The amazing history of the Grey Gardens.

In 1976, there was this documentary featuring the Grey gardens. It was about 2 women who lived at Grey Gardens. It was an old 28 room mansion in the wealthy Georgica Pond neighborhood in East Hampton, New York. They were Big and Little Edie Beale, the aunt and first cousin of Jackie Onassis. They are living with each other, in isolation and squalor at Grey Gardens. Their life was discovered and publicized in 1972 in the National Enquirer along with a series of raids by the Suffolk county health department. The 2 women have live in the mansion for nearly 50 years and it wasn't until the life was made know that Jackie Onassis and her sister finally contributed money to renovate the house and the surroundings.

How does the Grey Gardens got its name? This is due to the grey colored dunes, the cement exterior as well as the hazy mist in its surroundings that made the place looks grayish. It has been renovated and a well known Philanthropist, Frances Howard lived there for eleven months.

In 1977, Big Edie Beale pass away peacefully and Little Edie Beale sold Grey Gardens to former Washington Post editor, Ben Bradlee and his wife Sally Quinn in 1979. The couple restored the lands and the house. This was featured in the 2003 article regarding the Town and Country. It was then rented from the Bradless by a famous Philanthropist Frances Howard and he lived there for almost a year. Since the Grey Gardens documentary was broadcasted, there have been several adaptations such as the Broadway Musical.

The mansion at Grey Gardens is an old and traditional shingled cottage. Designed by Joseph Thorpe in 1987, it finished construction a few years later. Why was Gray Gardens such a national spectacle? It is because the two women were almost considered as a member of the royalty and yet they were living in such a lowly and filthy life. The Suffolk County Health Department tried to force them to leave the house several times because it was so dirty as they did not maintain the grounds and faild to live up to sanitation codes.

It was in 1975, New York Film Festival that the documentary Grey Gardens was showcased and it was well received by everyone around the world. In 2006, it became a popular Broadway musical that won several awards and received many nominations. Hollywood has started planning to shoot a film of Grey Gardens starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange. This shows that even though the Beales are no longer with us, their life and story of Grey Gardens continues to live on and remembered by many people around the word. You can find many websites and books on Grey Gardens and the story still holds a special place in the hearts on many.

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