Lifestyles of the Rich and Historical on View
Thanksgiving means turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry relish, and 5K “trots,” and in East Hampton, it also means the joy of peeking into houses both grand and historical, courtesy of the East Hampton Historical Society.
Each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the historical society offers a house and garden tour of properties that are unique examples of contemporary and historical architecture. This year’s group of five show how history can live with contemporary comfort — classical design enhanced by Modernism’s clean lines.
Such is the case at a house on Dunemere Lane constructed in 1897 by George Eldredge, a prominent builder with his hand in several historic houses in the area. The modern update of an original summer cottage retains the traditional details while bringing open-plan living to the first floor. A liberal use of windows, along with a white and light palette, keeps the foyer and other rooms light-filled and airy.
In a similar grand spirit is a compound on Egypt Lane, with a gambrel-roofed main house close to the Maidstone Club and the ocean. The property boasts a guest cottage and a pool house, with a pergola and tennis court.
On Drew Lane, a shingled guest cottage now stands alone as a private residence. It was once part of a nearby Lily Pond Lane estate that included a stucco main house designed by Albro and Lindeberg. Its relatively diminutive scale, according to the society, highlights a taste for smaller houses toward the end of the 19th century. Its grounds include an English-style garden.
In Amagansett, two houses on Main Street make up a single property. Rather than tear down a small Cape Cod-style cottage associated with the lot, the owners added an entirely new structure and kept the tinier house on the property. Tom Samet and Nathan Wold designed the interiors.
Also on Amagansett’s Main Street is a late-19th-century house built for Isaac Mulford. Samuel Babcock and Lyman Babcock, descendants of Samuel Schellinger, who was a respected builder and millwright, constructed the house, which had been neglected over time. Now rescued, restored, and brought up to date, it retains much of its original flavor, both structurally and with its interior design.
For those who have been curious about the ongoing work at the Studio, the house and workspace of Thomas and Mary Nimmo Moran on Main Street opposite Town Pond, the tour will offer a look inside. The Queen Anne-style Victorian building, a national landmark dating from 1884, is being brought back to its original state.
The tour, which lasts from 1 to 4:30 p.m. and is self-guided, costs $65 for advance tickets and $75 for same-day purchases. A cocktail party on Friday, Nov. 27, will also benefit the historical society; tickets, at $200, include the following day’s tour. This year’s party, from 6 to 8 p.m., will be held at the oceanfront residence of Elie Hirschfeld and Dr. Sarah J. Schlesinger, situated where Lily Pond Lane meets Georgica Beach. The imposing house, designed by John Custis Lawrence and built in 1920, has quirky Arts and Crafts details and Swiss-style balconies.
Tickets are available from the historical society’s website or its office at 101 Main Street. Tickets will also be sold on the Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend at Clinton Academy, 151 Main Street, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.