Did you know about Katharine Hepburn's ties to CT?
The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook has only been around for about 12 years, but its legacy has been decades in the making. The center is named for one of the most famous actresses in all of cinema. For those who don’t know, Katharine Hepburn was a star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, acting in films alongside Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart and Anthony Hopkins. She played legendary characters such as Jo March in “Little Women” and Eleanor of Aquitaine in “The Lion in Winter.”
But what people may not know is that Hepburn spent most of her life at her parents’ estate in Old Saybrook. She loved Connecticut so much she called her home “paradise.”
So, what else don’t you know about this cinematic legend and her connection to Connecticut? Read on to find out.
The Kate is named for legendary actress Katharine Hepburn
OK, maybe this fact is pretty wellknown, but there are some details you may have missed. The Kate was originally built in 1911 as a community center and theater, according to The Kate’s Director of Development and Community Relations Robin Andreoli.
“For many years the building was used as Old Saybrook Town Hall until the early 2000s at which time a Building Restoration Committee of the Town was tasked with exploring future uses. It continues to be owned by the Town and operated by the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Inc., a non-profit organization,” Andreoli said via email.
The Kate opened in 2009, six years after Hepburn’s death, but her estate gave permission for the center to be named in her honor. The building is now officially part of the National Register of Historic Places.
Hepburn lived an interesting life, with protests and fake birth dates
As a child, Hepburn attended demonstrations in favor of the women’s suffrage movement with her mother, Katharine Houghton Hepburn, an avid feminist and activist who took such modern stances as the right to access birth control.
While she was born in Hartford on May 12, 1907, Hepburn often gave a fake date of birth, according to Andreoli. The Kate’s museum has a copy of an international driver’s permit where Hepburn lists her birth date as Nov. 8, 1909 which was actually her brother’s birthday.
Cher, Christine Baranski and Glenn Close are known to have the Katharine Hepburn spirit
Once a year, The Kate gives out a “Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award” to a recipient whom the organization feels represents the “bold spirit, fierce independence and distinctive character” of Hepburn, according to The Kate’s website. Past recipients have included Cher in 2020, Christine Baranski in 2019 and Glenn Close in 2016.
Hepburn’s last acting role was in 1994
Her final role was 27 years ago in the made-for-TV movie “One Christmas,” which was based off an autobiographical short story by Truman Capote. The Kate’s museum has a wardrobe piece from the film on display as part of its collection.
Her Saybrook estate recently sold for $11.5 million
The estate sits on one-and-a-half acres and overlooks two light
houses, according to an article from Town and Country Magazine. The Hepburn family bought the property in 1913. It was rebuilt in 1938 after a hurricane destroyed it and then renovated in 2005. In 2017, the estate sold for $11.5 million, $300,000 under list price.