Grey Gardens (estate)

In 1895, of oceanfront land was bought by F. Stanhope Phillips and Margaret Bagg Phillips, daughter of John S. Bagg, who had acquired the Detroit Free Press in 1836. The Phillipses paid $2,500 () from the estate of a Mr. Candy. The couple announced their plans to build a $100,000 () house on the property. However, the purchase hit a snag when it was revealed that in 1875 Mr. Candy had bequeathed the land to the U.S. government. In 1897, Joseph Greenleaf Thorp (1862–1934) designed the house. Thorpe had designed several other houses in East Hampton. However, the house was not immediately built. Stanhope Phillips died in 1901, leaving behind an estate valued at $250,000 (). His brother challenged Margaret for control of the estate, saying she had used undue influence on him and that she had cremated him so that an autopsy could not be performed to confirm this. The court sided with Margaret. After the ownership issues were settled, construction on the house started. In 1913, Robert C. Hill, president of Consolidation Coal Company, bought the house. Hill's wife Anna Gilman Hill (1875–1955) imported ornate concrete walls from Spain to enclose the garden and hired landscape designer Ruth Bramley to create what would become the core of Grey Gardens. Bramley was married at the time to architect Aymar Embury II and their offices were in the same building. ==Beale ownership==

In 1924, Phelan Beale acquired the estate for his wife Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale. Phelan was a law partner of John Vernou Bouvier Jr. and had married Bouvier's daughter, Edith. Bouvier owned an estate in East Hampton, located north on Further Lane at Lasata, where his granddaughter Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was a frequent visitor. After an extended marital separation, Phelan Beale notified Edith of their divorce around 1946 by telegram from Mexico. Phelan provided Edith with an allowance of $300 () per month to maintain the property, herself and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale, who was commonly known as "Little" Edie. Phelan's financial support eventually ceased and the two Ediths lost contact with him. The house and garden fell into disrepair and were overtaken by nature due to the lack of funds. The two women continued to inhabit the house, where they kept a large number of cats and wild animals. Health Commission issued a notice of eviction, stating the Beales would be unable to live in the house until it was cleaned and basic utilities restored. The news of the order and of the squalor in which the two women lived received international attention because "Big" and "Little" Edie were the aunt and first cousin, respectively, of Jacqueline Kennedy — the widow of former US President John F. Kennedy, and wife of Aristotle Onassis. Jacqueline and her sister, Lee Radziwill, donated money to make the house habitable and return it to a standard which would allow for the rescission of the eviction order. That same year Radziwill asked brothers Albert and David Maysles to create a film, including interviews with the Edies, which would document the Bouvier family's visits to East Hampton during Lee's and Jacqueline's youth. The project was ultimately canceled and the Maysles turned their attention to the Beales, resulting in the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens. After the release of the film, Edith and Little Edie continued to reside in the house. Edith died in 1977 and Little Edie remained until she sold the property. The original 1972 footage featuring Radziwill visiting the Beales was released in 2017 as That Summer. ==Post-Beale ownership==

In 1979, Little Edie sold Grey Gardens to Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn for $220,000 () with the stipulation that they were not to tear down the house. Quinn later recalled that the dilapidated house "was worse than the movie," and was filled with waste from 52 feral cats. Bradlee and Quinn restored the home, which would be featured in several architectural and home décor magazines. The Beale-owned furniture, along with household items owned by Quinn, were auctioned off in an estate sale held from November 17–19, 2017. On December 20, 2017, the house sold for $15.5 million to American fashion designer Liz Lange. Lange has since overseen a complete restoration of the home and its surrounding gardens by decorator Mark D. Sikes. == Gallery ==

File:"Gray Gardens," Robert Carmer Hill house, Lily Pond Lane, East Hampton, New York. LOC 7221398744.jpg|Northeast gate to garden c. 1916 File:"Gray Gardens," Robert Carmer Hill house, Lily Pond Lane, East Hampton, New York. LOC 7221397818.jpg|View west to pergola c. 1914 File:"Gray Gardens," Robert Carmer Hill house, Lily Pond Lane, East Hampton, New York. LOC 7221398194.jpg|View from house c. 1914 File:"Gray Gardens," Robert Carmer Hill house, Lily Pond Lane, East Hampton, New York. LOC 7221379416.jpg|Garden tool house c. 1914 File:"Gray Gardens," Robert Carmer Hill house, Lily Pond Lane, East Hampton, New York. Sun-room overlooking walled garden LCCN2008680030.jpg|Sun-room overlooking walled garden c. 1916 File:"Gray Gardens," Robert Carmer Hill house, Lily Pond Lane, East Hampton, New York. Plan LCCN2007685961.tif|Plan c. 1914 ==References==