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Ralph Lauren Snags Oceanfront Montauk Estate for $20 Million

The house previously belonged to Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Edward Albee

By Haley Chouinard
Person in a brown suede jacket and jeans waves while surrounded by white flowers and greenery.
Designer Ralph Lauren is set to buy the Hamptons home of late playwright Edward Albee. Photo: Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Ocean-view backyard with a swimming pool, cozy pool house, and lush greenery under a clear blue sky.
The property occupies a prime oceanfront parcel in Montauk. Douglas Elliman

After six months on the market, the Montauk home of the late Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Edward Albee has found a buyer: fashion icon Ralph Lauren.

Lauren, who recently became the first American fashion designer to be knighted, also owns the homes on either side of the property, which is currently owned by the Edward F. Albee Foundation. The 3-acre estate includes a nearly 3,000-square-foot house and sits directly on the ocean.

Albee, who wrote The Zoo Story, The Sandbox, and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, split his time between the Long Island estate and his apartment in New York City until his death in 2016. During his impressive career, Albee won three Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, three Tony Awards, the America Award in Literature, and a National Medal of Arts. He purchased the Montauk house in the 1960s.

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A company associated with Lauren purchased the home directly to the west of the property for $12.5 million in 2013, reports the Wall Street Journal. The designer has owned the larger property to the east of Albee’s since the 1990s, according to public records.

The house features four bedrooms and three baths in addition to a guesthouse, a pool house, and a regulation-size tennis court.

Paul Brennan of Douglas Elliman had the listing.

Modern house with large windows, surrounded by trees, features a stone patio with chairs on a sunny day.
The playwright Edward Albee lived part-time at the Montauk house until he passed away in September 2016. Douglas Elliman

Elegant dining room with a round wooden table, chandelier, and mirrored walls overlooking a scenic ocean view.
The house has 200 feet of direct ocean frontage. Douglas Elliman

Bright white kitchen with a central island, wooden countertops, large fridge, and sliding doors leading to a balcony with greenery.
The property had been owned by Albee for more than 50 years. It was sold through the Edward F. Albee Foundation. Douglas Elliman

Bright living room with ocean view, modern furniture, decorative art, large windows, and stone flooring.
Ocean views are complemented by stone and tile floors and a fireplace in the living room. Douglas Elliman

Cozy bedroom with sea view, features a bed, bookshelves, TV, and sliding door to a garden with ocean scenery.
The house has four bedrooms and three full baths. Douglas Elliman

Cozy home library with bookshelves, wooden desk, leather chairs, and large windows offering a view of the ocean.
A modest study offers incredible oceanfront views. Douglas Elliman

Coastal view with a grassy lawn, trees, and a house on the left overlooking the ocean on a sunny day.
The property surrounding the house spans nearly three acres. Douglas Elliman

Aerial view of a beachfront property with tennis courts, green trees, and houses along a sandy beach.
Lauren currently owns the houses on either side of the property as well. Douglas Elliman