Grey Gardens in East Hampton contract, report says

The East Hampton home known as Grey Gardens, which once belonged to the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, has gone into contract, according to The Washington Post.

The seven-bedroom, 6-1/2 bath house — which is currently owned by Sally Quinn, the wife of late Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee — hit the market for the first time since 1979 in February, with an asking price of $19.995 million. The price was later reduced to $17.995 million. The 1.7-acre property, which includes a pool and tennis court, was rented over the summer by American Express.

The listing agent, Michael Schultz of The Corcoran Group, was not available for comment. The selling price and buyer were not revealed in The Washington Post story. Quinn spoke to the newspaper for the article.

The house became infamous in 1975 after it was featured in a documentary as the dilapidated home of its owners — Onassis’ aunt Edith “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and her cousin, known as “Little Edie” — who lived in wretched conditions. The documentary was the inspiration for an Emmy-award winning HBO movie, starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, and a Broadway musical.

The shingle-style house, built in 1897, was purchased by the Bouvier Beales in the 1920s before falling into disrepair. Following Big Edie’s death in 1977, Little Edie sold the house in 1979 to Bradlee and Quinn, a journalist and author. After fully restoring the house, the couple spent the month of August at the home each year until Bradlee died in 2014.

The Post said that Quinn will hold an estate sale to unload the home’s furniture, which includes some belongings of Big and Little Edie that she had found in the attic.

Another property linked to Onassis also recently found a buyer. The 7.15-acre estate that once belonged to her grandmother, which had been on the market for $29.995 million, went to contract on Wednesday. Onassis spent her childhood summers at the 10-bedroom house, which is known as Lasata.