The Former Home of Katharine Hepburn in the Fenwick Section of Old Saybrook, CT

For those of you who may be wondering what the former Fenwick, Connecticut home of Katharine Hepburn looks like today, here it is. Now owned by a New York developer, its exterior remains the same as when she rebuilt the “cottage” in 1939 after the original structure was destroyed in the 1938 Hurricane. It took her just one year to build a much sturdier rambling brick colonial. The first home had been made of wood. The new owner raised the home some 6-feet to protect it even further from any violent storm which might approach.

Katharine Hepburn called Fenwick her “real” home even though she was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut. Hepburn is quoted by Stuart W. Little in his book “Home in Fenwick, A Memoir of a Place” as saying, ” I would go there (Fenwick) even if I could spend only an hour.” Incidentally if you want to know about the Borough of Fenwick check out Little’s book. He was a long-time resident of the summer community and his book is filled with a lot of History of the place that sites on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Connecticut river.

See You At “The Kate!”
Ann Nyberg, Trustee, KHCAC