Realty Check

Hot Sales and Listings with a Dollop of Hamptons Gossip

It’s Memorial Day, folks: get ready, get set, GO! Hopefully you’ve got your summer rental all nailed down and ready or you’ve had your own weekend place spruced up and fresh for a new summer season in the Hamptons! We’ve picked the most interesting new real estate stories for you from the past month.

East Hampton’s Maidstone Sold
The beautiful, historic Maidstone Hotel, right opposite Town Pond in the village at 207 Main Street, has been sold. The Cerio Natter Team — Tony Cerio, Mitch Natter and Jared Schiavoni — at Brown Harris Stevens represented the buyers in an off-market deal for an undisclosed price. Irwin D. Simon (Chairman and CEO of Tilray Brands, Inc. and recent buyer of Montauk Brewing and the Lobster Roll restaurants) and the hotelier and restaurateur Mayank Dwivedi plan to create a new Hamptons hotspot. 

The deal closed April 5, and the grand re-opening is scheduled for May 15th. The landmark hostelry offers 19 guest rooms, including several separate cottages, a 76-seat restaurant, and a full bar. However, the property has a history as old as East Hampton itself. For at least six generations, starting in the mid-1600s, the location was the site of the village tannery. (That must have smelled great.) The current building was erected around 1840; as the railroad extended east, the building changed from a lodging house to a hotel and restaurant. The current buyers are only the fifth owners in the history of the Maidstone.

And never mind what you’ve heard about a slowdown in Hamptons real estate. That isn’t happening on the commercial side. The Cerio Natter Team says that “the temperature of commercial real estate in the Hamptons is off the charts. As long as properties are realistically priced, they fly out the door. We are noticing that the current commercial buyer is experienced, savvy and can make a quick decision.” 

Perfection in Sagaponack
In Sagaponack, more than in other Hamptons hamlets, an eclectic mix of architectural styles abound, from cutting-edge modern glass boxes to ancient farmhouses. Particularly popular are barn style homes. A house for sale in the village, just a mile from internationally renowned Gibson Beach, is in traditional style, but the agent representing it for sale, Patrick Mclaughlin at Douglas Elliman says, “The timber from the original barn that once stood on the lot was used in the construction of the house.”

Fantastic old woodwork is definitely a feature of the 3,600 square foot house. The gated property includes one acre of land, with a swimming pool, a shed handy for paddleboards and kayaks, and a detached two-car garage. The central living space boasts double-height ceilings and windows, an enormous stone fireplace and a large dining room. In the kitchen, there are professional-grade appliances, a breakfast seating area, and a butler’s pantry opening to an attached covered screened in porch, perfect for listening to crickets on summer nights. Upstairs are four bedrooms and large library with second story attached patio, which could be used as a fifth bedroom. Four bathrooms and a half bath complete the house. Too small? The full-height lower level could be finished with a home theater, gym, and playroom. The expansive grounds include mature landscaping, a patio seating area and an outdoor shower. All this is just minutes from the beach and the Sagg General Store. 

ONADUNE Returns
After a year hiatus, Onadune, commissioned in 1902 by Mr. and Mrs. S. Fisher Johnson, is back on the market. Completed in 1903, the “Cottage”, designed by John Custis Lawrence, was known as “one of the most pleasantly located and costly residences in town”. The East Hampton Star reported “the Cottage faces the ocean and from a broad piazza extending across the entire front, can be seen nearly the whole cottage settlement and the broad expanse of the Atlantic.” J.C. Lawrence, the architect, described the home at completion “as Elizabethan in style and many handsome gables”. 

Today the approximate 14,000 square-foot Estate stands prominently on the plateau of the inner dune overlooking the grounds of Onadune. The residence is host to ten bedrooms and seven full bathrooms. The original interior appointments are all intact and are considered in pristine condition. The replica Guest House is a single and separate home sitting on its building lot. 

Onadune, although 118 years old, has been meticulously maintained and updated throughout the years. The home has retained all of its original appointments including floor plan, exterior architecture, the Carriage Way, the Ocean-View piazza, interior finishes, and stained glass. This is a work of artistic grandeur and a rare opportunity to acquire part of East Hampton’s history. Scott Strough and Ed Petrie of Compass exclusively represent the property.

In a Pretty Village
Hither Lane must be one of the prettiest in the estate section of East Hampton Village, right by the local nature trail and duck pond. And on this pretty street is a pretty fab residence set on one acre. The 8,000 square foot house, with six bedrooms and seven and a half baths, is asking $19 million via Laura U. White at Saunders & Associates.

This house must be one of the prettiest residences on Hither Lane, inside and out. Traditional features combine with the latest in technology to create a home that’s both charming and easy to live with. The entrance is gated, with a drive down an allee of trees. Mature landscaping is protected with deer fencing. Visitors are greeted with an enormous sculpture (a head), commissioned especially for the front entry. A steel architectural canopy floats above the double glass entry doors. Past the large foyer are a formal dining room, living room and family room. The living room boasts wood-paneled walls with architectural lighting located in chair rail molding, a wet bar with bronze glass, a gas fireplace with antique millwork and Italian stone hearth and surround. The dining room is outfitted with backlit transparent quartzite stone wall panels with floating glass shelves, a stone fireplace, and a glossy lacquered ceiling. 

The property is also designed for fun, with the oversized upstairs media room featuring a projection screen theater, full bath, wet bar and lacquered Varenna millwork. Outside, are three main areas. The heated glass-roofed atrium connects the main house via sliding glass walls to the outdoor dining pavilion. The outdoor living pavilion boasts a 12’ granite clad summer kitchen with refrigerator/sink/BBQ, a 16’ wide custom fireplace with floating hearth and accent lighting, all anchored by a sensational 25’ infinity edge gunite saltwater spa. To the south side of the property is a pool pavilion with full bath and outdoor shower. 

CH-CH-CHANGES  
Modlin Group, a private family office for New York real estate, announced its expansion to the Hamptons with the opening of a branch office in Bridgehampton.  Christopher Covert leads the Hamptons office as managing director, joining Modlin Group with ten years of experience in Hamptons real estate, most recently with Compass Real Estate. A Manhattan native who now resides in Bridgehampton, Covert boasts a comprehensive knowledge of town and village codes and regulations, enabling him to provide the most comprehensive service for buyers and sellers. Covert spearheaded two of the top seven trades in the Hamptons in 2022 at a sale price of $45 million each.

Alison Graham has joined Sotheby’s International Realty and is an accomplished entrepreneur, business leader, and philanthropist with a successful career spanning over 27 years in executive management and sales. A native of Australia, Alison relocated to New York in 1997 and has held global leadership positions at some of the world’s largest tech firms, including Amazon, Salesforce, and IBM.  In 2022, Alison transitioned to the real estate industry and has quickly established herself as a compassionate and knowledgeable professional. 

Veteran broker John Healey has recently joined Saunders & Associates. With over 26 years of experience as a top-producing agent in the Hamptons real estate market, John brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Saunders & Associates. After eight successful years at Sotheby’s International Realty, John is excited to join forces with Saunders & Associates’ award-winning marketing department. Known for their innovative and cutting-edge approach to real estate marketing, John is looking forward to being a part of the dynamic Saunders team.