8 Modern Hamptons Homes Buck Convention
by John Hill · 11 photos · 56 comments
In 2011 the new partners in the project ditched Brown's modern ideals, allowing buyers to hire their own architects and create whatever kinds of houses they wanted, instead of choosing from the completed modern house plans by architects like Zaha Hadid, Steven Holl, or Reiser + Umemoto. What resulted were houses like the one on the bottom in this photo, traditional in style, taller and about twice as big as the one above it — 6,000 square feet, as opposed to 3,000.
Part of this shift from modern to traditional can be attributed to the real estate market and a wider preference for traditional styles, but the loss of the project's heart is a large part of it. Modern architecture has often required strong patrons willing to take risks, and without Brown the drive to complete the vision disappeared.
Click photos to view as a slideshow
by John Hill
Part of this shift from modern to traditional can be attributed to the real estate market and a wider preference for traditional styles, but the loss of the project's heart is a large part of it. Modern architecture has often required strong patrons willing to take risks, and without Brown the drive to complete the vision disappeared.
Click photos to view as a slideshow
Brown was able to buy up the 70 acres that would comprise his vision for less than $2 million, very little money for the area. Part of this is due to the land's proximity to the East Hampton Airport, but the noise of planes has not discouraged the 6,000-square-foot and larger houses in traditional styles from being built. So what the developer and his architect were going for was a gimmick of sorts that would not only question the bloated houses but also create a modern enclave among the few existing residences in the area. The site plan shown here, which is on a sign at the development's primary intersection, illustrates the original ambition: the modern Houses at Sagaponac are in orange, and existing houses are in purple.
by John Hill
And here are the eight houses that were built between 2004 and 2010, described next.
by John Hill
Unlike the urban contexts I've explored in Chicago and Toronto, where modern houses rub shoulders with older houses, the Houses at Sagaponac are removed from the street and from their neighbors. Even though they are fairly hidden from the street by trees, a number of the houses present blank walls on this most public of sides. This house by New York City's Smith-Miller + Hawkinson definitely works in that vein, opting for more openness on the rear of each side of the L in the plan.
by John Hill
An even more imposing front is found just east of the S-M+H house. New York architect Annabelle Selldorf's design is like a walled-off courtyard that is softened only by the curling driveway; even that element attempts to add privacy with a dense planting of fir trees.
by John Hill
Across the street from the previous two houses is a pleasing house designed by sisters Gisue and Mojgan Hariri, also based in New York City. Like S-M+H, they used an L-shaped plan to cradle the more private garden space; both houses have facades covered with wood, blending into the built and natural context. Large windows admit light and views through each leg of the L, but operable metal shutters provide privacy as well as security when the owners are away. (It's possible that these and other houses in the Hamptons sit empty more days of the year than full.)
by John Hill
A couple lots over from the Hariri sisters' house is one designed by Shigeru Ban with New York's Dean Maltz. Very little of the house can be seen from the street. (This blurry photo is my attempt to take an architectural paparazzi shot over the solid gate — surprisingly, it's the only gate in the development.) The plan is defined as simple boxes with radiating arms that define spaces within the landscape; one of those arms reaches toward the street along the edge of the driveway.
by John Hill
A common characteristic among the Houses at Sagaponac is that they are fairly low to the ground. This means that they may occupy more of the landscape than a taller house of the same area, but they can also be shaped to work with existing trees. New York City's Calvin Tsao and Zach McKown designed a house that is taller than the seven other designs, something jarring at first glance. Yet its plan is very compact, making the building look like a cube. Next to the tall trees, it still appears fairly modest.
by John Hill
Near the cube house is a low-slung courtyard house designed by Henry Cobb, who is a partner with I.M. Pei at Pei Cobb Freed in New York City. This is another means of creating private outdoor space, one that enabled many trees to be saved and to become part of the day-to-day experience here.
by John Hill
Across the street from the Henry Cobb house is one designed by Stan Allen, until recently the dean of Princeton University's architecture school. Two volumes are linked by a second-floor bridge, partially visible here. The form of the house is particularly interesting, as it reaches up to grab the sun through clerestories. As with other houses in the development, wood siding helps the modern form blend into the context.
by John Hill
Last is the most recent house, designed by John Keenen and Terence Riley, who practice in New York City and Miami. It is located next door to Allen's house, and is similar in that it has a plan split into two parts. Here, though, they are wholly unique buildings — the main house and pool house face each other at angles across a courtyard. Again, we see how the freedom of the modern approach minimizes the plan's impact on the site, more so when combined with the (relatively) small house sizes.
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by John Hill
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I am with you girlfriend! I too know it well, have had friends/clients with lovely homes, and you could not GIVE me one of those. Wellll....maybe if you GAVE it to me... but I would be inclined to sell it asap, take the money and RUN. If I suggested one of those to any client, it would be met with a blank stare.....
I have an idea why the decorators don't like them: can't mark up 45 $19.99 Home Goods finds 10x in a minimalist interior.
Style aside, these home are used for entertaining. They are used to take children out of the city for the entire summer...or three days each weekend. As to 6,000 sq feet for friends and family.. we see plenty of 3000, 4000 sq foot pefectly normal suburban homes where nobody has throw a dinner party in years. I live in a shoe box by comparison, but if someone can have the shingled fabulous, and pay for it and the taxes... I am happy to design/decorate it, and no..... I do NOT mark up cheap junk. Ever!. I avoid junk altogether, no matter size,style of home, or quantity of goods contained within.
I assure you I have spent time in East Hampton and know exactly what these shingled monstrosities are for...to impress people that are easily impressed.
I guess I need to send apology cards to the 143 guest we had on Monday evening at the >4000 sqft Main Ranch House, because they were pressed into such a confined area; while I'm at it I should track down the score of people that used to come over for orphaned Thanksgiving in the 500 sqft Victorian attic studio during uni and grad school.
I do stand corrected on the 22 days, it is 33 days.
I have found many buys at Home Goods, although some of the items are of fleeting construction and style, others are an excellent value inmho.
Modern does not equal hippy.
And finally there would still be a Tzar and Dauphin if the oligarchy had lived by two words: noblesse oblige.
OK eeeeeeks lighten up. If the house in the aforementioned movie was a monstrosity it certainly was a REALLYNICE monster. And : ) I didn't say I never went to the Home Goods of the World, I said I don't mark it up, I limit it a LOT, and I don't buy junk which exists there and many other places as well. For me, or anyone else, so yes!!! one can turn up a find or two depending the end usage of the FIND.
some people like modern, some like tradional....if we were all the same, it would be boring and there would be nothing to complain about.
I've seen recently built homes out there that are well over 10,000 square feet, on an acre of land, and high-end finishes that are being offered for sale at $10 MILLION!!! It's amazing, and someone will buy them, and yes, live in them for a few weeks a year.
I found all of these houses interesting, and really love a few of them. Very glad to see them - thanks Mr. Hill!
Were you to build residences in the Hamptons that sold for 300k, you would quickly fill them with hard partying, drinking, noisy, up all night twenty somethings and their renting peers, that nobody would want to live near, next door to, in the midst of. PS, Long Island already holds the distinction of producing 1949's Levittown, recognized as the precursor to the suburbia we all know today except very dense and far smaller.Truth is, the people who buy the large plot/large house do it to ESCAPE the dense and mixed use surroundings of a metropolis. And they do it because they can, matter the style they choose. The coastline is well dotted with steel and glass structures all as equally look- at -me gorgeous as any "pseudohistoric" shingled residence up the sandy beach. Zoning may not have been the perfect or best invention, but drive the rural portions of our country that don't have it. It's not generally the prettiest sight to behold.
It's all about supply and demand--the demand out there is so great for super high-end homes, and there are (even in this poor economy) so many people with oodles of money ready to buy! Think entertainers, celebrities, hedge-fund guys, and lots of foreigners from Europe, Latin America, etc., for whom money is no object.
Also, keep in mind that any development in Southampton or East Hampton must include over 50% "green" space--an agricultural reserve dedicated to farming, livestock, etc.--which by law can never be built on. And lots of developments require natural materials (wood cladding and roofs, for example) and must be hurricane-proof, which adds to the cost.
These ARE VERY accessibly priced for that area! One of the reasons is they are near the noisy airport, and not facing a coveted OCEAN . Like it or not, the same scenario is true in most coastal areas of Florida, California, and anywhere else there is water within short drives.It is true on secluded lakes all over the country to some degree. In most other areas, one considers school systems as part and parcel of a housing choice. Hence the generic suburbs we have come to know with their middle schools nearby. Older couples, don't want to live where they pay taxes for another's kids to go to school, because they already sold a house for that reason and they are done with that aspect of their lives. So they move to water, or to city centers, or golf communities where that is not a driving factor. All developers cater to certain aspects of stage of life. This one caters mostly to wealthy second homes. And this developer made the price accessible for the Hamptons area. Supply, demand/need.
they are both interesting to look at and I would love to see inside any of them even if it is just
in a movie.
First of all if you read the article the goal was to "offer compact houses on small sites for around $300,000". So either Harry Brown's goal was to attract hard-partying kids to the community, or he knew something that you don't. While some are attracted to an "escape" from dense, mixed-use areas, that number is declining and more people are appreciating the amenities that can be offered by increased density, which also provides an actual "community" feel, not just a stark, uninviting strip of overpriced, ostentatious abodes that only sell because of their social status appeal. The owners of the properties may be obscenely wealthy and can afford to do whatever they want, but that doesn't mean they should! Most of the problems we are facing today worldwide are solely based around greed and commodification of resources. Homeowners need to be shown that they cannot continue to live in these sprawling communities just because they want a little peace and quiet. The fact is, there is not enough land on the planet to provide the space for everyone to move out of the city and enjoy their 2 acres of "pristine" cleared forest or farmland. People need to be encouraged to live with a smaller footprint regardless of the "chicness" or "exclusivity" it has. There is a happy medium between cities and suburbia, but it will only be a reality if more people can pull their heads out of the sand.
A simple Google yields the following:
The "Houses at Sagaponack" is a new development on 100 acres in Sagaponack, New York, at the midpoint of the Hamptons beach communities on Long Island. The wooded community is located three miles from the ocean and surrounded by several hundred acres of protected land with nature trails.
The 1,800 to 3,500 FT2 houses will be built on sites ranging from 1.5 to 3 acres with price tags from $700,000 to $2,200,000. A modest size and price for the fashionable Hamptons.
Richard Meier has collaborated with Harry Joe (Coco) Brown, President of the Brown Companies, on the selection of the thirty four architects who will each design a house for the project.
"At first, I thought I'd invite young architects to participate, but then I felt it would be nice to include some friends of mine," Meier says. "It's become as much of a mix as we could possibly find, a diverse, creative group of excellent designers."
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My point was simply, that a 300,000 $ postage stamp home and lot, built in 2000, or 2007, or today, IN THIS PARTICUALAR COMMUNITY would in fact be scooped up by exactly whom I said, or bid up to well beyond that number. And you will note that none of those photographed for this article for Houzz were less than 3100 sq feet. To BE in the Hamptons for NYC residents is popular and desirable enough, to put up with the nearby airport...for a while as in BELOW also from an internet post :
When we noted that this House At Sagaponac entered into contract back in March, we invited readers to offer guesses for the final purchase price. Their estimates ranged from just under $2M to $2.65M. One commenter hit the nail on the $2.5M head and, although they thought the house was "great," added "I cannot imagine the hell of a summer by the pool at the end of the runway."
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Now, I do not know where you live, but I live in New York State, and have for more years than I care to count. Trust me, if you COULD put a 300,000 anything in the Hamptons, and you CAN'T because the dreariest of lots will be 750,000 before you add a house......I know exactly what would happen. And it won't because it IS NOT POSSIBLE THERE. The market will not allow it. The people who PAY make the market there, no differently than in a suburb of Cincinnatti with a great school nearby. Head in the sand or not.
I appreciate your ability to perform a simple google search.
I do not know the area of the Hamptons and was only referring to the material mentioned in the article, which showed that the ORIGINAL PLAN for the development was to provide 300k homes on small lots, but the developers have sinced bowed to the pressures of the market and now offer large, high end homes that are more in keeping with the Hamptons style. As I mentioned in my first post, perhaps the Hamptons is too synonymous with it's "pesudohistorical architecture" (taken from the article) and large, boisterous houses that are so prevalent there. If the ONLY type of development that would be feasible in this area is mansions, then this would be a case where restrictive covenants should be in place that protect certain areas (perhaps the 50% greenspace requirement that was mentioned) that are sensitive to develop on.
If you continue to grow the Hamptons through suburban sprawl, residents will eventually become fed up with travel time and distance from whatever the desirable amenities are of that area so, leading to an increase in density in the urban core of that area. This is, in effect, the lifecycle of a city at more rapid rate. People settle for the nice location/resources or whatever, then more people come, then they begin to spread into the hinterland, and some continue to spread, while others congregate in the denser urban core which offers more services and more efficiency.
As a professional (designer, developer or whatever) it is not just your duty to cater to all your clients needs, it is your responsibility to provide the most appropriate course of action, and the most educated decision that benefits the client but does not disadvantage other neighbours or the character of a community or the environmental sensitivity of an area.
I shall have to assume, should you sell your abode and it ends in a bidding war between three potential buyers, that you will NOT bow to pressure for the higher price and monetary reward.
A commute to the Hamptons from "concrete city" on any summer weekend could easily take you five hours for what should be a two and a half hour ride. The market bears it, the people bear it, and they PAY for that aggravating luxury. No builder, or developer, or designer can change human desire. Much of the Hamptons is forever wild, much is farm, and the result is simply a high demand for WHATEVER is left over. The exact same scenario plays out in the extremely high density, mixed use, multi generational multi/ cultural city of New York. Demand far outstrips supply, and you will need many many dollars to stake out a spot for your fold up/ stow away murphy bed. Sorry. It's the invisible hand of the market.
What brought us to "ruin" was overly easy/abundant credit, a government encouraging homeownership at all costs whether one could actually afford same or not, and a ton of folks making a ton of money off stupid or unsuspecting souls. If you can pay for that which you purchase, whether it's "value" should descend or rise or remain flat, you have no problem. And since we live in a free country, where one persons shack may be another's palace, neither you nor I get to say what someone is "allowed" or deserves. You deserve what you are willing to pay for with legally begotten funds. Period. We have government subsidized low income housing in LESS desirable places... for exactly that reason. If you want a house near an ocean... it comes with a price tag. If you want space and privacy it too comes with a tag. Whether or not you believe that is fair. The other method is called Communism, and someone else gets to decide what you should and should not possess. You are thus free to employ as small a footprint as possible, and pay as you desire for the opportunity.
And so you would sell to the higher bidder.. of course that makes perfect sense.... what do you THINK has happened to the property VALUE of the little farmer with that seasonal fruit stand? Huh?? Think he's worth a couple dollars? Love you guys, but very glad you're not teaching economics.
There is a great emphasis on responsible land use and an abhorrence of suburban sprawl. The air is clean and the land is populated by environmentalists who build LEED-certified and green buildings. Respect for the native flora and fauna, and yes, for the Shinnecock Nation peoples native to the area is paramount. Independent small farmers grow crops with a sensitivity to pesticide use and organic methods. Artisinal cheeses, honey, locally grown eggs, vegetables and even meats are grown, prized and praised. So before you judge the area and the people you should do your research.
And yes, because of the prevalence of vacation homes, where the owners' children do not attend the public schools, the property taxes are relatively low compared to other Long Island towns (where a home on a 1/4 acre plot can command over $20,000/year in school taxes!) So the locals who DO send their kids to public schools in the Hamptons benefit greatly from these evil rich homeowners who pay the taxes that support the public schools even though they do not use them!
As far as the poor little fruit farmer, you don't have to be an economist to see that the VALUE of his LAND is worth FAR MORE in the form of REAL ESTATE rather than CROP PRODUCTION. If he is pressured into selling his land because he can get 10 times the profit from it as a subdivision then that takes cropland out of production which is essential for our growing population. On a completely different tangent, that then increases the development of large scale agriculture, forcing out smaller producers and concentrating practices which are largely conventional, and not organic or environmentally responsible, and leads to issues of food security and food safety.
Diana,
That paints a totally different picture for the area than what I have been hearing so far, and thats great to know. Curiously, I was under the impression that the state fought and one the right to tribal burial grounds which have been developed into a golf course.
Another reason some smaller or more rural towns have lower taxes, is that homeowners have to contract individually for for private garbage/recycling pickup, because that's not provided by the town either.
Oh for heavens sake! !!! The average US grocery , courtesy of a litigious society, tosses more food away than is eaten in a poor country in a single day! Twenty seven percent of all food purchased in this country is tossed by the consumer. Have you flown across our vast land lately? Food insecurity??? Have you purchased organic $$$ anything in a grocery? And as to global warming... the snow and hurricanes have been with us for centuries. We are mere specks in geological time and have short/zero memory within a hundred years of record keeping. But all is another topic for another day, so .......let us agree to disagree. Plant your garden, shrink your footprint, walk or bike to work... all lovely and readily/easily your right and choice, in this wonderful new year, or any other. : )