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A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport has been visited by several famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributed
Standing since 1806, a Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport listed for $2,599,000 is said to have been visited by a couple of famous faces over the years.
The home was previously owned by 19th-century banker, Morris Ketchum, who hosted some of his famous friends like President Abraham Lincoln and Central Park architect Frederick Law Olmsted at the property, according to information provided by William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty. Olmsted is believed to have brought extra trees from Central Park to the estate, Sotheby's notes.
Lincoln wasn't the only president believed to have visited the property. George Washington allegedly raised funds in the area to help support the Americans during the Revolutionary War, according to information provided by Sotheby’s International Realty. While the house was not built at the time, Washington mentions a meeting at a Copper Beech tree in Westport in one of his journals — like the one on the property that is estimated to be around 400 years old. While there are two Copper Beech trees in Westport old enough to be from Washington's era, the one on the property is near the Ford River and Washington was known to prefer to travel alongside water so his horses could drink.
A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport been visited by a couple of famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributed
A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport been visited by a couple of famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributed
A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport been visited by a couple of famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributed
A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport has been visited by several famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributedThe house was also owned by 20th-century art collector John Gellatly, who donated many works to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Lucien Jouvaud, who helped create the French Hospital in New York, according to Sotheby's.
The home is currently owned by classical pianist Frederic Chiu and award-winning sculptor Jeanine Esposito, Sotheby's notes. The pair founded Beechwood Arts and Innovation, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in order to "expand what the arts experience can be for artists and audiences," according to its website. Starting in 2011, the homeowners have hosted 100 “Arts Immersion Salons” at the home, giving artists and performers a chance to socialize and exchange ideas.
"It's a throwback to the old days in France when people in the art world came together to share ideas," Esposito told Hearst Connecticut Media in 2013. "What that did was open people up to new ways of thinking."
The breakfast room is home to a "Signing Wall," that has been signed by several artists, including Grammy Award-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack. Bell is a violinist and won the Grammy award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra) during the 43rd Annual Grammy awards. Flack is an artist who has pieces hanging in museums across the world, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Australia.
A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport has been visited by several famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributed
A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport been visited by a couple of famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributed
A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport been visited by a couple of famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributed
A Colonial Revival-style estate on 52 Weston Road in Westport been visited by a couple of famous faces over the years, including President Abraham Lincoln, Grammy-winner Joshua Bell and American artist Audrey Flack.
VHT / contributedThe home features a music room and dining room that use titles and moldings from Europe. The wooden flooring in the home was taken from a farmhouse from the 1700s that was part of the Ketchum estate, according to Sotheby's. The 9,700-square-foot property has seven bedrooms, seven full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms. It also has a heated three-car garage.
While the Westport home is listed for $2,599,000, homes in the area tend to have a lower sale price. According to national real estate brokerage Redfin, the median sale price for a home in Westport's 06880 area code ZIP code sits at $1,750,500 as of October 2022. Average homes in the area tend to sell for around 1% over the list price and go pending in about 52 days, Redfin notes, while hot homes — or those expected to be among the most competitive on the market — can sell for 6% above the list price and go pending in around 22 days.
The property at 52 Weston Road in Westport is listed by William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty and is presented by Cyd Hamer (203) 227-1246.