A sprawling seaside compound owned by veteran news anchor Diane Sawyer has popped up for sale in the coastal Massachusetts enclave of Martha’s Vineyard.
Nestled amid windswept dunes directly overlooking water views from every vantage point, on two separate parcels of land tucked between Vineyard Sound and Lake Tashmoo, the estate known as “Chip Chop” just hit the market for $24 million, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Records show the TV broadcast journalist and her late film director husband Mike Nichols paid $5.3 million back in 1995 for the property, and subsequently embarked on an extensive restoration in collaboration with Tate Builders. Spanning 20 acres, the seaside spread is showcased by a nearly 5,000-square-foot main house boasting three bedrooms and numerous other structures, all with access to a combined mile of private shoreline.
Originally designed in the late 1930s for noted stage actress Katharine Cornell by Neoclassical architect Eric Gugler—most known for his remodeling work on the West Wing of the White House during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration—the wood-shingled, New England-style main house was ultimately completed in the mid-1940s.
Other buildings include a two-bedroom caretaker’s cottage and two modern beach cottages affectionately referred to as “The Shacks” because of the fishing shacks they replaced, plus two more detached guest bedroom suites known as the Pond and Ocean pavilions. There’s also a swimming pool and Har-Tru tennis court on the premises.
According to WSJ, the 77-year-old anchor known for programs such as ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America and 20/20, is selling because the rhythms of summer have changed” as her family has grown, and “there is less free time for long visits to the island.”
“Five grandchildren have run through the halls, learned to swim in the warm waters, gathered moss in the forest,” she said. “At Thanksgiving, both enormous fireplaces in the great room give off warmth and golden light. We have always felt so lucky to be together in this magic place.”
The listing is held by Mark Jenkins of Wallace and Co. Sotheby’s International Realty.
Click here for more photos of Diane Sawyer’s house.
Source: Luxury - robbreport.com
