On the Market
The mid-century modern was built in the 1960s using reclaimed materials, including driftwood
Walls of glass give the home an indoor-outdoor feel, which was popular in the 1960s. Kinlin Grover Compass
On the market for $3.35 million, the mid-century modern Wellfleet home at 135 Newcomb Hollow Road was designed to resemble a boat. Its history includes glamorous and tragic figures from Hollywood.
“Join the lineage of creatives who have called this place home,” the listing says.
The house at 135 Newcomb Hollow Road in Wellfleet is located along the Cape Cod National Seashore. – Kinlin Grover Compass
Located along the Cape Cod National Seashore, it is among the limited number of private homes that were grandfathered when the national park was created in 1961, restricting land development.
“It was originally built in the 1950s,” said owner Theresa Rogers. “In the 1960s, it burned to the ground.” The owner at the time was Reverend Ernest Davis Vaderburgh, the minister of a church in Provincetown, from whom Rogers bought the house; she was given the lore.
“He was run out of the church, and out of town, because he was an anti-war activist,” she was told. “His son, an architecture student at MIT, designed and built what we see now. It was meant to look like a ship, and made use of lots of reclaimed materials, including driftwood.”
The main living space of the house. – Kinlin Grover Compass
Reclaimed driftwood gives the home a beachy vibe . – Kinlin Grover Compass
A seating area flows out to the deck. – Kinlin Grover Compass
Ernest went by the name Tony “to please his wife, Jane,” according to David Wright, curator at the Wellfleet Historical Society Museum and author of “The Famous Beds of Wellfleet, A Shellfishing History.” He has acted as caretaker of the house since those days.
“Jane was … active in the musical community. Many musical soirees happened in the house. She asked her husband to change his name in an amusing reverse of Oscar Wilde’s most famous play,” said Wright.
A loft bedroom has views of the yard. – Kinlin Grover Compass
The house has a separate 820-square-foot studio. For many years, it was inhabited by Michaela O’Harra, a playwright who founded New York’s New Dramatists. For 20 years, her live-in companion was Janet Perkins, mother of movie star Anthony Perkins, as is detailed in the biography “Anthony Perkins: Split Image.”
Perkins, who famously played Norman Bates in 1960’s “Psycho,” married model, photographer, and actress Berry Berenson (granddaughter of fashion’s Elsa Schiaparelli) at the Wellfleet house in 1973; Vanderburgh performed the ceremony.
A New York Times article covered the wedding, describing it as “informal” with Berenson barefoot and carrying wildflowers; Perkins was married with a turquoise ring, and photos from the wedding show their dog as best man. Rogers has a photo from the wedding that came with the house on display.
A photo of Anthony Perkins and Berry Berenson’s 1973 wedding is displayed at the Wellfleet house where the ceremony took place. – Kait Logan
The couple had two sons and remained married until Perkins died from AIDS-related illness in 1992. Berenson died on Sept. 11, 2001, one of the passengers on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center. She was returning home to Los Angeles after a visit to the Cape Cod house, according to her obituary.
The kitchen with a teal and pink color scheme. – Kinlin Grover Compass
The house retains its mid-century charm. – Kinlin Grover Compass
A lofted bedroom in the main house. – Kinlin Grover Compass
For all of its history, the house remains a unique example of mid-century architecture with an almost California surf vibe. There’s wood paneling and beams throughout, large sliders looking out to the ocean, and a teal and pink kitchen. The 3,284-square-foot house has five bedrooms and three bathrooms.
It overlooks the ocean but is without the erosion threat faced by so many homes along the bluffs of Nauset and Marconi beaches.
The deck overlooks the water; Newcomb Hollow Beach is within walking distance. – Kinlin Grover Compass
The house at 135 Newcomb Hollow Road in Wellfleet is located along the Cape Cod National Seashore. – Kinlin Grover Compass
“It’s on a 1.4-acre lot with mature, deeply rooted plants,” said Kait Logan, sales associate at Wellfleet’s Kinlin Grover Compass, who has listed the property. “They hold onto the soil and protect the house from erosion. It is a quick walk to Newcomb Hollow Beach, one of the loveliest, family-friendly beaches in the area. And, one of its best selling points is the fact that you can get to the center of town without having to cross Route 6.”
Megan Johnson
Megan Johnson is a Boston-based writer and reporter whose work appears in People, Architectural Digest, The Boston Globe, and more.
Address Newsletter
Our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design, with expert advice and insider neighborhood knowledge.
