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A quaint waterfront retreat in Sag Harbor that was once a place of inspiration for the acclaimed American writer John Steinbeck has sold for $13.5 million, The New York Post reported.
Stenbeck’s heirs put the property on the market for $16.75 million in 2021, and now a local nonprofit, the Sag Harbor Partnership, has purchased the writer’s part-time abode.
Doreen Atkins of Sotheby’s International Realty – Bridgehampton Brokerage represented the listing.
The roughly 1.25-acre property features a cozy two-bedroom, two-bathroom main house and Steinbeck’s “writing house,” a small gazebo-like structure with windows on all sides, surrounded by trees. There’s also a separate, fully equipped small cottage that overlooks the pool and yard.
Steinbeck reportedly wrote “The Winter of Our Discontent” and “Travels with Charley” while residing in the home.
The property dates back to 1929 and features lush, old-growth trees and waterfront on two sides. It also has a two-car garage and a 60-foot dock.
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The main house features a wainscoted living room with a beamed cathedral ceiling and a fieldstone fireplace. The house has an abundance of built-in bookshelves, including in the “library loft,” a lofted space that The Steinbecks created for children to play in, which overlooks the home’s living area.
The Sag Harbor Partnership intends to transform the property into a space for a writer’s residency program, the nonprofit told The Post. It will also be reservable for visits by members of the public on some summer Saturdays, holiday weekends and in the off-season.
A new nonprofit made up of local residents and institutions will help manage the property while the Michener Center for Writers and the University of Texas Foundation will handle upkeep of the property and the organization of the writers residency program.
“We’d like to honor that piece of local history by preserving the place where he wrote,” Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman told The Post last May as plans began to take shape for the town to set aside millions to purchase the property.
Last year, two Manhattan townhouses previously owned by Steinbeck were also listed for sale for a combined $18 million.