Life in an Ivory Tower
“The alleged sale of this house has been tabloid fodder for years but it is really on the market now.” We did not say that. Peter Cook did, referring to Tower Hill, the home he shares with Christie Brinkley and their two children.
This publication is not a tabloid, of course, and we trust our comments on real estate are not fodder. And we deal in facts, not rumors. Cook and Brinkley must agree because they gave us the first heads up to talk about their decision to list this extraordinary property. Yes, it is really on the market now.
Architecture: Built in 1898 and restored and expanded in 1998. It was an architectural gem originally, it still is now, and it will most certainly be a great property in another hundred years. The inherently traditional Hamptons estate architecture has been perfectly brought up to date and blended with every 21st century luxury.
Site: Twenty acres in the hills north of Bridgehampton’s farm fields. At 200 feet above sea level, this is one of the highest spots in the Hamptons, and the views are all the more incredible from a 50 foot observation tower, part of the original estate.
The inside word: The name is “Tower Hill” and it’s towering in every sense. This is the top tier of real estate, unsurpassed for luxury in the Hamptons. The star of the main house is the tower, which predates zoning laws and would be impossible to build now, but there are still plenty of other reasons to buy, like a triple height living room and fabulous kitchen. The guest cottage has five bedrooms in addition to the five bedrooms in the main house, and the barn contains a gym but comes with no guarantees that you’ll achieve a body like Brinkley’s. Her art studio is also in the barn, along with additional living quarters and a four car heated garage.
Brinkley and Cook are both involved with the environmental movement in the Hamptons, and you can be sure that it’s manure, not Miracle Grow, behind the lush flower, vegetable and herb gardens and the politically correct greenhouse. Nature knows better than to misbehave around this formidable couple and the grounds are just about perfect.
The tower is shingled, but it might as well be an ivory tower, because this estate is the ultimate secure sanctuary, a transcendent place of peace and beauty. And those views out to the ocean and the Connecticut shore make the rest of the world look almost perfect too—and at the same time keep it far from your door.
The price is a nice round $30 million. It might be hard to write that check, but you’ll get your money’s worth with this property.