Tag Archives: Leopold Godowsky Jr.
Arnie's Place
A few weeks ago, "06880" highlighted 157 Easton Road. The 7-bedroom, 10-bath, 6-car garage, 2.75-acre property on the Aspetuck River — with a boathouse, indoor pool, 2 bars, wine-tasting room, guest quarters, tennis court, waterfalls, walking paths and stone bridges — was on the market.
The story focused on the home's history. It was the longtime residence of Leopold Godowsky Jr. (a concert violinist with a passion for photography who set up a lab there, and helped develop Kodacolor and Ektachrome) and his wife, Frankie Gershwin (who in addition to being a noted painter and singer was also George and Ira's younger sister). The Godowskys hosted guests like Richard Rodgers, John Hersey, Maureen O'Sullivan and Mia Farrow there.
157 Easton Road
That was intriguing enough. But a number of commenters noted that the house later belonged to another famous Westporter. Arnie Kaye was the larger-than-life (literally and metaphorically) owner of Arnie's Place, a pioneering and legendary 1970s/'80s video arcade. Arnie also owned an ice cream parlor and delicatessen, regularly battled town officials, paid his taxes in pennies, and killed an intruder on his land.
157 Easton Road has finally been sold. The figure is eye-popping — and not in a good way.
It was listed at $3,599,000. The price — at auction — was $1,800,000.
Someone got Arnie's place for a song.
And I don't mean a Gershwin tune.
(Click here for the full real estate listing of this property.)
Posted in Entertainment, Looking back, People, Real estate
Tagged 157 Easton Road, Arnie Kaye, Arnie's Place, Frankie Gershwin, Leopold Godowsky Jr.
Takin' His Kodachrome Away
Kodak's announcement yesterday that it is ending production of Kodachrome resounded from Rochester to Westport.
But there's more to the move than the fact that Westporters will no longer buy the rich, durable camera film at CVS and Walgreens. No one's done that for years.
Leopold Godowsky Jr.
Kodachrome has a strong Westport connection. Co-inventor Leopold Godowsky Jr. — a concert violinist with a passion for photography — moved here in the 1930s. He set up a lab, and for several decades in town continued to improve the process for Kodak.
While here he also helped develop Kodacolor and Ektachrome. Today he is considered a major contributor in the field of color photography. He was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005, 22 years after his death.
Godowsky's wife, Frankie Gershwin — George and Ira's younger sister — was a painter of oils and acrylics, and later a singer. She too was a prominent member of our community.
2009 has not been good to Godowsky. Earlier this year his former home — a 7,000-square foot, low-slung compound at the end of Stony Point overlooking the confluence of the Saugatuck River and Long Island Sound, featuring pools, a waterfall, tennis court and dock — became perhaps the most expensive teardown in Westport history.
Posted in Looking back, People
Tagged Kodachrome, Kodak, Leopold Godowsky Jr.