~ Holiday House Tour ~

Shingled Beauty

Recently constructed, this 16-room house was completed in 2006 on the site of an earlier structure. As built, it has many elements of the shingle style so popular in East Hampton a century ago, yet it is totally up to date with the latest 21st century technology. The five bedroom, five and one-half bath house was designed by Sandy Peabody and built by Brian Radigan, both of Southampton. With ten-foot ceilings and generous room proportions, the house features random-width oak floors, recessed paneling, and finely detailed millwork. The cabinetry throughout is by E.T. Raffel of Southampton. Entered through a Dutch front door, the first floor includes the foyer and stair hall, living and dining rooms, kitchen, family room, butler's pantry with Carrera marble countertops, master suite with library, staff quarters, covered porch, and an outdoor bluestone terrace with fireplace. The second floor consists of a junior master suite, two guest rooms each with their own bath, a laundry room, and a kitchenette. The lower level features a game room with wet bar, home theater, office, bath, gym, and laundry rooms with a dumbwaiter servicing the upper floors. A pool house with a 20' x 40' heated pool and extensive bluestone terraces complete the maturely landscaped grounds.

Laughead

This Palm Beach-style house was one of three built on the east side of Amy's Lane in the 1980's. It was purchased by the current owners in 1995 when they decided to move from a large house on the ocean. A number of improvements to the structure have given the rooms a much more spacious feeling. A foyer was incorporated into the front of the house, creating a proper entry hall with faux limestone painting and two closets. The flat ceilings throughout were raised, creating much higher tray ceilings in the major rooms. A dining room overlooking the gardens was added, the former garage was turned into a library, and a new garage was built onto the front of the house. Throughout the interiors there are many family pieces, and with the help of New York designer Tom Britt they were installed in this 3,000 square-foot, three bedroom house. Of note are a pair of gilt Chinese Chippendale mirrors flanking the entrance foyer, a Chinese screen in the living room, and lanterns in the dining room. Outdoors, a mahogany deck connects the house to the pool. Many of the specimen trees on the property were planted in memory of family poodles.

Lasata

Lasata, an Indian term for "place of peace", is one of East Hampton's legendary estates. Along with Grey Gardens, it has long been associated with three generations of the Kennedy-Bouvier-Beale families. Originally situated on 10 acres, the 8500 square-foot house has always been a showplace. Today, it is one of a few large estates that still retain their original acreage, and with minimal screening on Further Lane the property remains visible for all to see. The grey stucco house was completed in 1917 for George W. Schurman, a prominent New York lawyer. His brother, Dr. Jacob Gould Schurman, was President of Cornell University and lived directly across Further Lane. Arthur C. Jackson of New York was the architect and Edward M. Gay of East Hampton the builder. The house, known for its interiors flooded with natural light, includes a spacious first floor for entertaining with six main and five servant bedrooms above. The original cost of construction was $30,000. The garage was added in 1919. Schurman, who was President of the nearby Maidstone Club in 1921-22, sold Lasata in 1923 to Mrs. S.K. Martin for $100,000. By then it included the Italian garden, stables, a tennis court, and a potting shed. The Martins added an extensive 150-foot long terra cotta chicken house for their prized fowl. Mrs. Martin died in 1924, and the property was sold twice in 1925, initially to Leon Gardiner who in turn sold it to Mrs. John V. Bouvier, grandmother of Jackie Kennedy. Reflecting the fluctuating real estate prices of the time, Maude Bouvier purchased Lasata for $80,000, and in 1935 transferred the deed to her husband. The estate was the center of family life for the Bouvier's grandchildren - Jackie, Lee Radziwell, and Edith (Little Edie) Bouvier Beale. In 1950 Lasata was sold to Mrs. Page Huffy of Washington, DC and Palm Beach, and several years later to the Breed family of Breed Abbott & Morgan, a Greenwich, Connecticut based law firm. The parents of the current owners purchased the house from the Breeds in 1961. A pool and a Japanese pool house were added to the property, and more recently the stables used by Jackie and her sister along Middle Lane were taken down. The property, with its great lawn and wonderful period ambiance, remains an outstanding example of what it was like to be privileged in East Hampton during the 20th century.

Ezekiel Howes House

This charming house dates from the early 1800's, and in its original form was a quarter cape of just one story. It was built for retired sea captain Ezekiel Howes and his wife, Hannah Osborn Howes. In 1873 they added a second story, and made alterations to the interior. In 1882 they added on to the back of the house. The 18-acre property was acquired by the newly formed Maidstone Club in 1891 for $14,000 from Henry D. Hedges. A year later the first Maidstone Clubhouse, which was built behind the Howes house overlooking Hook Pond, was nearing completion. A new 40-foot wide road, Maidstone Lane, was built on the southwest edge of the property, connecting the clubhouse to James Lane. It required moving the Howes house several feet to the northeast. Five years later, in 1898, the Maidstone Inn, a very large shingle hotel, was built between the Howes house and the clubhouse, turning Maidstone Lane into one of the busiest streets in East Hampton. The clubhouse burned twice, eventually moving to a site overlooking the ocean, and the Maidstone Tennis House now sits on its foundation. The inn burned in 1935, and the site is now a grassy lawn with a few houses to the southeast. Maidstone Lane has reverted to a sleepy byway. In the 1940's the Howes house was purchased by the Tingley sisters. After a visit to Bermuda, they returned to East Hampton and painted their wooden house pink, and for the last half century it has been best known as the Pink House. The house was later owned by Sally Stamm, a New York socialite and author of The Park Avenue Cookbook, published in 1981. She entertained often, and the property was the site of many elegant cocktail parties. In the 1990's the Pink House became a well known B&B of the same name, operating for a decade under two separate owners. In 2004 it was acquired by the current owners, who have returned it to a private home, and taken back the original Howes name for the property. It has undergone extensive renovations in the process, including the addition of an elegant two-story porch to the rear. The two front parlors have recently been opened up to create one large room. Among the current furnishings are many English and American antiques with a nautical theme. Of special interest are a 19th century English carousel donkey who presides over the front porch, and an extensive collection of Black Forest bears produced in Bern, Switzerland between 1850-1940. They were popular tourist souvenirs for nearly a century. Today the Ezekiel Howes house sits proudly in a lovely garden, at the edge of the village, once again a cherished family home.

Briar Patch

Briar Patch, as it has always been called, is a colonial revival estate of eleven acres sensitively sited on Georgica Pond. The house was built during the winter of 1931-32 for Dr. Shepard Krech and his wife Mary. Like Lasata, Arthur C. Jackson of New York was the architect and Edward M. Gay the builder. The house was officially opened on May 28, 1932. It was one of very few large estates built in East Hampton during the Depression, and at the end of the great building period of the original summer colony. Briar Patch occupies the site of an earlier house, which was carefully taken down without a tree being sacrificed during demolition and the subsequent construction. As built, the main house consisted of 24 rooms and six bathrooms, three half bathrooms, spacious halls, a butler's pantry, food pantries, refrigerator rooms, laundry and flower rooms, and a one-car garage. Originally, the formal gardens at Briar Patch extended from the back of the house to the pond. Mrs. Albert Herter of the neighboring Creeks, an avid gardener, helped the Krechs plan their gardens. The shingle two-story house to the left of the front drive was built by Dr. Krech to house his chauffeur, cook, caretaker and their families. Throughout the 1930's and 1940's Mary Krech hosted an annual benefit for St. Luke's Episcopal Church at Briar Patch, consisting of an afternoon of bridge and tea. The Krech family owned the house for 37 years, selling it in 1969. The property has had just three owners. The current owners acquired the estate in 1989, and immediately began substantial renovations. New York architect Peter Marino oversaw a two-year renovation of the 10,300 square-foot house and outbuildings. Frank Greenwald, then a young architect on Marino's staff, worked extensively on this project. East Hampton builder Ben Krupinski gutted much of the interior of the house, as the intention of the renovation was to open up many small rooms into larger ones. The living room, dining room, and library-all to the right of the front hall-became a three-story great room. Consequently, the second and third floors of this area of the house were removed to create the soaring height. Many remaining bedrooms on the second floor were combined to create four larger ones. Outside, a four-bedroom guest house was built to the south of the main house, and the service buildings were reconfigured and rebuilt. They now include a spacious three-car garage, a charming bicycle house, a pair of pool cabanas, a swimming pool with a hot tub, and a sunken tennis court. The property commands a spectacular view of the 290-acre Georgica Pond, Wainscott Beach, and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. If you face the pond, the often photographed Kennedy house is perched on the beach to the left, and the legendary Creeks estate, now painted beige instead of black, can be seen to the right. Burnt Point, the relatively new 25-acre estate directly across the pond, recently sold for $45 million, making it one of the most expensive residential properties in the United States.

Creative Renovation

What happens when a well known New York interior designer and his wife decide to create their own weekend getaway? For Noel and Lynn Jeffrey, the answer was to start small and proceed slowly. Thirteen years ago, tired of country clubbing and renting in the many exurbs of the metropolitan area, they stumbled upon this modest 1954 Cape Cod cottage. The south of the highway location, proximity to the beach, and a deep lot of two thirds of an acre spoke to them. While the original structure of a main house, breezeway, and garage wasn't compelling, it had possibilities. The four-year, two-stage renovation process started almost immediately on the second floor. The space was gutted to create a master suite, a bedroom and bath for their son, and a laundry area. The first floor was simply painted white. After living in the house three years, and seeing how they entertained and used the existing space, the Jeffreys were ready to tackle the first floor. The former garage (pictured) was enlarged and the roof was raised, creating a new living room. The former living room was turned into the dining room, and the old front door at the bottom of the staircase was replaced with a window. The front entrance was moved to the former breezeway, creating a more formal entrance hall. The dramatic copper urn molding, used as a frieze in the entrance hall, came off an old building. A study, larger kitchen with concrete countertops, breakfast room, and bath and powder room were added to the rear. A generous hall across the back of the original house elegantly connected the new spaces. Today the house has three bedrooms, each with its own bath, and a pair of comfortable his and her libraries. Outside, the grounds and gardens were planted to resemble an English landscape. Landscape designer Joe Tyree of Southampton created many of the outdoor spaces. The original driveway was replaced with a formal garden. The large architectural urn draped with swags on the exterior pediment of the new living room is one of the most distinctive features of the property. The drive was moved to the north, creating a motor court. Extensive landscaping to the rear of the property, including a pool, was added. Having eyed a somewhat similar property next door for years, the Jeffreys recently purchased it with the thought of expanding their realm. After clearing most of the lot, and donating the house to a local farmer who will move it up the hill, plans are underway for a new carriage house to rise on the site. It will include garages on the first floor and an apartment suite above.