Heeeeere’s Johnny Carson’s New York Mansion

The “King of Late Night” Johnny Carson helmed NBC’s flagship The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. One of America’s favorite television personalities for many years, Carson won numerous awards, including six Primetime Emmys, was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George HW Bush. A born performer, Carson entertained the local kids in his Norfolk, Nebraska hometown with his magic act. During World War II, he served in the Navy where he decoded encrypted messages, posted a 10-0 amateur boxing record, and entertained the Secretary of the Navy with a card trick. After the war, his The Squirrel’s Nest program, which was a local television show in Omaha, became a cult hit inspiring such comedy luminaries as Red Skelton and Jack Benny to give the young writer/performer a chance.  As the host of Who Do You Trust, he met his future straight man/sidekick Ed McMahon, famous for his Tonight Show introduction “Heeeeere's Johnny!!!” In 1962, Carson succeeded Jack Parr as the host of The Tonight Show, which was broadcast from New York until 1972 when the show moved to Los Angeles. Carson retired in 1992, though he continued to send jokes to his longtime friend and host of the CBS show Late Night with David Letterman. Carson died in 2005 in Los Angeles. 

Before his move to Los Angeles, Carson called New York home. His former mansion in suburban New York City, a Colonial-style manor still known as “The Carson Ballfield” because he let the local kids play baseball in the yard, has hit the market for $5.3 million. Also owned by Fritz Siebel, illustrator of the beloved “Amelia Bedelia” children’s series, and featured in an episode of MTV’s “Teen Cribs”, the stone mansion was converted from a barn in the 1920s and has undergone numerous renovations to create the 9,923 square-foot home that stands today. 

Inside the home, high ceilings, big windows, and seven fireplaces create inviting spaces. Dark wood floors and accents, plus gorgeous custom built-ins, add an atmosphere of class. The massive chef’s kitchen includes a center island and top-of-the-line appliances. Seven bedrooms are complemented by three custom offices, one with full wood paneling. The full-size fitness center includes a private sauna and indoor cabana bath. The grand living spaces connect to wrap-around covered terraces and blue-stone walkways that offer seamless indoor-outdoor living and panoramic views. Set on almost two acres, the property offers pickleball and basketball courts, a stunning pool-and-spa surrounded by beautiful mature trees, gazebos, and manicured landscaping. 

Rye is a small coastal town on the NY/CT border, within the boundaries of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Less than an hour by train or car from Manhattan, the idyllic location offers multiple golf courses and yacht clubs, plus shopping, dining, coastal wetlands, and a history dating back to the 1600s. Rye is the birthplace of actors Jason Bateman and Nick Kroll, and the former home of Robert and Ethel Kennedy. The wider Westchester County area is home to numerous major celebrities, including Richard Gere, Rooney Mara, Mary J. Blige, and Jon Voight. 

The listing is held by Christy Murphy of Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty. Photo Credit Joe Kravetz and  Daniel Milstein for Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International.

Source: www.williampitt.com