performer. She was a first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill...
, who was commonly known as "Little" Edie to distinguish her from her mother. They eventually lost contact. The property began to fall into disrepair due to the paucity of funds available. It remained inhabited by the two women, who kept a large number of cats and wild animals in the house.
In 1972 the Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
Health Commission issued an eviction order stating the Beales would be evicted unless the house was cleaned up. The news of the order and of the squalor in which the two women lived received international attention because "Big" and "Little" Edie were the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of former US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and wife of Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Sokratis Onassis , commonly called Ari or Aristo Onassis, was a prominent Greek shipping magnate.- Early life :Onassis was born in Karatass, a suburb of Smyrna to Socrates and Penelope Onassis...
.
Jacqueline and her sister, Lee Radziwill
Lee Radziwill
Caroline Lee Bouvier Canfield Radziwill Ross best known as Lee Radziwill, is an American socialite, public relations executive, and former actress and interior decorator. She is the younger sister of the late First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis...
, donated money to make the house habitable and bring it up to a standard that would rescind the order.
In 1973 Lee Radziwill suggested that film-making brothers Albert and David Maysles
Albert and David Maysles
Albert and David Maysles were a documentary filmmaking team whose cinéma vérité works include Salesman , Gimme Shelter and Grey Gardens . Their 1964 film on The Beatles forms the backbone of the DVD, The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit...
make a documentary about Jacqueline's days in East Hampton. When this project fell through the Maysles turned their attention to the Beales and the result was the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens is a 1975 documentary film by Albert and David Maysles, with Susan Froemke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Meyer. The film depicts the everyday lives of two reclusive socialites, a mother and daughter both named Edith Beale, who lived at Grey Gardens, a decrepit mansion at 3 West End Road in...
.
Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn ownership
In 1979 Little Edie sold the home to Ben Bradlee and Sally QuinnSally Quinn
Sally Sterling Quinn is an American author and journalist, who writes about religion for a blog at The Washington Post.-Personal:...
for $220,000 under the terms they were not to tear down the house. Little Edie told them "All it needs is a coat of paint!"
Quinn recalled later that the house "was worse than the movie." The agent refused to even set foot in the house. She said they found the skulls of raccoons in the house as well as the waste from 52 feral cats.
“The smell of the house was beyond anything you can imagine,” she said.
Bradlee and Quinn restored the home. The home now hosts many parties and charity events yearly and has been featured in several architectural and home décor magazines.