In the über-wealthy town of Sagaponack, Greenridge Cottage is a dignified survivor of the olden days of the Hamptons summer colony, when well-to-do New Yorkers decamped to their mansion-sized “cottages” during the hottest and most humid months of the year. The spacious but understated house was built in 1898, back when the area was mostly farms and potato fields, by the New York architects James E. Ware & Sons for John G. Deshler, one of the area’s first summer residents.
In the 125 years since, the property has only changed hands one time. Now available at $18.9 million, Greenridge Cottage is seeking its third owner. Along with the main house, there are a couple of guest cottages flanked by two-hundred-year-old Norwegian oak trees. Altogether there are nine bedrooms and seven bathrooms, plus a powder room, across 6,750 square feet.
The shingled and gambreled main house is a classic late 19th-century Hamptons summer house, which has been lovingly maintained and added on to over the years. Indeed, a 1910 photograph shows the main house without its current glassed-in front porch on the west and the sunroom entrance on the south façade.
Through the porte cochère and into the foyer, the six-bedroom main house’s vintage charm, with restored woodwork, is easy to see. In addition to the main living room, there is a large sunroom that opens to a patio, as well as a dining room, a generously sized kitchen, and an ample guest suite on the ground floor.
The expansive second-floor primary suite, with a separate sitting room accessed via French doors, has a fireplace, a walk-in closet, and a roomy bathroom with a claw-foot tub. There are several more bedrooms and an office on the second floor, while the third floor, a feature not likely to be permitted today, offers additional lounging space as well as two more bedrooms and a bathroom.
The four-and-a-half acres of land surrounding the home are abundant with a variety of specimen trees and perennial flowers, especially peonies and hydrangea. Several pavilions and benches dot the landscape to enjoy the summer sunshine and the pool is complemented semi-circular spa. A nearby dining gazebo is a great place for an aprés-swim snack.
A poolside guest house offers a living room with a fireplace, a full kitchen and two bedrooms; a smaller one-bedroom cottage is also self-contained with a kitchen and bath. Other highlights of the sprawling compound include a potting shed, a vegetable garden, a half-court sport court and a two-car garage. There is plenty of room for a tennis court.
Greenridge Cottage is available through John A. Healey at Saunders & Associates.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster With acres of evenly mown lawn, a variety of specimen trees dot the landscape.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster Beautiful original columns embellish the foyer in the main house.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster The fireplace in the living room is flanked by arched bookshelves.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster An enormous glassed-in porch offers expansive views of the grounds.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster The generous kitchen is upscale and cozy with a sunny breakfast area.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster The sunroom lets out to the garden.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster The sitting room primary suite sports bold floral wallpaper and a fireplace.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster More brightly colored wallpaper and a second fireplace is found in the primary suite’s bedroom.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster The primary bath is sheathed in shimmering silver wallpaper.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster An adorable white picket fence surrounds a shaded patio outside the main house.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster The poolside guest house is completely self contained.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster Inside, the living room showcases custom built-ins around the fireplace and the kitchen is spacious with a high ceiling and upscale appliances.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster A covered porch overlooks the pool and grassy grounds.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster A dining gazebo sits alongside the pool and spa.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster The one-bedroom guest cottage is cute as a button.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster The pint-sized abode showcases refinished wide-plank wood floors.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster Lush grounds embrace the compounds various structures.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster A fountain is surrounded by peonies and other blooming plants in a serene formal garden.
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Image Credit: Gavin Zeigler and Chris Foster Hedged and gated for privacy, the classic Hamptons compound is but a short distance to ocean beaches.