Longtime Vineyarder Marc Brown, the creator of the award-winning children’s book and television series Arthur, sold his Vineyard Haven property earlier this month.
The 7.2-acre property at 180 Pilot Hill Road sold for $6.4 million on August 11 to a buyer from California, according to Elle Lash, the property’s listing agent from Tea Lane Associates.
Mr. Brown and his wife, artist Laurene Krasny Brown, bought the property in 1988, and renovated the historic farm house and grounds over the next 37 years. It was a place that helped inspire the Arthur books and shows.
“[The Island] is a place that facilitates creativity…it frees us up in a way that’s truly magical,” Mr. Brown said in a 2022 interview with the Gazette.
Mr. Brown began the book series in 1976, and it officially concluded in 2011. The television series ran for 25 seasons.
Feeling like they had completed their renovation project — and also hoping to be closer to their primary residence — the Browns were ready to pass on their house for someone else to enjoy, said Ms. Lash.
“It was an evolving, creative project for them,” she said. “They renovated and restored this historic farmhouse with a lot of love and a lot of passion….and they’re moving onto their next project.”
The Browns recently purchased another historic farmhouse in Hudson Valley, which they plan to renovate and restore.
Their longtime Island home reflects both Mr. and Ms. Brown’s art, from the kindness and generosity of Arthur to the “wild creativity” of their other artistic works, said Ms. Lash. The wide plank Siberian floors, as well as the antique mantlepieces, are hand-painted, and the color scheme for the walls and moulding were drawn from both nature and the Browns’ collection of American folk art.
The Browns also installed a saltwater pool, a screened-in porch and stone patio. An old horse stable was converted into Ms. Brown’s art studio, and the space above the three-car carriage house garage became Mr. Brown’s studio.
“The list of what was done at the property, both on the grounds and to the different historic buildings, is pretty exhaustive,” said Ms. Lash.
The buyer, DRS Pilot Hill LLC, represents a multi-generational family that has already moved into the property. One member of the family is a longtime Vineyard visitor with friends on the Island, and another member of the family will live in the house year-round, according to Julie Flanders, the buyers’ agent.
“I think it went from one special family to another special family,” said Ms. Flanders, adding that the new owners brought their dogs and donkeys to the property.
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