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Flex your architectural muscles by inviting people round to your landmark rental. “Of course, there are a number of Peter Blake houses on the East End,” you’d say. “But this is the house he built for his own family.”

Designed in 1954, the house got its name because it looks like a pinwheel from above. “I wanted to be able to open the walls up to the views but close them in winter or during a hurricane,” Blake said. ”That was the origin of the pinwheel idea.”

Drawing via Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library at Columbia University

Architecture critic Alastair Gordon wrote: “The perimeter line between inside and outside, between architecture and landscape, was effectively dissolved . . . Here was Action Architecture realized: a house that could respond to the weather, the views, and the personal moods of its inhabitants.”

Of course, back in 1954, Water Mill was very different. The house stood in the middle of a field; now it’s surrounded by houses. Blake said in 1999, “That whole area, before all the twits came in, was all about landscape, views of the water, and so on.”

Our ideas about vacation/weekend houses have changed since 1954, too. Small, well-designed architectural whimsies are now pool houses (such as Andrew Geller’s Double Diamond house) or guest houses, as the Pinwheel House often serves to the mansion next door. Still, in 1998, the house was upsized from a teensy 2-bedroom, 1-bath into a 3,000-square-foot one with 5 bedrooms and 6 baths. Fortunately the integrity of the original structure has been maintained.

Interested? The Pinwheel House is available for an eye-watering $170K year-round rent. Bragging rights, of course, are priceless.

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Word came last week that Chili Peppers drummer and Montauk resident Chad Smith was selling his compound on Navy Road, asking $15 million. The property, which includes two lots and four acres, with main and guest house, was supposed to be repped by Jennifer Landey of Sotheby’s in Bridgehampton. However, no actual listing can be found and Landey didn’t return a request for a comment.

Give it away now

So whether or not it’s for sale (maybe it’s a whisper listing), take a look at the property, which overlooks Fort Pond Bay. $15 million strikes us as a bit steep, frankly, though there is also 259 feet of “sandy” beachfront (that beach is not so sandy in our experience, but whatever), and there’s room to possibly moor a 75′ yacht. There’s also a 60′ saltwater pool, fire pit, and an outdoor movie screen. The landscaping, with rolling lawns and organic gardens, were designed by Chris LaGuardia.

The main house offers five bedrooms, 5.5 baths, and 4,750 square feet. Too small to house the rest of the band? There’s also a two-bedroom guest cottage designed by Robert Young Architects.

Nicely done, folks. But we’ll be surprised if it trades for $15 million. (We’ve been wrong before!)

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Back when Sagaponack was just a sleepy farming town, residents gathered round at its general store and post office to find out what was going on around town. Sagaponack today, of course, is consistently ranked the priciest zip code in the United States, but it’s still a small town and locals and visitors love to gather at the store, now housing Pierre’s delicious goodies as well as the post office.

Originally built in 1878 and called Chamberlain Bros., the shop has remained in the same family (Hildreth/Thayer) for more than a hundred years. The nostalgic layout and wide plank hardwood flooring add to the charm, and in fact, the building is landmarked. Now the opportunity has arisen to own this iconic building, a piece of the Hamptons the way it used to be. The store, plus its 0.16-acre of land, is available for $3.995 million. Listing agents are Susan Ratcliffe and Christopher Burnside at Brown Harris Stevens.

To what use would you put this building? Personally we’d just insist on the rent including all-we-can-eat tartes flambées.

• The Sagaponack General Store [BHS]

 

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We all know the East End market is Covid-crazy; to try to make some sense of it all, we chatted with Adam Miller, the esteemed Bridgehampton real estate attorney.

Let’s start macro-ish and work our way down to the micro stuff. Give our audience a sense of what you see happening in the East End market. Are we truly in a sellers’ market? Are we seeing big increases in prices? Is your business busier than it’s been? Are you contending with increased sales volume and premiums on the selling prices, and market value in general? Let us know about anything you think might help illuminate the dynamics of the current market.

With all the uncertainty in the world, our real estate market saw a tremendously bullish summer. The pace was something we have never experienced before. It was absolutely a sellers’ market—it seems that a second home became a necessity for those who can afford such a luxury. This was true throughout all sectors of the market. We did a large number of significant transactions on both the sell and buy sides.

Are you seeing anything remarkable or unusual? For example, an increased number of bidding wars, more now than during normal times? More deals falling apart because sellers are getting higher offers after they’ve already accepted an offer? New types of contingencies in contracts? Have rentals figured into sales at all more than is usual? Are sellers or buyers demanding faster closings?

Yes, we are seeing many unique things that require the entire office to maneuver swiftly to secure deals for our clients. There must be fast and effective communication from memo of sale to contract signing and then a coordination of a quick closing. Because real estate affects so much of peoples’ lives, and because the Hamptons has qualities that appeal to people’s lifestyles and give them space and access to nature, the market was like we have never seen it.

What kind of stress has this put on the service providers in the market? Are the title search folks, surveyors, environmental companies, home inspectors able to respond and show-up on time, or are you finding delays, which then delay the closings? How are the banks doing with closing on-time? Any frustrations you want to tell us about? How are the towns doing issuing building permits and C of Os? Any news there?

This summer put a tremendous strain on all real estate professionals and others who serve the market. I would say we all had very little summer, but it’s hard to complain when you are busy. We are all well aware of the amount of pain being felt by many in so many other industries. Being effective in this market requires great relationships. We pride ourselves on the strength of our local relationships. That’s a linchpin of our practice.

Are you finding more cash deals now versus pre-Covid days? If so, why?

Yes. People don’t have the benefit of time; so where there might have been contingencies in the past, the market hasn’t allow for that benefit this year.

What are buyers telling you about returning to the city? Are they truly migrating out here full time, giving up their city residences and sending their kids to school out here? I’ve heard about the insanely long waiting lists for private schools. Are you also hearing this from your clients?

A large number of people have told me they will either be staying for the foreseeable future or maybe permanently. Many of these people had not spent such significant time out east. We all know why happens when they do—they fall in love with all that’s here.

Are the towns taking any steps to control the improvements to property or any measures in general to heighten conservation with so many people coming out here?

The towns have always been protective of our environment. They continue to do a great job in keeping up with demand. Much of the local land is protected forever.

The market is incredibly active. There’s a rush, in some cases almost a desperation, to buy. Can you offer any insight as to some of the pitfalls when buying in such a hyped market?

Getting important information from the municipalities has been challenging due to Covid and their limited staff and opening. However, this is where key relationships are critical. We’ve been able to press for information that our clients needed in order to make the best decisions.

Let us end with some lawyerly advice. What would one helpful piece of advice be for buyers? And one piece for sellers? How can they win in this market? 

For buyers I would say make sure to choose counsel wisely. Buyers cannot sacrifice important information despite the frenetic nature of the market.

For sellers, I would say if they have specific important terms: they should stick to their guns and not get caught in agreeing to anything they will regret.

 

 

 

Ah, good ol’ 290 Further Lane, East Hampton. The gigantic (10,000 square feet), almost-oceanfront (the Nature Conservancy actually owns the dunes in front of the house) property that debuted on the market back in 2016, asking $69 million. Designed by Francis Fleetwood in 1995, the house had belonged to James and Ellen Marcus. Before his death in 2015, James Marcus was a retired partner at Goldman Sachs and the former board chairman of the Metropolitan Opera.

Sadly, though, as you can see from the photos below, the house was suffering badly from a case of the 90s. The price was cut $20 million in 2017, finally selling in 2018 for $40 million.

But, with many, many buckets of white paint applied, 290 Further is baaa-aa-ck. Now listed for $68 million (maybe $69 million is unlucky?), the property is all refreshed and available via Bespoke.

So what’s changed? Not a heck of a lot, actually, aside from the aforementioned white paint. To wit (new, then old):

The kitchen has just had its cabinets painted white.

Even the master bedroom is not so different.

The cute little endless pool and spa is no more, however.

So what do you think? Of course the market is hot now, unlike in 2018. Is the refreshed house going to sell quickly for $68 million? Let us know in the comments.

• 290 Further Lane [HRE]

 

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So you’ve just purchased a new couch at the Pottery Barn Outlet and now need something to hang above it. Well, have we got a nice new accent piece for you, and at 19″ x 23″, it’s the perfect size!

It’s even by a local artist, a Mr. Jackson Pollock! Entitled Red Composition, Christie’s will auction the work on October 6. Estimate is $12-18 million.

The painting is a very important early work of Pollock’s, painted in 1946 directly after Free Form, arguably his first drip painting, which is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Pollock’s drip paintings are mostly in museums now, so this is a rare opportunity to acquire one.

The painting was originally owned by Peggy Guggenheim, Pollock’s patron. In 1947, she gave the work to her stepson, Jimmy Ernst. In the 1950s, Red Composition was purchased by businessman Marshall Reisman and wife Dorothy, who donated the painting in 1991 to Syracuse’s Everson Museum of Art.

The Everson is de-accessioning the painting to make resources available to purchase more works by women and artists of color, controversially. We think they’re nuts to let it go, but no one asked us. And Robert Falter, Trustee of The Dorothy and Marshall M. Reisman Foundation, says, “As a longtime Board Member and benefactor of the Everson, Marshall would have been extremely happy to see his gift used for the greater good of the Museum, its future sustainability, and its impact on the community.”

We’ll be interested to see what Red Composition sells for. After all, the drip paintings are rarely on the market, and this one is particularly beautiful, though not very large.

 

 

 

Rest assured you can still get Chef Scott Kampf’s popular burgers at Union Burger Bar in Southampton, indoors or out. But a sizeable portion of the building is now devoted to more refined dining in the well-appointed Union Sushi & Steak.

Here Jon Bon Jovi’s Hampton Water rosé flows and every element of the white-tablecloth experience is in place: live music from a baby grand played by a young woman in an evening gown; black and white details throughout a room with walls of calm blue; private table areas defined by wispy white curtaining; luxurious, individual lavatories upstairs.

Ian Duke and David Hilty—restaurateurs who are also behind Southampton Social Club and Lucky’s Famous Burgers in New York—have really set the scene. One might now dream of high-class assignations in this former speakeasy.

Such thoughts might be pleasantly interrupted by the arrival of hot buns and European-style butter.

How to make the most of this setting for tasteful excess?

My husband and I were of course tempted by the local offerings on the menu, including Peconic Gold and Blue Point oysters, as well as the signature sushi rolls named for local places, like the Little Plains Roll and the Halsey Neck Roll. To find out what fills these treats you’ll have to stop in (or, okay, visit the website dineatunion.com to see the menu and to order delivery). Montauk Brewing Company Wave Chaser IPA and their Summer Ale, as well as Blue Point Brewing Company Toasted Lager, have all been known to hit the spot in any setting.

But let’s say for funsies that you’re in a mixed marriage between a carnivore and a vegan. Can you enjoy a meal together at this seafood tower of a steakhouse? This is the question my husband Dr. Daniel W. Koontz and I attempted to answer—he went for the meat and I kept my side of the table vegetable-forward. The results are in, we’re still married, and here’s how our public role-playing panned out:

Husband took a decidedly relaxed approach to our exercise by starting with a signature cocktail. The Nadameru Martini features Aviation Gin and earthy Shizuku Junmai Daiginjo Sake from Joto Sake muddled with cucumber and adorned with a serpentine length of dark green cucumber peel. This martini enthusiast pronounced it “very nice.” Nadameru means soothing, after all.

Then he ordered the most traditional of American steakhouse meals possible, starting with a Classic Wedge salad of Iceberg lettuce dappled with bacon chunks and cherry tomatoes and drizzled with Danish bleu cheese dressing. A Certified Angus Beef New York Strip Steak and the house steak sauce came next, with sides of Creamed Spinach and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes that were just right—crisp on the outside, tender within.

Our able server Gerardo wisely recommended a glass of 2018 M. Chapoutier Cotes Du Rhone to accompany the steak. We both found it an apt pairing, though I didn’t indulge in the salty red meat myself (the steak, that is).

I directed my attention to the menu options marked “V” for vegan and went with the Mixed Baby Greens salad to start and the Cast Iron Ratatouille of quinoa, zucchini, summer squash, cremini mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus and tomato in tomato-basil broth. Both dishes were also marked “GF” for gluten-free. The asparagus was my favorite tidbit—three spears planted upright in the center of the main dish raw and then cooked from below and above to roasted perfection.

Though Gerardo described the Chocolate Lava Cake and Apple Tart dessert options as intentionally “petite,” we didn’t have the room to explore another course.

But pear is one of my favorite autumnal flavors. And Poire Williams brandy is always clean and crisp, bracing. We both indulged in a glass. I added a little water to mine to open it up—very refreshing.

Cheers to our Union!

 

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Stacy Dermont is co-author, with Hillary Davis, of the top-selling regional cookbook and guide to the East End, The Hamptons Kitchen (Norton, 2020). A recognized food and wine authority, Stacy is also super-fun.

Meet Stacy and Hillary at Marilee Foster’s Sagaponack farmstand (730 Sagg Road) on Saturday, October 10, for a socially distanced signing of The Hamptons Kitchen.

Allan M. Schneider, the legendary Hamptons real estate agent, once called the Creeks “the most important house in East Hampton.” Now, the fabled estate currently owned by Ronald O. Perelman is being shopped as a whisper listing, according to the New York Post, asking $180 million.

The estate is named for the two creeks, tributaries of Georgica Pond, that border the 57-acre property. There’s more than a mile of (heavily guarded) frontage on Georgica Pond and views to the Atlantic beyond. The house itself was built in 1899 for artist Albert Herter by Grosvenor Atterbury, architect of the Parrish Art Museum.

“Well, Albert Herter simply has no right to exist. To begin with, he was born to wealth and social position; he is handsome and attractive in manner, and he has exceptional talent. You see, his career knocks the props from under those accepted saws about the impetus of poverty.” — Regina Armstrong, The Art Interchange, January, 1899. Albert was the son and nephew of the famous Herter Brothers decorating company, the 19th century’s premier interior decorators and furniture craftsmen, in demand from the White House to Fifth Avenue mansions.

Albert’s wife Adele was also a talented painter. They made their home, then called Près Choisis, a showplace inside and out. Below is a photo from the Library of Congress labeled, “View to house from orange and yellow garden.”

Besides the orange and yellow garden, no doubt chosen to reflect the Mediterranean style of the house, was an acre-sized garden of blue irises, tended by 30 Japanese gardeners. The interiors were spectacular as well; Herter was a muralist among other things. The performing arts, too, were well-represented: there is a studio-theater on the estate where Caruso, Isadora Duncan, and Pavlova performed.

In 1952 the artist Alfonso A. Ossorio purchased the estate from Christian A. Herter, Secretary of State in the Eisenhower Administration. Ossorio, too, worked on the garden, creating a spectacular garden of conifers, unlike any other on earth.

Ossorio was an Abstract Expressionist; he was influenced by Jackson Pollock and Pollock was influenced by him as well. It’s from the Creeks that Pollock took that fatal drunken drive home to Springs on August 11, 1956. (And supposedly, plenty of drips from Pollock’s work remain on the studio-theater’s floor.) Besides Pollock and wife Lee Krasner, Ossorio entertained such figures as Grace Hartigan, Franz Kline, Elaine and Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko.

After Ossorio’s death in 1990, the estate was offered for $25 million, with no takers until Perelman saw the place and did a deal that very afternoon for $12 million. Then, in the three weeks between closing and July 4th, the house was entirely renovated, back to the way the Herters had it in many cases.

Perelman, of course, is also a patron of the arts. Visible in the aerial photo above are two large sculptures, Torqued Torus Inversion and Junction by Richard Serra. Another Serra, 7 Plates, 6 Angles, is on the drive to the house. Perelman also threw the legendary Apollo in the Hamptons fundraiser for ten years, raising $30 million for the Apollo Theater.

Why is Perelman selling? He told Vanity Fair he wants “a less complicated and less leveraged business life.” He is, after all, 77, and he’s been married five times with eight children. His net worth, once estimated at nearly $20 billion, is now estimated just under $5 billion.

We’ll be very interested in the next iteration of the Creeks. The new owners will only be the fourth family to own it in 120 years.

• Ron Perelman looking to sell massive Hamptons estate [NYP]

 

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Yet another big sale reported this week. Big in price (though quite a bit of a discount on the ask) and big in size. 232 Parsonage Lane, Sagaponack, had been asking $29.9 million; it sold for $23.5 million, repped by Bespoke.

So what did the buyer get for all that? Quite a lot: 7.37 acres of land (much of it being reserve), on a prestigious street in tony Sagaponack. Four buildings, including the 9,353 square feet main house, with an extra 3,384 square feet of space on the finished lower level.

Not enough? There is also the carriage house, which offers 1,483 square feet more living space. What about Ol’ Sparky, your favorite horse? There is a pre-existing nonconforming antique barn for him. And for everyone else, there’s also a pool with spa, pool house, outdoor dining and seating areas, and sunken north/south tennis court.

This is all next to 100 more acres of reserve, so the views will be awfully serene. Well done to all involved!

• 232 Parsonage Lane, Sagaponack [Bespoke]

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This photo was taken on Labor Day by Karen Dixon German of cars leaving Montauk. We think the Hamptons has felt much more calm this week and less frenetic. Do you agree? Let us know in the comments.