The most expensive residential sale in town history began with a soccer jersey.
John Raus — an agent with Berkshire Hathaway — and his wife were at the Compo Beach playground, with their young children.
He saw a girl wearing an Arsenal shirt. He’s a fan of the London team, so he chatted with her parents.
One thing led to another — including an introduction by them to the couple who would eventually buy 5 lots on Beachside Avenue.
The $54 million total price encompasses plenty of history. The properties at 120 and 122 Beachside Avenue were once owned by Phil Donohue and Marlo Thomas.
122 Beachside Avenue
The one at 26 Beachside — adjacent to Burying Hill Beach — was previously owned by Harvey Weinstein. In 2012, it was the site of a fundraiser for President Obama.
The presidential motorcade at Harvey Weinstein’s Beachside Avenue house, in 2012. (Photo/White House pool)
All the properties are waterfront, on Long Island Sound.
128 Beachside Avenue
The seller last month was the Bentley family. The buyer’s names have not been disclosed.
However, Raus says, “Westport couldn’t be getting a better family to join this community. They are very humble, very easy-going.”
They will use their properties — 13.2 acres at 120-128 Beachside (including homes, a pool and tennis court), and 3.3 acres at 26 Beachside (where the old Weinstein house was demolished 5 years ago) — for their extended family.
Westport will get something else: $135,000 in conveyance taxes.
The state of Connecticut gets even more: $1.185 million.
The Leslie Clarke team at Compass represented the Bentleys for the sale of 120-128 Beachside Avenue. Compass realtor Deirdre Andreoli represented the Bentleys for 26 Beachside Avenue.
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Beachside Avenue has always been favored by the gilded class.
In the mid 70’s two friends and I ‘caretook’ the HS Richardson estate on Beachside and that spring, summer and fall was a dream trip for a few Westport longhairs.
Bringing friends back after a night at The Players, The Dialtone or Rialto in PC was a trip…
No affordable housing contemplated?
I heard rumors of a 13 story waterfront condo complex under the auspices of 8-30g, of course. I believe it will be named Trump Towers – Westport.
Kidding, of course, but I’ve been wondering why some clever developer hasn’t done it.
My grandfather in the late 30s to 1953 “ rented” about 40 acres from Richardson to enhance his farming capacity. One piece of land is now the Richardson Wildlife Preserve. The other piece of property was just before Hedley Farms Rd. There was an entrance to the farmland there, and one off Beachside Avenue. The price for renting these properties was that my grandfather had to deliver vegetables every week to his family. Mr. Richardson had three homes on Beachside Avenue. The farming ended in 1953.
Go Westport! Always attracting the rich and humble.
Mr. Richardson lived at the home at ‘the point’ the closest house to the actual beach. The next two houses belonged to the family. I believe it was the third house from the point, one of Richardson’s son lived and he committed suicide. I personally observed all I have written, but the suicide was something I was told about. I believe the son was named Jack Richardson.
Dear Newcomers to Westport, Just think about it. At one time, one could rent around 40 acres in Westport, and pay with vegetables. This is the Westport I knew. One employee was a DP and was in a German Concentration Camp and my grandfather gave him his first job in America.
took me a few seconds to look up the new owners. appears one is a ceo of hair products and one is a musician…
I remember Lucy Bedford’s house. When did that get removed?
That was quite the corner- Bedford and J.C. Penny a few houses down the street.