Field of Dreams
We remember when the late Ed Gordon sold his oceanfront home in Bridgehampton to move to a large farm north of the highway. It was not so long ago, but it was a bold and surprising move then. It turns out that he was more the pioneer than the rebel, for many large beautiful estates have now been created on the gently rolling hills around Long Pond and along Scuttle Road.
In many respects, it was an interesting exercise. Ed was a real estate professional, the head of Edward S. Gordon Inc., now merged with Insignia. Though the firm was based in Manhattan, Ed had spent enough years in the Hamptons to know the lay of the land as well as anyone. Add to this expertise his vastly deep pockets, and the question is, where do you go?
The answer for him was a 40-acre parcel in an area where potato fields once stretched to the horizon, interrupted only by small ponds. There he built the estate known as Broadlawns, anchored by an expansive mansion designed by Francis Fleetwood.
Architecture: The challenge here was to keep the massive structure from feeling monstrous and overwhelming, and it is cleverly solved by a design rooted in a traditional shingle style, with repeated motifs of gambrel roofs and tall white columns. While it appears undeniably large, it is neither weighty nor forbidding. The colors are light, the feeling is delicate and the façade is friendly and welcoming.
The inside word: Broadlawns is the premiere property among the important estates in the Long Pond area and one of the great homes in the Hamptons. It is the kind of property any gazillionaire could fall in love with. Still, while we are used to overindulgence in Hamptons real estate, we must question how many people realistically want such a major property and are willing to pay $23 million in these somewhat stressed times, not to mention the costs of maintaining it. We have to admit, however, that almost every time we have raised questions about money over the years we have been proved wrong.
Broadlawns Stats
Property: 40 acres
Home: 17,000 square feet
Ceilings: 11 foot
Bedrooms: 9
Baths: 11
Fireplaces: 8
Master: fireplace, study, his and her baths
Elevator: 3-stop
Stairways: 6
Second floor balconies: 875 square feet
Covered porches: 2,760 square feet
Bluestone patios: 5,100 square feet
Tennis court: sunken
Pool: 25x60 feet
Garage: 4 cars
[sidebar]
Our admiration for Queen Elizabeth went into overdrive earlier this summer. At the queen’s 50th anniversary gala, Paul McCartney asked her if she was going have a celebration next year. “Not on my lawn” Her Majesty replied, showing that the royals are not that different from the rest of us. Well, at least those of us with acres and acres of lawn. We were thinking about those remarks when we recently toured Broadlawns, an estate in which a monarch might feel right at home.
