Realty Check – Latest Hamptons Real Estate News

Sad Farewell
It is with great sadness that we report of the death in June of a friend of the magazine, “builder to the stars” and restaurateur Ben Krupinski. Krupinski, who built homes for Martha Stewart and Billy Joel and owned East Hampton favorite boites 1770 House, East Hampton Point and Cittanuova, perished in a small plane that dove into the sea during a freak thunderstorm off Amagansett on June 2. Along with Krupinski, 70, were his wife Bonnie Bistrian Krupinski, also 70, their grandson, Will Maerov, 22, and the plane’s pilot, Jon Dollard, 47. RIP all.

Heiress Apparent?
You must know that gorgeous solid white 18th-century Colonial house at the Woods Lane/Montauk Highway turnoff into East Hampton. The one that’s beautifully lit during the holidays? Well, the owner has died and a woman purporting to be his long-lost daughter has laid claim to his estate according to the New York Post. “Ashley Mengoni, 31, says she is the child of Fred Mengoni, whose portfolio includes at least six rental apartment buildings on the Upper East Side, a Manhattan home and the well-known “White House,” according to the paper. However, Mengoni’s executor denies the claim. “‘Fred Mengoni told me that he married Christine Foisy in 1986 after she told him that she was pregnant. After the child was born . . . she admitted to Fred Mengoni that he was not the father,’ attorney Charles Smalls wrote in recently filed Manhattan Supreme Court papers.”

Take Me to Church
“When artist Eric Fischl walked into the former Sag Harbor United Methodist Church building on Madison Street earlier this year, he was captivated,” according to the Sag Harbor Express. Now Fischl and his artist wife April Gornik, who live and work in North Haven, have purchased the property, which they plan to convert “into a flexible space for artisans to experiment and create.” The building, which dates from the mid-nineteenth century, has a rich recent history. Bought by former Southampton Town Councilman and Goldman Sachs executive Dennis Suskind in 2008 for $2.8 million, it was then purchased by East Hampton artist Elizabeth Dow in 2011 who sold it in 2013 for $4 million to entrepreneur Sloan Schaffer, who planned to use it as a private home. Mid-construction, Shaffer listed it in 2015 for $23 million though it was most recently listed for $8.9. Phew! It is not reported how much Fischl and Gornik paid. The listing and selling agent of this property was Lori Schiaffino of Compass.

Bad Behavior
The East Hampton neighbors of veteran Goldman Sachs player Marc Spilker and his wife, Diane, are teed off for allowing their teenage daughter Carly to throw a wild party at their $9 million Further Lane estate. The melee resulted in the arrest of guest, Conor P.D. Harkins, 19, who was found unconscious on a neighbor’s lawn at 6:30 a.m. The college student, who was barely breathing, was given Narcan by police who soon discovered that he had broken into a nearby house and trashed it. He left a trail of blood in that home where the owners were thankfully out at the time. That abode had once belonged to George Stephanopoulos and Ali Wentworth. Police report that he flipped tables, ripped out screens and broke windows, causing $10,000 worth of damage. “Conor, who lives in a Fifth Avenue apartment overlooking Central Park and is the son of a managing partner at the law firm of Harkins Kovler, has now been charged with multiple felonies,” according to the Daily Mail.

17th-Century Gem
A rare 325-year-old, 1,100 square-foot Sag Harbor home is on the market for $1.8 million. Built in 1693, it is one of the South Fork’s oldest dwellings. The three bedroom, three bath abode was moved five times before settling in its current location on Union Street. Remaining original details include exposed beams and wide-plank floorboards. Of course, there are modern elements from the stainless steel kitchen appliances to skylights. It last sold in 2010 for $825,000. Barbara Lobosco, Judith Auchincloss and Robery Evjen of Douglas Elliman Real Estate have the listing.

Bye Bye Matt?
Page Six has reported that disgraced TV star Matt Lauer is thinking of getting out of the Hamptons, where he is quite visible, to a hideout in the mountains where he presumably would have more privacy. Apparently, he was overheard expressing such a sentiment to Today show senior producer Deborah Kosofsky. However, another source told the paper that the report was wrong. Perhaps he was actually referring to his 26,000 acre property in New Zealand, which he has been trying to sell.

Famous Farmhouse
Famed gossip columnist Richard Johnson along with his wife, Sessa von Richthofen, is renting out his Hampton Bays retreat. The price for July is $28,500 and for short term (usually two weeks) the couple is asking $15,000. Johnson is best known for having edited the New York Post’s must-read gossip column Page Six for 25 years. The 2,145 square-foot restored farmhouse has four bedrooms and 2.5 baths on nearly an acre of land south-of-the-highway. There’s a sunroom with dining area, pool, pool house with kitchenette and full bathroom and outdoor shower. Rental listed with Codi Garcete of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

Opa!
The Hamptons Greek Festival celebrates the best of Greek food, music, dancing and culture. The event is on church grounds, 111 Saint Andrew Road, Southampton from July 12 to July 15. Experience authentic Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries; an outdoor marketplace full of vendors and an area for kids with carnival rides and games and many other children’s activities. Political commentator and Hamptons habitué, George Stephanopoulos, has spoken about his Greek heritage and the importance of the Greek Orthodox Church in his life especially since his father was a priest.

CH-CH-ChANGES
Diane M. Ghioto has taken the leap to real estate after years of experience as a magazine editor, restaurateur and interior design consultant as well as a former fashion and lifestyle editor at ELLE USA. Diane has all the right qualifications and the experience needed to make it in the world of Hamptons real estate at The Corcoran Group in Sag Habor.

OPEN HOUSE
Rethink living and join us Saturday, June 30 from 2 to 6 pm in Bridgehampton at the DAVINCI HAUS to preview the world’s best performing panelized walls. A Davinci Haus USA is built from a 250-year post and beam tradition of German engineered building combined with a local master craftsmanship. Davinci Haus green-luxury homes offer the highest ratings and modern building technology, including sound-dampening interiors, low-energy, high-efficiency and performance. Presented by John Healey of Sotheby’s International Realty and sponsored by Hamptons Real Estate Showcase, Plain-T and Guardhill Financial.