Once owned by Johnny Carson, Westchester house is on the market for $5.3 million
A Westchester County house whose former owners have included late-night talk-show legend and comedian Johnny Carson and an illustrator of the Amelia Bedelia children’s books is on the market for $5.3 million.
The 9,923-square-foot home with 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms is described as a one-of-a-kind stone manor “with off-the-chart amenities,” according to the listing. The 7 Puritan Road house, on 1.94 acres, is in Rye and in the Harrison school district. It has seven fireplaces and is close to shopping areas, trains and a golf course, the listing said.
After renting in the area for a while, Carson bought the property in 1959 and lived there for a year, said Christy Murphy, who has the listing for William Pitt Julia B Fee Sotheby’s International Realty.
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The home was sold to a family who then lived there for several years and who sold it to Fritz Siebel, the first Amelia Bedelia children’s books illustrator, who raised his family at the home. The Siebels sold the house to its current owners in 1982.
Carson’s career including hosting NBC’s “The Tonight Show” show for decades, a position he started in 1962. He hosted for the final time in 1992 – a broadcast watched by an estimated 50 million people, according to his bio on the Kennedy Center Honors website. He was famed for his monologues, among other things, and was often referred to as “the king of late night."
Carson, who died in 2005, received a 1992 Presidential Medal of Freedom and was celebrated for career achievement by the Kennedy Center Honors in 1993.
According to the Amelia Bedelia books website, the first of the books by author Peggy Parish was published in 1963, with Siebel’s illustrations. Siebel had illustrated other children’s books by then, was a graphic designer, and founded a graphic and package design company in New York City, the website said. He illustrated two more of the Amelia Bedelia books: “Thank You, Amelia Bedelia,” in 1964, and “Amelia Bedelia and the Surprise Shower,” in 1966.
More: Paul Shaffer, David Letterman music director and band leader, lists Westchester home for sale
Among the current house's amenities are a pool, outdoor spa, pickleball/sport court, gazebo, blue stone walkways, wraparound terraces, and a custom chef’s kitchen with center island and high-end appliances. There are also three custom offices, a fitness studio with a private sauna, an indoor cabana bath, an ice cream bar, and a three-car garage with two charging stations.
“This property is a masterpiece of design and craftsmanship, offering an unparalleled lifestyle,” the listing said. “It promises an exceptional living experience.”
Michael McKinney covers growth and development in Westchester County and the Lower Hudson Valley for The Journal News/lohud.com and the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Johnny Carson once owned Westchester NY house is on the market
