In the Hamptons, it doesn’t get any better than oceanfront property, and when it comes to oceanfront property in the Hamptons, it just doesn’t get any better than in the ultra-exclusive Georgica Asssociation. The private 100-acre enclave, on the west side of Georgica Pond, was founded in the late 1800s, and is nowadays part of the tiny hamlet of Wainscott. There are only seven oceanfront properties in Wainscott, and they are often referred to in real estate circles as “the Magnificent Seven.”
The east side of the pond hosts people like Steven Spielberg, Ronald Perelman and, formerly, Calvin Klein and Martha Stewart. But the Georgica Association, known to old-guard residents as the Settlement, is more private and low-key than the celebrity enclaves to the east. There’s only one discreet road in and out of the neighborhood, which is gated and guarded, and in the warmer months, the community gathers for social events at the Association clubhouse or on the enclave’s private stretch of beach, as well as for tennis, baseball, and sailing on the pond.
Can you put a price on having all the elements of a perfect, albeit very high-end summer? Apparently you can, as this stunning property, one of just two of Wainscott’s Magnificent Seven that are located within the Georgica Association, closed at $30 million. Sellers were investment banker Frederic Seegal and wife Robin Seegal; the buyer was an anonymous LLC.
Represented as a co-exclusive by Bespoke RE and Ed Petrie of Compass, the two-acre spread boasts 161 feet of premium ocean frontage. Unlike many of the grand old estates in the Georgica Association, this is a relatively new house, with five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two half baths in more than 6,500 square feet. Most rooms have a beautiful ocean view and/or views of Georgica Pond.
The property is the site of the former guesthouse of the iconic Kilkare estate, a quintessential Hamptons beach house originally built in 1877 as the summer home for a wealthy New York attorney and featured in many photos of the Hamptons, not to mention in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
In 2001, the then owners of Kilkare sold two of the estate’s original five-plus acres for $6 million to the Seegals. The guest cottage that sat on the property was razed, and in 2005, a new house, designed by Shope Reno Wharton, and built by Ben Krupinski Builder, arguably the best builder in the Hamptons, began to rise above the dunes in a very appealing, timeless Shingle Style design. The resulting house is relaxed and open concept, with a massive living space beneath rustic wood beams. The open kitchen sports a fireplace and outside, there’s a carriage house and a lovely pool.
Three of the bedrooms are located on the first floor, two with French doors to a covered porch and a third with a private entrance and convenient access to the pool. Also on the first floor are staff quarters with private entry, a full bathroom, a mud room, and a laundry room with marble countertops. (How does one know a house is high end? The laundry room counters cost more than those in 95% of other houses.)
Upstairs are soaring ceilings, antique oak floorboards and mahogany-paneled walls. At least two guest bedrooms are paneled and painted in an appealing blue to mirror the ocean, while the primary suite boasts views of both the ocean and the pond. There are also two walk-in closets, along with a fun and quirky bathroom that showcases antique-style marble fittings, a dual-head shower, a cedar sauna and, best of all, a freestanding clawfoot tub positioned to take in the ocean view.
Priceless bragging rights to a prestigious, postcard-perfect enclave, exclusive community activities all summer, a spacious and beautifully designed house and swimming pool right on the ocean? This one has it all, folks. The funny thing is, in the Hamptons, even $30 million can almost seem like a bargain.
