w i n t e r g u i d e 2 0 1 9 8 3 House of the Month Keith Andrews Maine Video Tours Mirthful Haven A comfortable dwelling with a storied past opens a door to the future. By Colin W. Sargent O ne hundred years ago, novel- ist Booth Tarkington won the Pulitzer Prize for The Magnifi- cent Ambersons. In 1922, he won again, for Alice Adams. At the peak of his fame, Tarkington bought “Seawood” in Ken- nebunkport in 1923. He and his wife Su- sannah held court here every May to De- cember until his death in 1946. Because the gentleman from Indiana wrote sensitively, even exquisitely, about change—how automobiles in particular led to the suburbanization of our coun- try by subtly transforming our most in- timate societal mannerisms and the way we looked at life (we Americans love our cars, and he saw it coming), it was a twist of fate straight from The Magnificent Am- bersons when local Chrysler dealer Dick Mariano and his family acquired Unit No. 4 after Seawood went condo in 1986. Now, “42 South Main Unit 4” can be yours for $779,000. It’s a place of joy and laughter, set on the second floor of the east wing of the mansion, with sparkling views of Gooch’s Beach, the Narragansett, and Wells Beach from several of the rooms.