Despite being free to leave, Clark lived quietly in a Manhattan hospital room for two decades before her 2011 death at 104, with reported costs exceeding $800 a day. A passionate doll collector and painter, she accumulated a collection of rarely used homes, including several cooperative apartments on Fifth Avenue, a grand villa in Santa Barbara, and Le Beau Chateau, which she purchased in 1951 as a potential refuge during the Cold War but never stayed in.
After her passing, her Manhattan apartments were sold for a total of $55 million, and her Santa Barbara mansion, Bellosguardo, was bequeathed to a foundation for limited tours. The Connecticut estate, which she tried unsuccessfully to sell several times before her death, was acquired in 2014 for $14 million by fashion designer Reed Krakoff and interior designer Delphine Krakoff, a significant reduction from the original $34 million asking price. They undertook a respectful restoration, blending modern conveniences with the property’s historic charm.
The estate features a long drive flanked by two modest cottages, leading to a motor court in front of the 21-room French-style manor house built in 1937. The nearly 15,000-square-foot mansion includes nine bedrooms, ten bathrooms, and four powder rooms, with three of the original fireplaces still functional.
The Krakoffs chose a neutral color palette of creams and beiges, creating a light and airy feel with plush fabrics and art-friendly white walls. Antique chevron-patterned wood floors adorn much of the main floor and several upper bedrooms. Notable features include a sweeping circular staircase, a large living room, a spacious library, and a formal dining room enhanced by a modern Cloud sculpture by French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. The estate also boasts a formal garden, a large lawn leading to a rectangular pool, a reconditioned tennis court, and dense woodlands ensuring privacy.
The Krakoffs have a history of buying and selling notable properties on the East Coast, including a Manhattan townhouse sold to Roger Waters of Pink Floyd in 2007 and another townhouse for $51 million in 2014. They previously owned Lasata, Jackie Kennedy’s childhood summer home, and have since built a striking new residence in the Hamptons, featuring modern glass and concrete pavilions overlooking the dunes in Amagansett.
