Legendary talk show host Dick Cavett’s home in Montauk, known as Tick Hall and one of the historic homes known as the “Seven Sisters,” has sold for $23.6 million, making it the most expensive sale in Montauk so far in 2021.
Compass confirmed that Chris Coleman, a Montauk-based agent, closed the deal on the iconic oceanfront 19.8-acre property at 176 Deforest Road that he was representing and had a last asking of $28.5 million. Krae Van Sickle of Saunders & Associates represented the buyer. There is no word on who the buyer is yet.
The sale comes on the heels of another Seven Sisters property trade, in which Coleman represented both the buyer and the seller. Last month, Behind The Hedges reported that the Andrews House at 153 Deforest Road went into contract, last asking $11.95 million.
Tick Hall, located on the easternmost end of what is now known as the Montauk Association, has been on the market for at least six years. It was once listed at $62 million.
Cavett has owned the property, perched high on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with 900 feet of ocean frontage, for more than 50 years. The parcel borders nearly 200 acres of preserve.
A fire destroyed the original 1882 structure in 1997, but Cavett rebuilt it to reflect the 1880s design using forensic architecture. The rebuilding of Tick Hall was captured in a documentary released in 2003 called, From the Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall.
The new 6,500-square-foot home features “a seamless combination of modern amenities and timeless charm,” Coleman’s listing says. “No detail has been overlooked throughout this beautiful home offering six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a gorgeous kitchen open to a covered and screened porch overlooking the ocean, formal living and dining rooms, den, office, a finished lower level, and a cozy finished attic with reading nook. The wrap-around porches are the perfect place to enjoy outdoor living and dining, and take in the sunrise and sunset views.”
Other special features include walking trails, a gazebo overlooking the ocean, a free form gunite pool with a pagoda and an accessory structure and a pond down another path. A winding private walkway leads down to the beach.
The Seven Sisters cottages were part of an original summer colony designed by Stanford White, one of the Gilded Age’s most famous architects. In the 1880s, the developer Arthur Benson wanted to create a retreat for his wealthy friends and he and six friends each commissioned McKim, Mead & White to design the houses. Benson also hired Frederick Law Olmsted, now considered the father of landscape architecture and who designed Central Park, to chose the site for each of the residences to take full advantage of the breathtaking views from the moorlands east of what we now call Ditch Plains Beach.
The Seven Sisters houses, now part of the Montauk Association, are considered important examples of the shingle style of architecture. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the years, Tick Hall was listed with various agents and agencies. The original $62 million dropped to $48.5 million, then was slashed to $33.95 million in 2019.
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