What did a 6-year-old Katharine Hepburn ask for for Christmas in her letter to Santa? Was her waist really that small to fit in that white gown from the film Sea of Grass? And what’s the significance of the bathtub that looks like it went through a hurricane?

Welcome to the Katharine Hepburn Museum in Old Saybrook where these questions and many others are answered in an expansive and new permanent display that includes personal letters, costumes, photographs and memorabilia of the legendary Hartford-born actress who also made her home in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook. The new 1,200-square-foot museum is located on the main floor of the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center (nicknamed “The Kate”), which opened in 2009. The center, a former town hall, presents concerts, lectures and films in its second- and third-floor hall.

Previously the first-floor space showcased a limited amount of memorabilia about the actress, whose career as star of stage, screen and television began in the early ’30s and lasted more than 60 years. But storage rooms, office space and hallways made up most of the building’s first floor.

Over the years the center has received an ongoing stream of materials relating to the four-time Oscar winner, mostly from Hepburn family members, but others, too, says Executive Director Brett Elliott. But the facility had no space to store, curate and display its riches. A matching grant campaign during the pandemic eventually raised $500,000 (including state and federal funds) doubling the presenting space and transforming the entire floor into….[CONTINUED]