EXCLUSIVE: Rare Bauhaus Gem on Cape Cod Bay Sells for $3.6M—See Inside the Colony Once Visited by Elite Clientele

A historic resort on Cape Cod will get a new lease on life as a retreat for writers, after a philanthropist purchased the aging property for $3.6 million, Realtor.com® can exclusively reveal.

Philanthropist Grace Nordhoff, a retired restaurateur who is heiress to a Seattle business conglomerate fortune, purchased The Colony of Wellfleet in March from Jeffrey and Mihae Stefani, whose family had run the campground of eight Bauhaus-style cottages since the 1960s.

Nordhoff plans to reopen the resort in 2027 as a nonprofit retreat for writers and playwrights. That plan may have been inspired by her mother, Nancy Skinner Nordhoff, who, according to the Seattle Times, died in January 2026 at the age of 93.

The elder Nordhoff co-founded Hedgebrook, a retreat for women writers on an old dairy farm on Whidbey Island, WA, in the late 1980s. Her daughter has served on the board of that retreat since 2002.

Now The Colony—which in its 1960s heydays welcomed guests including screen actors Paul Newman and Faye Dunaway, and writers Lionel and Diana Trilling, Bernard Malamud, and William Shirer—will once again be a rustic retreat for literary and creative types.

Deed records show that Nordhoff purchased the property for $3.6 million, significantly below the original asking price of $5 million, and immediately transferred the property into an LLC.

Situated on low bluffs above the sparkling blue waters of Cape Cod Bay, The Colony will doubtless make a perfect writers' retreat.

The property's eight midcentury modern cottages—four one-bedroom and four two-bedroom tiny homes ranging in size from 600 to 750 square feet—are scattered on just under 4 acres of land, with potential inspiration just a short walk away on the bayside beaches.

Additionally, its close proximity to the Chequessett Club and the harbor means it's not too isolated for those needing social outlets.

The property already has an artistic history, having originally been built as a private club and art gallery for artists and their patrons in 1948, when it was dubbed the Mayo Hill Colony Club.

The Bauhaus-style cottages were designed by architects Nathaniel Saltonstall and Oliver P. Morton, with each dwelling designed to allow maximum sunlight while still preserving privacy thanks to strategically placed walls shielding the outdoor patios from other guests.

This feature became even more important when the property was purchased in 1963 by Loris and Eleanor Stefani and turned into a hotel, which they ran together for many years.

Once opened to the public, The Colony (as it was renamed at this juncture) started to attract a storied clientele with an appreciation for midcentury modern architecture set in the quiet of the Cape Cod pines.

Past guests included actors Paul Newman and Faye Dunaway; writers Lionel and Diana Trilling, Bernard Malamud, and William Shirer; and other notable scholars such as Margaret Mahler, a pioneer in mother-baby attachment research.

When the listing hit the market in July of 2025, it was the first time in 62 years it had been offered for sale.

Jeffrey and Mihae Stefani—who took over the property from Jeffrey's parents in 2019 after Loris and Eleanor had both died—ran it for more than five years before deciding to sell.

"It was not an easy decision, but they ultimately felt it was the right choice to allow The Colony to move forward into its next chapter," says Eva Scott of The Eva Scott Group at Gibson Sotheby's International Realty. Scott, along with agent Daphne Lowe, represented the sellers.

"They had no specific requirements for the sale, but they did hope The Colony’s legacy would continue," Scott adds.

Scott tells Realtor.com® that she's never seen a listing generate such interest from buyers of all kinds and attributed it to the property's rich history and distinctive midcentury modern design.

Ultimately Nordhoff was selected as the new owner because she brought in the most attractive offer—not just by price but also by the terms and future plans presented. 

To turn it into a writers' retreat, Scott says, the buyer "will be doing some renovations, but promised to essentially keep the architectural style which makes it so unique and special." 

While parting with the property was apparently "bittersweet"—the term used by its caretakers Jeffrey and Mihae on The Colony's website—it's obvious there is relief knowing the new ownership remains committed to preserving the uniqueness of this Cape Cod time capsule.

"We believe this next chapter will be a meaningful cultural addition to the community" reads a statement from the Stefanis on The Colony's website. Fortunately, looking at the extensive philanthropic work of its new owner, it does seem that The Colony has landed in good hands.

New owner has community ties to Seattle and North Carolina

Nordhoff, the new owner of the Wellfleet Colony, grew up in the Seattle area, where her family runs the Skinner Corporation, a privately held business conglomerate.

After attending Duke University, she lived in Durham, NC, for 25 years, where she worked on the publishing staff of the Independent, an alt-weekly newspaper.

She also founded and operated the Mad Hatter's Café and Bake Shop, a well-known artisan bakery near the Duke campus.

Nordhoff currently lives in Seattle. She serves as the board chair of the Skinner Corporation and has a long track record of philanthropy in both Durham and Seattle.

From 2000 to 2002, she served as a founding board member of the Durham Library Foundation. In 2007, she was recognized for her $200,000 donation to the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership.

She is a current board member of the Seattle Public Library Foundation, which she joined in 2010 and where she served as board president from 2018 to 2019.