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The former Southampton Town Hall building at the corner of Hampton Road and Main Street. GREG WEHNER
The iconic brick building at the intersection of Hampton Road and Main Street in the Southampton Village business district, the former Town Hall and later home of Saks Fifth Avenue, was sold in December for $6.24 million, making it one of several corner lots in the village that have been put up for sale in recent months.
The building, which was owned by Robert Rattenni of East Hampton since 2002, was sold to 1 Hampton Road JNH LLC and TouNHatgiKoris LLC in Brooklyn on December 14, 2018.
When Mr. Rattenni originally purchased the building, he paid $2.7 million.
Saks, which operated from the location since the 1970s, eventually closed in 2010, and the building remained vacant for nearly two years, before Pottery Barn took up the space.
Mr. Rattenni would not disclose why he sold the building, other than to say it was for personal reasons.
“It was a great building,” he said on Wednesday morning, February 27. “I was very proud to own it. I had a good time with it.”
During the nearly 16 years that Mr. Rattenni owned the village staple, he was involved in refurbishing it and said he brought it back to life.
It is not clear what plans are in store for Pottery Barn, which still occupies the space, as members of the corporation did not respond to questions regarding the sale.
Another village business district corner lot that sold in 2018 was 99 Jobs Lane, home of the Jobs Lane Gastro Pub. On August 3, Icon International Re Holdings LLC sold the structure at the corner of Jobs Lane and Windmill Lane to Palo Verde LLC for $4 million.
Across the street, B&M Automotive sits vacant, as Town & Country Real Estate agent Linda Kabot works to sell the Art Deco-style building.
In 2018, the Hauquitz family, who owns the 5,600-square-foot building, applied for a certificate of appropriateness that could eventually lead to the demolition of the property, and it was granted by village officials. The building has not been demolished.
Up until last week, Ms. Kabot said, the building was under contract, but the deal fell apart. It has since been placed back on the market.
Greg Wehner on Mar 6, 2019