Connecticut
Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue's former Connecticut estate sets record with $27.5 million listing
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Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue’s former Connecticut estate is now ready for purchase.
The waterfront home, in the historic town of Westport, has made history as the most expensive listing and will set the record for the most expensive house sold in the state if it sells for the asking price of $27.5 million.
“There are no other properties with the expanse of land, amount of waterfront and level of luxury home available for purchase,” Compass agent Leslie Clarke, who is in charge of the listing, told Mansion Global. “Beachside Avenue is a coveted address, and it’s rare for properties to come on the market.”
Donahue and Thomas bought the property in 2007, and in partnership with architect Roger Ferris + Partners, the powerhouse couple were able to build their dream home. They would go on to sell the estate in 2013, to its current owner, Andrew Bentley, who, according to Mansion Global, paid $20 million for the home.
Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue’s former Connecticut estate is on sale for $27.5 million. (Compass/Getty Images / Fox News)
MARLO THOMAS AND PHIL DONAHUE REFLECT ON THEIR 40-YEAR MARRIAGE: ‘WE WANTED TO PROTECT IT’
The 11,450 square foot home sits on a 6.6-acre property, which includes 400 feet of private walkways on the waterfront. Walking up to the house, guests are greeted by a cobblestone courtyard with a fountain, which is lined by trees and other greenery.
Upon entry, visitors will find a cozy sitting area with a brick fireplace, gray hardwood floors, light-colored wood paneling on the walls, a chandelier and stunning views of the backyard and ocean through glass French doors.
The exterior of the home is lined with trees and features a cobblestone courtyard and a fountain. (Compass / Fox News)
The home’s entrance features a stone fireplace and stunning views of the ocean. (Compass / Fox News)
Also on the main floor is the living room, which includes the white wooden paneling and gray hardwood floors also found in the entry, as well as built-in shelving and a brick fireplace.
Key highlights of the living room include floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of the ocean, as well as a circular bay window with cushioned seating and a table in the center, perfect for an additional dining area.
The living room features floor-to-ceiling windows, built-in shelves and a fireplace. (Compass / Fox News)
The sun room features a wood-burning fireplace and is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. (Compass / Fox News)
Elsewhere on the main floor is the sun room, which is surrounded by glass French doors. The room also features a third brick wood-burning fireplace, gray stone flooring and a second dining area, in addition to unique touches such as the sconces and chandelier with candles on them.
The kitchen and dining room round out the common living spaces on the main floor. The kitchen features plenty of storage and counter space with white cabinets and gray countertops, with a large center island featuring built-in bookshelves.
The kitchen has a big center island with built-in bookshelves. (Compass / Fox News)
The kitchen also features a wine rack and a cooler. (Compass / Fox News)
In addition to the storage space, the kitchen boasts three sinks and top-of-the-line appliances, including a subzero freezer, dishwasher, wine chiller and wine rack.
Just steps away from the kitchen is the dining room, which features light-brown hardwood flooring and space big enough for a table fit for 10 guests.
The dining room is surrounded by French doors on one side and has enough room for a table fit for 10. (Compass / Fox News)
The primary bedroom features a rustic wood ceiling and views of the ocean. (Compass / Fox News)
Three of the home’s bedrooms, including the primary bedroom, are found in the main house, while another two bedrooms are found in a separate wing of the home with its own private entrance, creating the perfect space for overnight guests.
The primary bedroom boasts many unique features, including the rustic barn wood ceiling and a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows providing incredible views of the backyard and ocean.
The primary bedroom boasts a spacious ensuite bathroom and a walk-in closet. (Compass / Fox News)
The newly redesigned sitting room could also work as an office space. (Compass / Fox News)
In addition to the view, the primary bedroom comes with a spacious walk-in closet, as well as an ensuite bathroom featuring sleek white countertops, a bathtub and unique lighting built into the ceiling.
Another highlight of the home is a newly redesigned sitting area or office space, featuring gray built-in shelving, gray hardwood flooring and enough space for a large desk and a full living room setup.
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The home also features a sauna and a gym. (Compass / Fox News)
The home boasts a large laundry room with multiple machines. (Compass / Fox News)
Elsewhere in the home is a full home gym with beautiful panoramic views of the greenery and nature surrounding the home, as well as a spa and steam room with intricate palm tree designs sculpted into the stone walls. In addition, the home boasts a large laundry room, with multiple washing machines and dryers.
The home comes with a four-car garage and a full-sized clay tennis court on the grounds, as well as a patio overlooking the ocean.
The home’s backyard features a patio overlooking the ocean. (Compass / Fox News)
The grounds feature a full-sized clay tennis court. (Compass / Fox News)
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Connecticut
A Character-Rich Family Home in Connecticut That Bridges Past and Present
When a house has been loved for generations, its walls tend to hold stories. In the case of one family residence in Darien, Connecticut, that sentiment was taken quite literally. On the casement between the living room and kitchen are ticks that denote decades of growth, a quiet record of childhoods unfolding in real time. Several of those measurements belong to the home’s newest steward—the original owners’ daughter—who was ready to put her own mark on the property.
Eager to see what she could make of the 1930s structure, she and her husband tapped British-born designer Becca Casey of Connecticut-based Becca Interiors to breathe new life—and old soul—into the interior. For Casey, being entrusted with that kind of emotional patina was a privilege she didn’t take lightly. “The greatest challenge was ensuring that the new extension had synergy with the original house while bringing together the couple’s different tastes and honoring the home’s history,” Casey says of the 2,400-square-foot space.
That delicate balance shows up everywhere, from tailored silhouettes and clean lines for him to pattern and color for her. Nowhere is that nuance more evident than in the property’s oldest room, a long, beam-lined living space that once sat largely unused. Casey swathed it in an atmospheric mural, transforming it into a multi-zone haven centered on the fireplace, with moments of repose throughout where the family can gather to play a game or enjoy a book.
Around the home, Casey’s eye for nuance is unmistakable. She wields color, pattern, and shape with equal aplomb, expertly marrying form with function in a way that’s both timeless and fresh. A hidden television disappears behind drapery-lined cabinetry, the inner skeleton of an armchair is displayed like a work of art, a vintage dining table reveals a plaque from the husband’s hometown (a serendipitous discovery that made the piece instantly meaningful). In the end, reviving the dwelling wasn’t about reinvention for Casey—it was about the possibility that a new chapter can bring. The result is a space that, according to Casey, feels “quietly refined and effortlessly lived-in”—an elegant meeting point between memory and modern family life.
FAST FACTS:
Designer: Becca Casey, Becca Interiors
Location: Darien, Connecticut
The Space: A 1930s colonial with six bedrooms, across 2,400 square feet.
LIVING ROOM
Bare windows and a transportive wallpaper nod to the pastoral landscape.
The living room is the oldest space in the house, so Casey wanted to honor its bones while streamlining the layout for modern functionality. Custom Dmitriy & Co. sofas—linen on the top, patterned French mattress tufting at the base—typify the union between “his” and “her” tastes.
A traditional English roll armchair was tucked into a corner at the request of the husband, whose wish list included a spot to read. Aiming for a “layered floor plan,” with distinct areas for the family’s many needs, Casey added a game table as a visual anchor with a direct sight line to the main entryway of the home.
DEN
An original stone fireplace anchors the family-ready space.
Drenched in French Gray paint by Farrow & Ball and grounded by the original stone fireplace, the den is carefully choreographed to support togetherness, with a custom sectional and hidden TV.
DINING ROOM
The sun-drenched space looks out to the backyard pond.
Part of the new addition, the serene dining room is flooded with light, thanks to expansive floor to (almost) ceiling windows. Layered textiles keep the antique table—a happy find, originally made in the husband’s hometown—geared toward casual meals.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Salvaged beams mimic the look of the originals in the living room.
Inspired by Belgian interiors, the elevated placement of the fireplace isn’t just a design flex—it’s an experiential choice that puts the flames right at eye level when lounging in bed. Beside it, two vintage English armchairs stun with their exposed interior, a Becca Interiors signature touch.
PRIMARY BATH
Natural materials were chosen for their ability to patina over time.
In the primary bathroom, wellness comes through atmosphere rather than gadgets. A Drummonds soaking tub is positioned for prime pond views, with a gray-green base (Drop Cloth, Farrow & Ball) that reinforces the room’s soothing palette.
WORKSTATION
Smart features make family management a cinch.
To make the most of a hall nook, Casey crafted a compact desk where the wife, a teacher, can grade papers. Labeled drawers store art supplies, while a floor-to-ceiling cabinet (at side) acts as a hub for deliveries.
About the Designer
Becca Casey is the Principal Director and founder of Becca Interiors. Raised in the countryside of Southwest England, her earliest influences were rooted in history, nature, and the quiet beauty of rural life. These foundations continue to shape her design philosophy today, one that blends heritage with modern sensibility while honoring craftsmanship and the beauty of daily life at home.
Connecticut
Hartford community grieves men killed in police shootings
The Hartford community is grappling with two police shootings that happened within eight days of each other. Both started off as mental health calls about someone in distress.
People came together to remember one of the men killed at a vigil on Wednesday evening.
With hands joined, a prayer for peace and comfort was spoken for the family of Everard Walker. He was having a mental health crisis when a family member called 211 on Feb.19.
Two mental health professionals from the state-operated Capitol Regional Mental Health Center requested Hartford police come with them to Walker’s apartment on Capitol Avenue.
A scuffle ensued, and police said it looked like Walker was going to stab an officer. The brief fight ended with an officer shooting and killing Walker.
The family is planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
“All I will have now is a tombstone and the voicemails he left on my phone that I listen over and over again at night just so I can fall asleep,” Menan Walker, one of Walker’s daughters, said.
City councilman Josh Michtom (WF) is asking whether police could have acted differently.
“To me, the really concerning thing is why the police were there at all, why they went into that apartment in the way that they did, in the numbers that they did,” he said.
The president of Hartford’s police union, James Rutkauski, asked the community to hold their judgment and wait for a full investigation by the Inspector General’s office to be completed.
A different tone was taken in a statement released about another police shooting on Blue Hills Avenue on Feb. 27.
Rutkauski said the union fully supports the officer who fired at 55-year-old Steven Jones, who was holding a knife during a mental health crisis.
In part, the union’s statement says that Jones “deliberately advanced on the officer in a manner that created an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury. This was a 100% justified use of deadly force.”
The Inspector General’s office will determine if the officer was justified following an investigation.
The officer who shot Jones was the fourth to arrive on the scene. Three others tried to get him to drop the knife, even using a taser, before the shooting.
“It just feels like beyond the conduct of any one officer, we have this problem, which is that we send cops for every problem,” Michtom said. “I don’t know how you can de-escalate at the point of a gun.”
Jones died from his injuries on Tuesday.
The union’s statement went on to say that officers should not be society’s default for mental health professionals. The statement said in part, “We ask for renewed commitment from our legislators to remove police from being the vanguard of what should be a mental health professional response.”
The officers involved in both shootings are on administrative leave.
Connecticut
Connecticut Launches New Era for Community Hospital Care – UConn Today
Marked by a ceremonial ribbon cutting and attended by Governor Ned Lamont, state legislators, Waterbury officials, and community leaders, UConn Health celebrated the acquisition of Waterbury Hospital which as of today is now the UConn Health Waterbury Hospital.
“This is a defining moment for healthcare in Connecticut,” said Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, CEO of UConn Health Community Network. “We now have the opportunity to take the award -winning academic quality and service of UConn Health and share it with the wonderful employees, doctors and community of Waterbury.”
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont described the initiative as a forward-looking investment in the future of healthcare access across Connecticut.
“Connecticut is leading with innovation,” said Connecticut Governor Lamont. “The UConn Health Community Network reflects a proactive approach to strengthening community-based care by connecting it directly to the capabilities of our state’s public academic medical center. What begins in Waterbury today, represents a new model designed to expand opportunity, access, and excellence for communities statewide.”
In addition to UConn Health Waterbury Hospital, the Network includes UConn Health Community Network Medical Group and UConn Health Waterbury Health at Home. The model preserves each member’s local identity and will grow thoughtfully over time to improve quality, expand access, and reduce the total cost of care.
“This reflects a bold step forward in how we think about healthcare in Connecticut,” said John Driscoll, Chair of the UConn Health Board of Directors. “Today we celebrate the beginning of a new approach to community-based care. We move forward with clarity of purpose and shared commitment to serve our communities better together.”
Comptroller Sean Scanlon highlighted the significance of the model for the long-term evolution of healthcare delivery in Connecticut.
“This partnership represents thoughtful leadership at a pivotal time for healthcare,” said Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon. “By aligning community hospitals with academic medicine, Connecticut is building a modern framework that positions our healthcare system to meet the needs of patients today and into the future.”
“Hosting this celebration on our campus is deeply meaningful for our staff, physicians and the families we serve,” said Deborah Weymouth, President of UConn Health Waterbury Hospital. “Waterbury’s legacy of care continues, and we are tremendously proud to have a strong partner who is deeply committed to our community and help lead this next chapter for healthcare.”
Welcome UConn Health Waterbury Hospital!
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