Dick Cavett Sells Legendary Montauk Home Known As Tick Hall for $23.6M

Annika Holmberg,

Talk show host and TV personality Dick Cavett has long owned an iconic Montauk retreat looking out to the open sea. Known as Tick Hall, the home was featured exclusively in HC&G in 2017, close to the time Cavett and his wife Martha Rogers first put it on the market. This week, after over 50 years in Cavett’s care, the approximately 6,500-square-foot residence sold for $23.6 million. While this is a hefty sum, it’s still a major discount from the $62 million the NY Post reports it originally wanted. Most recently, it was seeking $28.5 million.

According to HC&G, Cavett and his late first wife Carrie Nye purchased Tick Hall in 1967, adorning it with antiques. The original structure was erected in 1882 as a part of the famed ‘Seven Sisters,’ that is, the seven 19th-century Montauk homes built by McKim, Mead & White and sited by Frederick Law Olmsted. However, a fire in 1997 burned it down, sparing only the chimney. With no original blueprints, the couple was faced with the challenge of rebuilding their beloved house using photographs and structural clues.

Dick Cavetts Famous Montauk Estate Known As Tick Hall Fetches 23 6m

Photograph courtesy of Compass

Cavett and Nye, together with forensic architect James Hadley and builder Jim Kim of Wainscott-based Men at Work, replicated the house to bring Tick Hall back to its circa-1880s glory. They even tapped architectural stair builder James Dean to reconstruct the illustrious staircase down to the handmade balusters and charming floorboard creaks. Later in 2013, Cavett and Rogers extended the kitchen, a move that allowed for additional porches.

“There are bigger houses, and houses with more bells and whistles,” Cavett told HC&G back in 2017, “but there is not a more magical place in all the world.” And magical it is. Perched on 19.8 acres and surrounded by a preserve, Tick Hall is a Montauk sanctuary. The 6-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home exudes classic charm, with wood paneling and stunning moldings around every corner. Ocean views abound from the breezy porches, and the new owner can also always walk right down to the private beach.

Chris Coleman of Compass held the prestigious listing. Krae Van Sickle and Lylla Carter of Saunders & Associates represented the buyer.