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The illustrator’s former home at 8 Circle Road recently came to market for $2,595,000, and is currently listed by Nancy Dauk and Gwen Alexis of Halstead Property.
Whitcomb, who was well-known for his illustrations, had works published by Collier’s Weekly, Good Housekeeping, McCall’s and Playboy, among others.
Whitcomb, who died in 1988, easily drew inspiration from his home in Darien. The home is close to town but feels like it is set miles from any neighbor.
“It’s hard to find that combination of privacy and convenience close to town,’’ Dauk said. “Usually if you want that kind of privacy you have to go way out. The grounds are magnificent.”
Dauk calls the home, which was built in 1939, a “California Contemporary.” “It’s different from most homes you’ll see in Darien and not a mid-century Modern Contemporary,’’ Dauk said. “It’s a lot like a Frank Lloyd Wright home with lots of light and walls of glass. The great thing is you can have any kind of furniture.”
The home sits on 1.8 acres and has 5,895 square feet. There are four bedrooms and 5.5 baths, and has city sewer and water.
The eat-in kitchen is professionally equipped, and includes a huge island. There is a workout room next to the master bedroom, and the downstairs includes two separate areas with billiard, media and play rooms. There is also a four-car heated garage.
For all of its amenities, Dauk likes the indoor-outdoor feeling of the home with multi-leisure living areas. “The indoor-outdoor environment is amazing,’’ Dauk said. “There is a huge terrace off of the living room that feels like another room.”
Like Whitcomb, the new owner will undoubtedly enjoy entertaining guests by the pool. Whitcomb also had an apartment in New York, but spent most of his time in his Darien home. According to a Halstead blog, Swedish maids staffed the residence to make sure guests were well fed and looked after when Whitcomb was working, and he liked to lavishly entertain with cocktail and dinner parties that typically ended up with him at the piano.
The prospective owner might not get to enjoy the company of A-list celebrities, but they will enjoy the home and its close to town location yet extraordinary seclusion.
“It’s very private and very quiet,’’ Dauk said. “It’s not something you’ll see very often in Darien.”
For more information, contact Dauk at 203-858-1146, or via email at ndauk@halstead.com. Alexis can be reached at 203-656-6581 or 203-858-4742. Her email is galexis@halstead.com. Complete listing information is also online.
