Gravitational Pull
Weekend and summer houses were once considered places where you escaped from the urban heat and hassle, and were referred to as “getaways” or “retreats.” Such homes, at least in the Hamptons, are no longer considered a refuge from city life. Now they have a more positive connotation as places that draw people, as sources of fascination, attraction, seductiveness, and of course status symbols. Buyers will spend millions for enthralling properties.
Architecture: Splashy and fun, the look says if it is worth doing, it is worth overdoing. Like some of the great old shingle houses, this home is playful, generous, dramatic and extravagant. It’s a tradition we’ve always liked in the Hamptons.
Site: North Haven waterfront, with spectacular views of Shelter Island Sound, Noyac Bay and Peconic Bay, and of course with the correct, de rigeur infinity pool.
The inside word: A place you want to get to, and stay once you’ve arrive. Magnetism at work. With a playroom containing a full size bar, why bother with the lounges and clubs? Just add a cocktail waitress. And stroll back to a sybaritic master suite to sleep it off. In fact, with six bedrooms, six full baths, three half baths, your whole cocktail party can stay over. Offered at $8,395,000.
Survivor
The legendary hurricane of 1938 was more than a reality show. It was a show of the destructive the power of nature. In the Westhampton Beach area, which was far less developed than it is today, 29 lives were lost and more than 150 homes destroyed. It was the storm of the century, with waves over 30 feet high sweeping inland. If a comparable hurricane were to strike now, the damage would be colossal.
Architecture: A fine example of Long Island beach house architecture from 1930. Imposing though not ornate, this expansive shingle house reflects the upper class optimism of its time of its pre-Depression era.
Site: Over two acres on the ocean in Quogue. The wide beach in front of this home gives no indication that a huge storm surge once leveled almost everything else in its path, even creating the Shinnecock Inlet.
The inside word: Only luck can account for the survival of this house 67 years ago. It is still owned by the original family. If the house as talisman is not enough to convince a buyer to spend $6.3 million, the architecture, the views and the opportunity to talk about its history should complete the sale.
Culture Wars
Behind the hedgerows of our estate areas there is a lingering divergence of opinion. It’s more a polite after-dinner discussion than a clash of civilizations. It’s all about our look and our lifestyle. On one side, we have the traditional Hamptons attitude, expensively understated and casual; on the other, the forces of Palm Beach, a more formal, decorated and done up approach, visually and socially.
Architecture: Arches, cast stone columns and balusters on the front façade indicate a transplanted style. The foundation may be dug into Hamptons sand, but the house is rooted in resort architecture of Florida and the West Coast.
Site: Fordune was once farmland owned by the Ford family, but for some years now has been the site of expensive new homes. With an important south of the highway location, and proximity to the ocean, it matches the neighboring older estate area in price and narrowly (just barely for many old-timers) in status.
The inside word: Big and complete—11,000 square feet, nine bedrooms, 16-seat theater, conference room, billiard room—this house possesses the luxuries that most buyers seek, but the anomalous style will be appealing only to those with a more Palm Beach type of taste. Offered at $6.9 million.
Coastal Contemporary
Napeague has traditionally been known more for high tides than high prices, more frolicking in the sand than living in something grand. The developed, areas were defined by simple beach houses, and the lifestyle had more to do with outdoor splendor than indoor opulence. But things change, especially the cost of real estate.
Architecture: A rectangular modernist structure of the type favored in the 1980s. The clean lines and simple forms work well for a beach house, and such architecture seems to be finding an audience once again.
Site: Oceanfront (100 feet) on the narrow and low-lying stretch of sand dunes and wetlands bounded by the Atlantic and Gardiner’s Bay, east of Amagansett and west of Montauk.
The inside word: The second story living room makes sense here, and having the pool on the ocean side of the house is a big asset. But more than the house, the location is what counts. The street with six properties is bordered by state parkland. With this kind of privacy, plus ocean and bay views, and the surf in front, it is a beach-lover’s paradise. But paradise comes at a high price these days: $10.5 million.