Source: Comedian Louis C.K. buys Shelter Island home

Comedian Louis C.K. has joked that if he had $85 billion he would “buy every baseball team and make them all wear dresses.” While he hasn’t gone that far, C.K. has purchased a Tudor-style home on Shelter Island that once hosted baseball legend Babe Ruth, says a source close to the deal.

C.K. closed on the 2-acre waterfront estate on May 20 for $2.44 million, says the source. The home had originally been listed for $4.9 million, and the price was lowered over the years, most recently to $2.49 million, the source says.

Asked about the purchase, a spokeswoman for C.K. said by email, "Unfortunately he is unavailable to participate at this time."

The six-bedroom home, named Primrose, was reportedly built around 1901 for then-President William McKinley and his mistress, according to family lore. It was mentioned in the 1999 book “Never-Never Land: The Saga of Westmoreland Farm.”

The cottage has lots of original details, including Mercer tiles — handmade tiles by tile-maker Henry Chapman Mercer of Pennsylvania — surrounding two of the home’s six fireplaces.

The source says that C.K. plans to restore the historic structure.

Linda McCarthy of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty listed the property.