Local News
Author-illustrator Marc Brown drew plenty of inspiration from his Martha’s Vineyard home.
The creator of the best-selling “Arthur” children’s books, he completed about half the series there. After the adventures of the beloved aardvark ended, Brown brought the stone bridge leading to the entrance of the compound to life as the home of a troll named Helga in his animated television show “Hop,” listing agents said.
Brown and his wife, artist Laurene Krasny Brown, purchased the nearly 8-acre property in Vineyard Haven in 1988 for $700,000, property records say. Over the years, they restored the circa-1730 farmhouse and several outbuildings.
She converted a former horse barn into an art studio; he transformed the space above the carriage house into his own. They furnished the home with carefully curated American folk art and antiques. And Brown painted most of the wood floors himself, according to their listing agents.
But after 37 years, they felt their work was done. They were eager to take on a new project.
Recently, they sold the home in the Pilot Hill Farm enclave for $6.4 million, a year after it was listed for $6.9 million.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the sale.
When the Browns bought the property, which had originally been part of a 225-acre dairy farm, it was in a state of disrepair, said listing agent Elle Lash of Tea Lane Associates/Forbes Global Properties. She had the listing with colleague Alexis Holden.
“But being two artists, they really had a vision for this old house,” Lash added.
In the 1930s, oceanographer Columbus Iselin purchased the farm and built a homestead, according to its ownership history, compiled by Holden and Lash. The Iselin family maintained the farm for four decades and housed refugee children there during World War II. His children later sold the original farmhouse, preserving 75 acres as conservation land and dividing the rest into smaller lots sold to buyers.
The community became Pilot Hill Farm, which now consists of 25 homes, said Holden, who lives in the private residential and agricultural enclave.
The Browns were living in Hingham when they bought the original farmhouse. They enjoyed being surrounded by trees and ocean, and the serenity the area offered, Lash said. They were excited to make the space their own while preserving its history.
By the time they began renovating, “Arthur” was beginning to soar in popularity. Years earlier, in 1976, Marc had lost his job after his employer, Garland Junior College in Boston, went belly up. His young son, Tolon, asked him for a bedtime story one night, and Arthur was born.
The young aardvark became the central character in his massively successful children’s book and television series. The award-winning PBS show ended its 25-season run in 2022.
“Marc and Laurie just adored working on the house, and so much of the work they did themselves,” Lash said. “It was their great joy to do together.”
The roughly 3,700-square-foot main home has five bedrooms and four bathrooms. It features a spacious screened porch overlooking a heated saltwater pool, which was added by the Browns. A guesthouse features two bedrooms and a bathroom. The carriage house has room for three cars. Both art studios are big and open.
Although the Browns renovated much of the compound, they still kept many features intact, including gunstock posts, a Dutch door, and four fireplaces. The couple told the Wall Street Journal last year they spent millions of dollars in improvements.
The interior color palette was chosen by Laurie “to mimic colors in nature,” Lash said.
While the property is considered “down island” — where the shops and bustling downtowns are — it’s located in a rural setting, said Holden, “so you have the best of both worlds.”
The home is surrounded by nature. There are two ponds, perennial gardens, fruit trees, and raspberry bushes.
“Obviously, the question is, why are you selling? Marc said to me: ‘It’s been like a piece of art, and it’s finished now,’” Holden said. “So, he said, ‘It’s on to the next one’.”
The Journal reported the Browns have purchased a home in New York’s Hudson Valley for their next restoration project. Their primary home is in New York City.
