The Top 10 Hamptons Home Sales Of 2019

Though the number of Hamptons home sales in 2019 slipped about 20 percent from the year before, the ultra high end had a comeback. The biggest sale of 2019 was just shy of matching the $40 million sale that topped 2018’s list, while the entry price for the list moved up from just $18.4 million in 2018 to $22 million this past year.

A handful of the properties on the list are considered teardowns, so these addresses may pop up on top 10 lists again over the next few years as the parcels are redeveloped.

The top 10 list, courtesy of The Real Estate Report Inc. and supplemented with additional data, reflects the biggest sales of individual parcels. The list was updated on February 14 to add a late-reported sale that tied for 10th place, 660 Halsey Neck Lane.

1.
263 Surfside Drive
Bridgehampton
$39,250,000

This 7,354-square-foot oceanfront home on 1.42 acres by Barnes Coy Architects sold in an off-market deal in June.

It has seven bedrooms, eight full bathrooms and two powder rooms. The floors are made of walnut and limestone and the industrial-style ceilings coupled with floor-to-ceiling windows let the natural light flood in. It has both geothermal heating and central AC plus radiant heat under all flooring. Smart home technology includes a Lutron Homeworks dynamic lighting system. Outdoor living spaces include a roof deck with a pizza oven, a bar and two television areas. The gunite infinity-edge pool and spa are heated.

The property last changed hands in 2015, when it was sold for $27.5 million. It was put back on the market in 2018 for $42.5 million after undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion by Ben Krupinski Builder. Ryan Serhant and James Giugliano of Nest Seekers and Eileen O’Neill of Douglas Elliman brokered the sale off-market. New York Post reported that the sellers were billionaire natural gas mogul Michael S. Smith and his wife, Iris.

2.
96 Meadow Lane
Southampton
$31,350,000

This seven-bedroom, 10-bathroom traditional on 2.28 oceanfront acres sold in May. The streetside overlooks Coopers Neck Pond while the opposite side fronts the Atlantic Ocean. There are radiant-heat floors in all bedrooms, include the ocean-facing master with covered patio. An elevator serves each floor, and each also has its own laundry. A home theater seats 10 and among the other amenities are a glass wine room, a gym with sauna, a 54-inch gas barbecue, and an oceanside infinity pool.

The asking price had been $32.5 million. Tim Davis of Corcoran represented the seller.

3.
950 Meadow Lane
Southampton
$29,875,000

Another off-market deal, this 3.2-acre oceanfront estate with a tennis court and an 800-square-foot pool sold in October. The residence was built in 1997, is 2,799 square feet — and is considered a teardown.

The seller was Mary Helen Jordan. The sale was brokered by James Giugliano of Nest Seekers and Eileen O’Neill of Douglas Elliman.

4.
980 Meadow Lane
Southampton
$29.5 million

This 4.1-acre oceanfront property with views of Shinnecock Bay hosts a four-bedroom, four-bathroom modern, but it’s billed as a “new development opportunity.” Coming soon may be a 12,000-square-foot residence with an accompanying tennis court and pool.

Tim Davis of Corcoran had the listing.

5.
6 Olde Towne Lane
Southampton
$27,000,000

Known as “Summer House,” this residential compound by Kean Development Company has 23,000 square feet of indoor living space with nine bedrooms and 13.5 bathrooms. It fetched the highest final sales price ever for a nonwaterfront Southampton property under 4 acres.

On 3.84 acres, the main house comprises approximately 16,000 square feet with nine en-suite bedrooms of which two are true master suites, 10 full and three half-baths; and a second-floor master suite with bath, three full staircases, an elevator, six fireplaces, both professional chef and traditional kitchens, a great room, a breakfast room, a den, a library, and a loggia with retractable automatic screens. Additional square footage is in the lower level that features a theater, gym, basketball court, spa area with juice bar, full bath, sauna, and steam and massage rooms as well as an entertainment lounge with full bar. The staff quarters/guest suite features a full kitchen, sitting room, two en-suite bedrooms, and an outdoor terrace with dining areas. The third floor includes storage and a formal staircase up to a rooftop putting green with views over the village. The pool house has a lounge, a kitchenette, two full baths, and a changing room. The grounds offer automated security gates that open to reveal a manicured landscape bordered by a privet hedge. A swimming pool with sun-shelves for chaise lounges and a spa sit directly off the pool house terrace. A sunken, walled gas fire pit and sunken tennis court complete with decorative lattice fencing and a pergola-covered viewing area augment the exterior amenities.

Tim Davis and Gary DePersia of Corcoran and Harald Grant of Sotheby’s represented Summer House. Mr. DePersia also brought the buyer.

6.
236 Quimby Lane
Bridgehampton
$26,000,000

On 4 acres fronting Sagg Pond, this 7,200-square-foot Nantucket-style traditional has five bedrooms, six full bathrooms and two partial baths. Among the amenities are a pool, a tennis court and grand salon-style entertaining rooms. It was the home of Sono Osato, the Japanese-American ballerina and actress who died in December 2018, and real estate developer Victor Elmaleh, who died in 2014.

The buyer was an anonymous LLC. Ms. Osato originally listed the home in March 2018 for $37 million, and the ask was most recently pegged at $34 million. Deborah Srb had the listing for Sotheby’s, and Bespoke Real Estate brought the buyer.

7.
370 Fowler Street
Water Mill
$24,500,000

This Water Mill estate sold on December 20, slipping in just under the wire to be one of the top sales of 2019.

The 3.3-acre property is situated between Jule Pond and the oceanfront, one of just eight estates that share a mile stretch of sandy beach. The traditional residence is 9,000 square feet with two levels of terraces and stacked glass-encased bedrooms granting panoramic water views.

There are entertaining areas on both the first and second levels. Enter at the double-height foyer, head upstairs for the views and enjoy the oversized chef’s kitchen with a breakfast nook, the covered porch, the dining room, the living room with fireplace, and two en-suite bedrooms, including the master with a sitting room that includes a fireplace.

The first floor includes a den with a fireplace, three en-suite bedrooms, and a lounge with a bar leading outside to an entertaining area. “The covered terrace is complete with an outdoor media room with fireplace and an amazing outdoor kitchen that would be the dream of any chef,” the Douglas Elliman listing states.

Also among the amenities are a heated pool and spa, a pool house with a living room, bathroom and kitchenette, and a private boardwalk atop the dunes.

The seller was James F. Mooney, who sits on the boards of Sirius XM and Virgin Media, according to The Wall Street Journal. Erica Grossman and Ray Smith of Douglas Elliman had the listing.

8.
40 Association Road
Wainscott
$24,300,000

This 3.4-acre property with 332 feet of ocean frontage — part of the Georgica Association — is the site of Kilkare, a three-story Victorian “cottage” built in the late 1870s with seven bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms. The estate had belonged to Michael Kennedy, who died in 2016, and his wife, Eleanora Kennedy. Mr. Kennedy was known for being Ivana Trump’s divorce attorney during the end of her marriage from Donald Trump.

Kilkare came on the market in 2017 for $55 million, and that proved to be overly ambitious to the tune of more than $30 million.

The latest listing shows what the property would look like sans house and pool and emphasizes the parcel’s ability to yield a 9,600-square-foot main residence plus a new pool, an accessory structure, a tennis court and “ample hardscape and patio space.”

The last asking price was $45 million. The buyer was an anonymous LLC. Bespoke had the listing when it sold, with a closing date of December 30 — just in the nick of time to make the 2019 top 10.

9.
7 West End Road
East Hampton
$22,500,000

After being on and off the market for nearly a decade, the Manheim estate sold in October.

Property records say the address is 7 West End Avenue, but the street is known as West End Road — the same coveted street where the fabled Grey Gardens estate is found.

The French-style château on the ocean was built in the 1960s for Paul Manheim, who died in 1999 at age 93 in East Hampton, according to his New York Times obituary. He was a partner at Lehman Brothers and a collector of Asian art.

But look at the listing brochure today, and the château is replaced with renderings that speak to the property’s potential: Acres of open green lawn or a new residence with pool and tennis. A new home on the property would be allowed a full finished basement and accessory structures, according to the listing. More than 10,000 square feet is permitted above grade.

The 3.55-acre property borders the Georgica Beach parking area and has 145 feet of ocean frontage protected by a recently enhanced revetment.

Also on the property, a preexisting, nonconforming 800-square-foot cottage could be fully renovated. It could also be fully rebuilt on the existing footprint.

Bespoke Real Estate had the listing, and the Petrie Team at Compass brought the buyer.

10. (tie)
412 First Neck Lane
Southampton
$22,000,000

The historic Normandy estate fronting Southampton Village’s Lake Agawam changed hands in October.

The gated 5.6-acre estate built in 1925 has a main residence with a staff wing, plus a guest cottage, a pool house and 400 feet of waterfront. The estate went through 15 months of renovation and updating by architect Oliver Cope and builder Ed Bulgin, plus the restoration of the gardens and expansive lawn by landscape architect Edmund Hollander. The original architects of the house were Henry M. Polhemus and Lewis Augustus Coffin Jr. of the New York architectural firm Polhemus & Coffin, according to Anne Surchin, co-author of “Houses of the Hamptons.”

Formerly known as “Chateau O’Brien,” the French chateau belonged to Kenneth O’Brien, a partner with law firm O’Brien, Boardman, Conboy, Memhard & Early, according to the blog Old Long Island.

The main house entry foyer and all principal rooms have water views and were styled by Tony Ingrao, the international designer-decorator. There are five en-suite bedrooms including the master suite that features a bathroom with dual vanities, a soaking tub and a large shower.

The staff wing is separate with two bedrooms and a bathroom. The guest cottage has a sitting room and a kitchen, plus two bedrooms and two bathrooms. A pool house offers an additional bathroom and lounge, bringing the estate’s total up to nine bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms. In addition to the waterfront pool with terraces and outdoor living spaces, a new sunken all-weather deco-turf tennis court has been installed.

Tim Davis of Corcoran and Harald Grant and Bruce Grant of Sotheby’s had the listing.

The sellers were Atreides LLC and Harkonnen LLC. Sci-fi fans will recognize that the limited liability companies are named after the two warring noble houses in Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel “Dune.” The new owner is, simply, 412 First Neck Lane LLC.

10. (tie)
660 Halsey Neck Lane
Southampton
$22,000,000

Bruce and Maria Bockmann were the sellers of the historic Four Fountains, a 7.5-acre compound.

The main house, also known as the Tyng Playhouse, met the wrecking ball on December 18, shortly after the sale closed, though the other structures on the property will remain.

Designed by the architectural firm of Peabody, Wilson and Brown for Ethel and Lucian Tyng in 1928, it was originally conceived as a playhouse/arts center for theatrical presentations, concerts, art exhibitions, films, bridge tournaments and fundraisers for destitute painters and the Southampton unemployment relief fund during the Great Depression, according to architecture columnist Anne Surchin. The Tyngs sold Four Fountains in 1942 to Archibald Brown, its original architect, and his wife, Eleanor, the president of the interior design firm McMillen Inc. The couple converted the playhouse into a summer home, with the auditorium becoming an open-plan living/dining area.

The facade of the original main house will be rebuilt, and the new house will be more suited to being a residence than the playhouse had been.

The estate was last asking $27.9 million. Bespoke had the listing and brought the buyer.