Sag Harbor House Tour Returns

For years Erika Hecht owned a home on Jefferson Street in Sag Harbor, but on daily walks with her dog, Mookie, she always seemed to end up in front of an uninhabited property just one road over on Suffolk Street.

The house was dated and rundown, far from the Federalist Greek-revival style home that she envisioned in its place, yet it still captivated her, she said.

“I’ve always wanted it, I’ve always loved the property,” Ms. Hecht explained during an interview at her home on Wednesday. “I don’t know why, it just appealed to me.”

Approximately 16 years ago, after a successful interior design career in Montreal Canada, Ms. Hecht retired and moved to Manhattan. She then bought a vacation home in Sag Harbor. But when her dream property on Suffolk Street finally went on the market in 2010, she snatched it up and has lived in a whirlwind of construction ever since.

“As soon as that property was mine, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it,” Ms. Hecht said. “I love the construction part. I was here every day and ran the whole thing.”

The house is one of five on the upcoming annual Sag Harbor House Tour, hosted by the Friends of the John Jermain Library, on Friday, July 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Two years later and now complete, the expansive home sits closer to the street and is adorned with five eyebrow windows and a recessed entrance. Inside the home, a blend of modern art and European elements make for an interior design masterpiece.

With an eye for rare treasures, Ms. Hecht has collected special pieces of art and furniture her whole life from all over the world.

“I wanted to incorporate antique, nostalgic pieces that I’m attached to but I do love modern art,” she said. “So the surroundings had to be such that accommodated my modern art pieces. Some pieces I’ve had close to 50 years now and they became the centerpiece for my inspiration.”

The backyard also needed a considerable amount of work, according to Ms. Hecht. In the right corner of the backyard sits an old shed from the 1800s, which is protected by the town.

“Luckily, the house wasn’t protected but since the shed was, I turned it into a pool house,” Ms. Hecht said. “My guests love to stay there.”

With two houses in North Haven, one in Noyac and two in Sag Harbor, the house tour hosts are confident that participants will have the pleasure of experiencing the best of the northern stretch of the South Fork, according to Ann Lieber, a Friends of the Library volunteer.

“What we try to do is get a variety of homes; some old, some new, with different furnishings and I think we have a really great variety this year,” she said. “We wanted to give people a flavor of Sag Harbor, North Haven and Noyac because it is interesting to see the different types of homes and decorating styles that people use and how they put a little of their own character into decorating them.”

A contemporary home will be on view on Fresh Pond Road in North Haven. The homeowner, Arlene Ball Dempsey, has used quirky country antiques to decorate the home, along with 49 works of art on display in her great room, many of them by her husband, Robert Dempsey.

Another house, on Glover Street in Sag Harbor, overlooks the water. According to Ms. Lieber, there is no shortage of interesting things to look at in this home, which is owned by Wendy and Tom Ryan.

Artist Elaine Puzzio’s home on Emerson Place in Noyac will also be on view. The contemporary farmhouse mimics the look of the oldest house in Key West, which Ms. Puzzio and her husband have visited.

“I had an old print of the Key West home in a closet for years because I loved it so much and as we built our home in Noyac, I realized our design was identical to that old house,” Ms. Puzzio said during a phone interview on Thursday.

Susan Goldstein’s North Haven home will also be on the tour this year. Her waterfront house is entirely green and energy-efficient.

The annual Sag Harbor House Tour will be held on Friday, July 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include five Sag Harbor-area homes. Due to parking restrictions, a shuttle bus will transport tour attendees to the North Haven locations, returning them to Sag Harbor where they will continue the tour on their own. Refreshments will be served at the final house in Sag Harbor.

Tickets are $50 each on the day of the tour at the library only, and $45 in advance at the library and at The Wharf Shop on Main Street. For further information, call the library at 725-0049.