Grey Gardens estate in East Hampton is in contract

Back in February, the famous Grey Gardens estate in East Hampton went up for sale for the first time since the most recent owner, Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn and late husband Ben Bradlee, purchased the estate from Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale—more commonly referred to as “Big Edie” and “Little Edie,” respectively—in 1979. Last week, the property went into contract, reports the Washington Post.

Quinn did not reveal the buyer nor the price, but she did tell the Post that the deal was due to close in the next few weeks. Most recently, the estate was asking $17,995,000 after coming on the market for $19,995,000. She did say, however, that the new owners plan on preserving the historic home.

When Quinn purchased the home in the ‘70s, the Beales also sold her the furniture that was inside the home, much of which was kept—and photographed in the listing photos. Grey Gardens fans and enthusiasts will now be able to own a piece of the historic home, as Quinn is hosting an estate sale in order to get rid of the furniture.

In the summer, the estate made headlines after being rented out by credit card company American Express, which planned to host seasonal events at the famous property. However, East Hampton town officials shut down corporate events with a cease-and-desist on the basis that doing so violates a zoning code which states that residential districts cannot be used for commercial purposes.

The estate was made famous by the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens, which profiled Big Edie and Little Edie’s lives in the home which, at the time, was falling apart. The women were subjected to a lot of negative attention due to the state of their home, especially considering their relation to former First Lady, Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

Quinn and Bradlee purchased the estate for $220,000 and put about $600,000 into renovating the home.

Located at 3 West End Road in East Hampton, the property stands 6,000 square feet on 1.7 acres of land, with seven bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms. Features include a heated pool, tennis court, eat-in kitchen, and manicured landscaping.

• Sally Quinn found a buyer for Grey Gardens, and she’s selling Big Edie and Little Edie’s furniture [Washington Post]
• Grey Gardens estate for sale, asking price a pinch under $20M [Curbed Hamptons]
• American Express is renting out Grey Gardens for the summer to host seasonal events [Curbed Hamptons]
• AmEx not allowed to host events at Grey Gardens according to village officials [Curbed Hamptons]
• The Grey Gardens estate just got a $2M price chop [Curbed Hamptons]