Diane Sawyer lists shared Martha’s Vineyard home with her late husband
Diane Sawyer says goodbye to her longtime Martha’s Vineyard estate, which she purchased in 1995 with her late husband, film director Mike Nichols.
Known as the Chip Chop House, the veteran host told the Wall Street Journal She left her beloved home because “the rhythms of summer have changed,” adding that her family has grown and “leaves less free time for longer visits to the island.”
“Five grandchildren ran through the halls, learned to swim in the warm water and collected moss in the forest,” she said. “On Thanksgiving the two huge fireplaces in the great room emit warmth and golden light. We always felt so lucky to be together in this magical place.”
Sawyer’s husband died in 2014 after suffering a heart attack in their Manhattan apartment.
Nichols was known for films like The Graduate and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
“Mike fell in love with The Vineyard in the ’60s and always remembered the day he visited Katharine Cornell at her home,” Sawyer said in a statement. “He said it was the most beautiful house he had ever seen and described the gleaming wood of the great room with its huge sliding doors. He remembered the path that meandered across the dune to the beach, like an invitation to a perfect day. It’s always in control of its imagination.”
The beachfront grounds stretch over 50 acres and were built for legendary actress Cornell in the 1940s. Cornell entertained stars like Noel Coward, Eleanor Roosevelt and Laurence Olivier.
Sawyer and Nichols restored the house over the years and used it as a place for large gatherings with family and friends.
The property includes several homes with expansive water frontage, including nearly a half-mile of sandy beach on Vineyard Sound, the listing says.
Specifically, there are two stretches of private beach, including 2,000 feet on Vineyard Sound and 1,600 feet of beach on Lake Tashmoo.
The properties include a 3 bedroom main house, a 2 bedroom caretaker’s house and two modern beach houses known as ‘The Shacks’.
Two other detached bedroom suites, the Pond Pavilion and the Ocean Pavilion are also located on the Chip Chop property.
Amenities include a swimming pool overlooking the beach and a Har-Tru tennis court.
Mark Jenkins of Wallace and Co. Sotheby’s International Realty wrote the entry.
Sawyer has hosted news programs such as ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, and ABC News 20/20.
