Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s Cape Cod Home Goes Under Contract

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s Massachusetts home is now under contract just weeks after listing it for $1.595 million.

Townsend, the oldest living member of the Kennedy family dynasty and daughter of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, purchased the property in 2023 for $1.28 million.

Located only minutes from the Kennedy family’s longtime Hyannis Port compound, the residence sits within the Breakwater Shores neighborhood overlooking a pond with distant ocean views.

Property Highlights

Listing Price: $1.595 million
Location: Hyannis, Massachusetts
Size: 3,165 square feet
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 4 full, 1 half
Notable Features: Pond frontage, deeded beach rights, split-level layout, lower-level patio, fire pit, deck overlooking the water, Nantucket Sound beach access, proximity to Hyannis Port

For more information about this sale, reach out to seller’s agent Kathy O’Neil of Sotheby’s International Realty-Osterville at kathy.oneil@sothebys.realty or by phone at 508-367-8538.

The Living Room

Walking into the living room, the 1966-built home opens with wide-plank hardwood floors, crisp white walls, and oversized windows that pull in light from the front yard.

A free-standing gas stove surrounded by black brick sits on one side of the room beneath a simple white mantel, while neutral slipcovered seating keeps the space casual and family-oriented rather than overly formal.

Dining Room

In the next room, the dining area continues the home’s bright coastal style with a wall of bay windows wrapping the round table and dark wood chairs set up for everyday meals.

Kitchen

Within the same open area is the kitchen, a bright and highly functional space designed with white cabinetry, simple tile flooring, and stainless steel appliances.

One of the more personal touches is the long white kids’ table positioned off to the side, making entire family meals easy to accommodate despite the smaller dining area.

At the back of the room, a sliding glass door opens to the backyard deck extending the main living spaces toward the waterfront setting.

Bedrooms

The home’s split-level design creates separation between living, sleeping, and gathering areas, with two bedrooms on the first floor and 3 bedrooms on the second floor, including the primary.

Minimal Coastal Room

This first bedroom on the main floor keeps things simple with soft green bedding, white walls, and simple furnishings. The room’s uncluttered layout and large window continue the home’s relaxed Cape Cod aesthetic, prioritizing comfort and natural light.

Bright White Suite

Just around the corner, the second main floor bedroom features a clean, airy setup centered around a white bed layered with soft linens and a coral-patterned throw that adds a coastal touch to the neutral palette.

Hardwood floors and oversized windows keep the room feeling open, while a small reading chair in the corner creates a quiet spot overlooking the surrounding greenery.

Sloped-Ceiling Bedroom

Upstairs, this bedroom takes advantage of the roofline with sloped ceilings that give the room a tucked-away cottage feel.

The patterned bedding adds subtle coastal colors, while recessed lighting and a ductless air-conditioning unit modernize the traditional space.

Primary Bedroom

The final bedroom we want to highlight is the primary suite’s bedroom, which is also set beneath a sloped ceiling with abundant natural light filling every corner of the room.

Lower Level Suite

The lower level has been remodeled to create another full living space that includes twin beds and a bunk bed designed to accommodate multiple guests at once.

Across the room, an open living space extends the level into a fireside lounge while the rest of the space features a full bath, washer, dryer, and direct access to the backyard.

Full Bathrooms

Much like the bedrooms, the home’s bathrooms each have their own personality while still reflecting the relaxed coastal style found throughout the property.

Nautical Clawfoot Bath

One of the more distinctive bathrooms combines navy-and-white checkerboard flooring paired with a navy wallpaper printed in sailboat sketches and nautical motifs.

White beadboard wraps the lower half of the walls, while a freestanding clawfoot tub with an overhead shower setup gives the room an old Cape Cod cottage feel.

Sky-Blue Tile Bathroom

Another bathroom has a softer coastal palette with a light blue tile wrapping around the shower and lower walls.

The built-in shower enclosure and small-scale floor tile preserve the room’s vintage character, while updated fixtures and clean white walls modernize the space without stripping away its charm.

Outdoor Spaces

The outdoor spaces continue the home’s relaxed Cape Cod setup, with multiple areas designed for gathering, dining, and spending time near the water.

Backyard Dining Deck

Positioned directly off the kitchen, the elevated dining deck creates an easy extension of the main living spaces.

White railings and matching outdoor furniture keep the setup simple and coastal, while the elevated vantage point looks down over the landscaped backyard and nearby pond.

Fire Pit Patio

Below the deck, a circular brick patio centers around a fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs.

Tiered landscaping, stone borders, and greenery soften the backyard and help connect the patio to the surrounding natural setting.

Beach Access

The property also comes with deeded beach rights that provide private access to a nearby stretch of Nantucket Sound shoreline.

Here, a sandy pathway winds through the dunes toward the water, where kayaks and paddleboards line the edge of the beach.

Why Did Townsend Sell?

Kennedy Townsend originally purchased this home with the intention of recreating the same kinds of summers and family memories she experienced growing up around the Kennedy family’s Cape Cod compound.

However, due to her family not using the home as much as she had originally hoped, she put it on the market.

Even so, for its next owner, the property still offers that opportunity for a new family. With its pondside setting, deeded Nantucket Sound beach access, multiple gathering spaces, and flexible split-level layout, the home is well-suited for the kind of multi-generational Cape Cod summers that have long defined the area.