Truman Capote often visited this $16.49M Hamptons home — which features his red Mustang for an extra price

A 19th-century Sag Harbor home that the late novelist Truman Capote often frequented has listed for $16.49 million, Gimme Shelter has learned.

The historic residence, at 207 Madison St., served as a place of refuge for Capote following his Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.” 

The seller purchased the dwelling, built in 1841, for $2.85 million in 2022 and then embarked on an extensive renovation — hence the eye-catching price jump.

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The property had previously been owned by Capote’s friends, the late Joe Petrocik and Myron Clement, for more than 50 years. They used it as a weekend escape from the city, where they ran a public relations firm.

Capote, who passed away in 1984, was an author, a playwright and a screenwriter known for his work of fiction and non-fiction — from the 1958 novella “In Cold Blood,” a gripping true crime story.

Although Capote had his own home in Sagaponack — the friends met on the beach in the late 1960s, when Capote was looking for his dog, Maggie — the author spent so much time at 207 Madison, with Petrocik and Clement, that he often referred to the front parlor as his bedroom, according to reports. 

The Sag Harbor home’s connection to the print world goes back even farther. 

The home was originally built for Col. Henry Wentworth Hunt who — after a stint in Haiti where he was mistaken for a Frenchman and sentenced to death — became publisher of the Sag Harbor Corrector, which became absorbed into the Sag Harbor Express.

The home is now on the market following a three-year facelift, led by Riostello Studio, MJS Building & Development, and Halcyon Design.

“It’s rare for a home with such a distinguished history to be brought back to life with this level of care and vision,” said Preston Kaye, co-founder of Hedgerow Exclusive Properties, which has the listing. 

“It’s not only a piece of Sag Harbor’s heritage, it has also been completely reimagined for modern living,” Kaye added. 

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The property sits on .38 of an acre. It features a 5,000-square-foot main house that was “carefully lifted” for a new foundation to be laid and expanded with a 1,400-square-foot addition. Original details — from solid timber porch columns to the front door, to hand-hewn beams and early bricks and granite from the chimneys and foundation — were preserved and repurposed.

The main home now comes with five bedrooms, six baths and two powder rooms. 

The spread opens to a foyer that leads to formal living and dining rooms with a “Truman Capote-inspired” lounge. There’s also an eat-in kitchen with white oak cabinets and a leathered quartzite island. The main bedroom is upstairs, along with two other ensuite bedrooms, while a guest/staff suite with its own entrance is in the basement.

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Outside, the landscaped grounds boast a saltwater pool flanked by a restored glass conservatory that serves as a 300-square-foot one-bedroom, one-bath guest house. There’s also a 500-square-foot pool house with a bar and a powder room, along with an outdoor shower. The structure can also function as a one-car garage.

In addition, there’s a limestone terrace and gardens.  

An original oil portrait of Capote once graced the home, and Capote’s 1967 red Mustang convertible is still parked outside, with its CAPOTE license plate. Both can also be purchased at additional cost, Kaye said.

In an interview with the New York Times, Petrocik and Clement once described hosting Capote a few days before his death over dinner at the Sag Harbor home. 

“He came at about 6 o’clock in the evening,” Mr. Petrocik said. “It was a warm August Sunday night. And Jack Dunphy [Capote’s companion for 33 years] had driven him over from Sagaponack to our house in Sag Harbor.” Capote died in California a few days after the dinner.