Connecticut’s coastline is speckled with impressive waterfront properties—from a hedge funder’s $35 million island in Branford to a $49.5 million mansion currently for sale in Greenwich. Now joining—or rather re-joining—the mix on the market is this $27.5 million coastal property in Westport. If it sells at the asking price, it would become the affluent town’s priciest home sale ever. Its prime location on Beachside Avenue and its evident beauty aren’t the only major selling points—it was also home to a famous showbiz couple.
Talk show legend Phil Donahue and actress Marlo Thomas owned the grand residence before the current sellers, per Mansion Global. Donahue and Thomas, in fact, built the home in 2007, going on to sell it for $20 million in 2013. Funny enough, a different Westport property they used to own currently holds the record for the town’s priciest home sale. It once changed hands for $25 million.
It’s really no surprise that the rich and famous flock to Westport (here’s looking at award-winning songwriter Nile Rodgers and former basketball star-turned-Fox Sports commentator Doug Gottlieb), with its close proximity to New York City, high-end downtown shopping, and beaches. But at this 6.6-acre property, there’s hardly reason to leave.
Architect Roger Ferris designed the 11,450-square-foot manse, which exudes classic Connecticut sophistication. It boasts five bedrooms, five-and-a-half bathrooms, a tennis court, and swimming pool. Wandering its spaces, it’s easy to imagine seamless indoor/outdoor entertaining with 400 feet of water frontage, French doors, a cocktail room, a butler’s pantry, and gracious living rooms.
Back in 2020, the waterfront estate was listed for a hair more at $28 million. For those looking to buy it now and perhaps break a record, Leslie Clarke of Compass holds the listing.
