NYC Apartments, The Country House, & Children

In brief, the Campbell's had four New York City apartments. Their first apartment was a cold-water flat, in what was called the "Turtle Bay area", at 323 East 48th Street from 1945-54. This apartment received a lot of press coverage due to a complete renovation the couple did themselves. In the Jan. 5, 1948 newspaper the, "New York World-Telegram", Laura Hazard Brown wrote an editorial (complete with pictures) titled, "The Campbell's Railroaded Cold Water Flat", sub headed: "Depressing Apartment Becomes a Dream House." Ms. Brown said of the renovation, "Now this six-room railroad flat (two apartments joined together) on the top floor of 323 E. 48th St., is a dream abode with built-in radios, chintz slipcovers, floral-papered bedroom and a bathroom that might be taken for the powder room of The Monte Carlo or the Stork."

Meanwhile, in 1949 they went out to Long Island and bought a tiny, summer cottage on Baycrest Avenue, in the town of Westhampton, NY, originally built in 1898 by a local bayman. It was small, and needed a lot of work. During an interview with Virginia Pope, fashion editor of the New York Times, Oct. 1, 1951, Jeanne mentioned that building the house was her hobby, as it must have been a constant effort on weekends. Jeanne said of the construction,"We've planned it from scratch--call it Campbell's Shambles." The house's moniker didn't stick because they renovated and expanded each year until it was transformed into a charming retreat.

The Campbells finally decided to have a family. In 1956, they moved to 55 East End Avenue, when their first child, Edward Alexander("Sandy"), Jr., was born. In 1957 they moved to 277 Park Avenue. Their second child, Jean Elizabeth, was born in the summer of 1958. The Campbell family stayed there at the Park Avenue apartment until 1962, and then they moved to 300 Central Park West.

After 20 years of marriage the Campbell couple decided it was over. In 1964, Jeanne and Bud were divorced. Jeanne took custody of Sandy and Jeanie, and moved out to the country house in the Hamptons. Even though Jeanne loved New York for it's fashion and culture, she chose to commute 2-hours, both ways, each day, via the Long Island Rail Road. She felt it was important that her kids didn't grow up in the City. For Jeanie and Sandy, it was the best of both worlds. They grew up in the country as their mother wanted, but regularly got to visit their father in the City. Jeanne lived in the house long after her children moved away, and had families of their own.