This $2.2 Million Massachusetts Home Is Where Walt Disney Reportedly Wrote ‘Fantasia’
Walt Disney may have settled down in Southern California, but he wrote his hit musical Fantasia at this magical home in Massachusetts.
Located in Centerville, a historic village on Cape Cod, the shingled abode is on the market for just shy of $2.2 million. According to the listing, the property originally belonged to a larger estate known as Fernbrook, which dates back to 1881. In its 143-year lifespan, the inn has hosted famous visitors from Audrey Hepburn to the Kennedys and counts Herbert T. Kalmus, the inventor of the Technicolor motion picture process, as its former owner.
During Kalmus’s time at Fernbrook, he invited Disney to stay at the estate. The movie and TV producer is believed to have penned the 1940s animated film while holed up in the abode’s water tower, which the house on offer is built around. “The base of the tower is now the primary bedroom,” Gene Orloff of Sotheby’s International Realty—Cape Cod, Osterville Brokerage, told Mansion Global. “The top of the water tower is a wonderful room with a bar and original huge windows that drop into the sills for air and an almost 360-degree view of Centerville and peaks of Nantucket Sound.
RELATED: A $14 Million Cape Cod Home Packed With the Charm of a Bygone Era Is Listed for the First Time in 50 Years
The octagonal water tower where Walt Disney is said to have wrote Fantasia.
Nauset Media for Sotheby’s International Realty
The current residence, which was constructed in 1995, last sold in 2017 for a cool $1.13 million. Altogether, the dwelling measures 5,050 square feet and features six bedrooms and four full bathrooms. Another cool feature: legendary landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead, best known for designing several public parks, starting with Central Park in New York City and Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, was tapped to spruce up the roughly one-acre grounds, which include a lily pond and lush gardens.
The home features refinished wood floors and a vaulted, wood-clad ceilings.
Nauset Media for Sotheby’s International Realty
Set across three floors, the home is decked out with exposed beams and oversized windows that overlook the bucolic landscape. On the first level, you’ll also find the primary suite, a renovated chef’s kitchen, a guest room, and a dining area. Elsewhere, surrounding porches and decks are perfect for soaking in the sun and provide easy access to the heated swimming pool.
RELATED: Harry Connick Jr. Is Asking $12.5 Million for His Coastal New England Retreat
Nestled on Centerville’s Main Street—recognized by the National Register of Historic Places—the house itself is a stone’s throw from Craigville Beach and the beloved Four Seas Ice Cream. Taylor Swift and Adam Sandler have visited the latter. The shop was reportedly put up for sale in February.
Click here to see more photos of 489 Main Street.
Nauset Media for Sotheby’s International Realty
Authors
Abby Montanez
Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…
Read More More
