As a native New Yorker and year-round Hamptonite, the award-winning stage, screen and television actress Mercedes Ruehl has bought and sold multiple houses in East Hampton.
Her former property in Springs, the artsy and boho part of East Hampton, sold for its full asking price of $1.695 million, coming up on double the $958,000 she paid for the place in 2017. David Geiser, Ruehl’s husband, died in 2020, which may or may not have something to do with Ruehl’s decision to downsize.
The acclaimed thespian’s new house, in the peaceful, forested northwest area of East Hampton, lies near but not in Springs and measures in at a modest and manageable 1,300 square feet, about half the size of her former 2,500-square-foot house. Ruehl paid $1.325 million for the slightly more than half-acre property, which was listed with Triplemint.
What is particularly nice is that the property is covered in trees and dense foliage, which ensure total privacy. There is also a nice pool, a spa, and plenty of room to lounge around on the large deck or blue stone terracing, as well as a side yard that would be perfect for corn hole games and a fire pit.
Inside, there is a large living room with vaulted ceilings and skylights that keep the house light and airy. A cozy fireplace is flanked by sliders to the deck outside. The kitchen looks a little small and could use some updating, but there’s plenty of room for a table and chairs, and the wood paneled ceiling adds rustic warmth. The master bedroom is ensuite and two other bedrooms, one with lofted bunks, share the second bathroom.
The first order of business for Mercedes, it seems, would be to add a big bookshelf to the living room. After all, she needs somewhere to display her Oscar and Golden Globe awards (for the 1992 film “The Fisher King”), along with her Tony and Drama Desk awards (for the 1991 play “Lost in Yonkers”), two Obie Awards, and two Outer Critics Circle Awards.