One of the biggest names in American fashion has found an unexpected sanctuary in Westchester County.
Fashion designer Marc Jacobs, who spent decades immersed in the energy of New York City, now spends much of his time in Rye, where he and husband Charly Defrancesco have transformed a historic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence into their home.
Known as the Max Hoffman House, the waterfront property on North Manursing Island is no ordinary Westchester residence. Designed by legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1955, the house overlooks Long Island Sound and is considered an important example of Wright’s residential architecture.
Jacobs purchased the property in 2019 for approximately $9.2 million. What followed was a painstaking restoration lasting about four years—one that Jacobs has described as requiring far more work, time and specialized craftsmanship than originally anticipated.
And today, the Rye home appears to have accomplished something few would have expected: turning the lifelong New Yorker into a devoted suburban resident.
Marc Jacobs Never Expected to Fall for the Suburbs
Before discovering the Rye property, Jacobs had spent virtually his entire life in New York City and wasn’t convinced that a move outside Manhattan was for him.
That changed when a real estate agent contacted him about an unusual property that wasn’t being openly marketed: a Frank Lloyd Wright home approximately an hour from Manhattan.
Jacobs agreed to see it.
Even before walking through the front door, he knew there was something different about the property.
In an essay Jacobs later wrote for Vogue, he recalled being struck by the architecture, mature Japanese maple trees and the way the house seemed to blend into its surroundings. Once inside, floor-to-ceiling windows revealed views stretching toward Long Island Sound.
The experience changed his mind about suburban life.
In March 2019, Jacobs became the home’s new owner.
A Frank Lloyd Wright Treasure Hidden in Rye
The home was originally created for Max Hoffman, an Austrian-born automobile importer who became instrumental in bringing European luxury automobiles to the United States.
Hoffman had already worked with Wright on another project: an automobile showroom on Park Avenue in Manhattan.
Their collaboration continued with the Rye residence.
Built in 1955, the approximately 6,000-square-foot, L-shaped house sits on nearly two acres along Long Island Sound. Its architecture incorporates several characteristics associated with Wright, including strong horizontal lines, overhanging eaves, extensive glass and an unusually close relationship between the building and its natural surroundings.
The home includes stone and plaster construction, copper detailing, a slate roof and a Japanese-style garden.
But when Jacobs acquired it, preserving this piece of architectural history would require considerable work.
A Four-Year Restoration
Despite its pedigree and spectacular location, the nearly 70-year-old home was showing its age.
Jacobs has described discovering sagging eaves, numerous roof leaks, dried and splintering mahogany and exterior woodwork that had endured decades of weather coming off Long Island Sound.
Rather than simply remodeling the house into a contemporary luxury residence, Jacobs and Defrancesco undertook an extensive restoration.
They worked with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy as the property was carefully restored and modernized. Work included reconstruction of portions of the roof framing, replacement of the slate roof and restoration of architectural details. A preservation easement protects the exterior of the historically important residence.
At points, the renovation essentially required taking parts of the home down to their underlying structure so aging mechanical systems and other elements could be addressed.
The project ultimately stretched across approximately four years.
Marc Jacobs Put His Own Stamp on the House
Preserving a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece didn’t mean Jacobs couldn’t have a little fun with the interior.
The famously creative designer incorporated modern technology and spaces tailored very specifically to the way he and Defrancesco live.
Perhaps the most Marc Jacobs feature of all is downstairs.
A basement originally added at Hoffman’s request has evolved into an extraordinarily personalized space that includes laundry facilities, an infrared spa, hair and nail salon areas, gift-wrapping and office-supply stations, and extensive closet space.
Elsewhere, Jacobs created an intimate library filled with first-edition books, an office connected to the primary suite and comfortable living areas surrounded by Wright’s architecture.
The result is an interesting marriage between two very different design minds separated by generations: the architectural vision of Frank Lloyd Wright and the colorful, highly personal sensibility of Marc Jacobs.
He Even Got Married at His Rye Home
The house became important to Jacobs almost immediately.
Before the extensive renovation had even begun, Jacobs and Defrancesco held an intimate wedding ceremony there in April 2019.
Approximately 40 close friends and loved ones gathered in front of the home’s monumental fireplace for the ceremony.
The couple later celebrated in Manhattan with a much larger, star-studded event, but their first ceremony took place right here in Westchester.
From Manhattan Fashion Life to Feeding Westchester Chipmunks
Perhaps the most charming part of Jacobs’ Westchester story is how completely he appears to have embraced his new surroundings.
In a 2026 Vanity Fair profile, Defrancesco said that years earlier he couldn’t have imagined Jacobs ever wanting to live outside New York City.
Now, he said, their Rye home has become a sanctuary.
Jacobs has embraced the quiet, the natural surroundings—and apparently some of Westchester’s smallest residents.
Defrancesco joked that Jacobs has become so devoted to feeding squirrels and chipmunks around the property that the couple may be responsible for an increase in Westchester’s chipmunk population.
It’s quite a transformation for a designer whose life and career have been so closely intertwined with Manhattan.
Marc Jacobs’ Westchester Chapter
Jacobs’ life is currently entering another period of change. In 2026, his namesake fashion company is undergoing a major ownership transition after nearly three decades of association with luxury conglomerate LVMH. Jacobs remains a central creative force behind the brand.
Yet away from the fashion shows, business deals and Manhattan offices, one of America’s most influential designers has found something entirely different in Rye.
A historic house. A view of Long Island Sound. Nature. Quiet.
And apparently quite a few well-fed chipmunks.
For Westchester, it’s another fascinating celebrity connection hiding practically in plain sight: one of the world’s best-known fashion designers living inside a piece of American architectural history on the shores of Rye.