Egypt Lane in East Hampton, New York, is a place steeped in history, reflecting the evolution of this iconic East End village from its agrarian roots to a sought-after residential area.
Further Lane Historic District
The design of the Village of East Hampton today is directly related to the way the settlement was laid out in 1648. East Hampton's broad common, which is now Main Street, was laid out on the plain north of Hook Pond. The common was flanked on either side by home lots of eight to twelve acres each. The adjacent fertile plains were divided into lots for crops and pasture. The Eastern Plain extending from Egypt Lane east to Cross Highway was divided into large lots defined and accessed by Further, Middle, and Hither Lanes. Each of the proprietors lived at the farmhouse on his Main Street home lot and traveled to a number of scattered outlying lots to tend to his crops and livestock. This pattern continued in East Hampton into the twentieth century and even today farmers utilize some of the same scattered outlying fields.
The Rise of the Summer Colony
The discovery by artists of East Hampton's picturesque agrarian landscape in the last quarter of the nineteenth century led to establishment of the summer colony. The intact design of the original settlement provided ample open land adjacent to the Main Street core for new development. Main Street home lots were also divided and new roads built through them for new summer cottages on Huntting Lane and Dunemere Lane. The Eastern Plain began to be developed early in the twentieth century.
Today many landscapes, open spaces, and neighborhoods give the Village its historic character. The Main Street core and many outlying properties are reminders of East Hampton's first 250 years as an agrarian community. Certain landscapes recall the picturesque beauty of nineteenth century East Hampton which inspired the visiting artists who promoted the Village as a summer retreat. The summer colony of unpretentious shingled cottages which grew along Ocean Avenue into the Great Plain developed its own open and informal neighborhood character.
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Egypt Lane Historic District
Egypt Lane Historic District is a national historic district located at East Hampton, New York in Suffolk County, New York. The district includes six contributing buildings; three principal buildings and three outbuildings.
Example of East Hampton Architecture
Landmark Legislation and Preservation Efforts
It was six years ago when East Hampton Village adopted its timber-frame landmarks law to protect historic buildings and incentivize their restoration.
“For three or four years, we were looking at all sorts of different bonuses that would accompany a landmark designation of individual properties,” Mr. Hefner recalled. While such laws allow a second house on a property, the total allowable gross floor area remains the same.
“If you go out and you designate an individual property where that person has certain responsibilities to preserve his house, but his neighbors don’t, that’s a little different situation,” he said.
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Mr. Strada noted that since East Hampton Village adopted its law, the towns of Southampton and East Hampton followed suit.
The Hiram Sanford House: A Case Study in Restoration
The Hiram Sanford House, a Cape Cod-style dwelling at 13 Egypt Lane that was once the home of the man who ran the Pantigo Windmill, has been restored, with its surviving historic details preserved. Before the timber-frame law, these houses, including the Hiram Sanford House, did not have landmark designations and thus had no protection from demolition.
“This project does perfectly illustrate the reason for this program, in that there is no doubt the house would have been torn down without this,” said Bob Hefner, the village’s director of historic services, who conceived of the law.
That owner is Eric Ellenbogen, an entertainment executive who, as of August, is the CEO of WildBrain, a Canadian children’s television company; in the past he has held posts with Broadway Video Entertainment, DreamWorks and Marvel Enterprises.
“So, this is the original structure that we have, and we’ve uncovered a lot,” Mr. Morbitzer said as he began a tour of the house. “We restored the house to its original footprint, and improved it where you can’t see the improvements - so it’s insulated now, for example."
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With the additions and a portico removed, the house is closer to its original look than it has been in nearly a century. “This is a traditional Cape-style house for Long Island, and the joinery is English style,” Mr.
Mr. Baxter noted that they also found a cornerstone dated 1822 during the work. They never had to lift the house to complete their work, but they did repair the foundation where the additions were removed. The gaps were filled with concrete blocks, and then a rubble foundation was put back around the perimeter, which Mr.
Where the structural elements and details could be preserved, they were saved. “Luckily, much of the original woodwork in here was intact,” Mr. Morbitzer said. “So the original fireplace, the original detailing, all of that was intact. And where it wasn’t, Strada Baxter was able to patch in and restore elements that looked very much like the original.
Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Preservation must be adhered to, Mr. Strada noted.
“The concept for the interior was to keep all the old things that were here, so we’re not removing anything,” Mr. Morbitzer said. “So we have original windows, we have original fireplaces, original details. And then anything that’s new is specifically supposed to look new. It’s supposed to look like an insertion. So we’re not re-creating a dollhouse, necessarily.
Painted cabinets with granite countertops do a good job hiding all of the appliances, and there is no mistaking the cabinets for a historical element. The dishwasher, ice maker and cooktop are in the room visitors immediately enter when they come in through the front door. The refrigerator, storage and the A/V and HVAC equipment are tucked away in a small room that Mr.
Joists that had been covered in plaster before are now exposed. “We actually uncovered these and then in-filled in between with a traditional plaster method,” Mr. “You can see the history of the nail holes and just everything in there,” he said of the joists.
“You see how it tapers down?” Mr. Morbitzer said as he pointed out a post in a corner. “That’s a traditional building technique for stability.
Another insertion is the large window at the rear of the house, giving a view of the shipping-container house. “The motif of the six-over-six divided lights contributed to the design of one of the most striking features of the house that we did change and alter, which is this large glass window,” Mr. Morbitzer said. “This is new, and this was purposely put in the back of the house so it is not visible from the road, but to get light in. “It really adds to the character and the ambiance of the house, and it brings the landscape into the house, too, which is really nice,” Mr.
Juxtaposition of Old and New
The shipping container house, being built from eight new modified containers, stands in stark contrast to the historic house. “Just like in the interior of this house, where things are purposely new, we created a purposely new thing back there,” Mr. Morbitzer said.
“This house, by the means and methods at which it was made in its time, was very efficient. And that is a very efficient home now. So we’re creating a dialog. And that house, when you’re in it, frames this house beautifully. So we really wanted to create a background piece that frames this and allows this jewel to shine. We didn’t want anything that was large and hulking and overpowered it.
Mr. Strada was the one who presented the plans to the Design Review Board in January 2018, and he said it was well-received. “Kudos to the board members who voted to support this vision of old and new on a historic site,” he said.
The Pink House on Egypt Lane
One of the homes featured is The Pink House on Egypt Lane. To local historians, this pale pink-tinged shingled home is known as the George Eldredge House, built by East Hampton’s premier builder of the summer colony and self-taught architect in 1876.
The place has an elegant and modern flow with its wide hallways and extra-wide doorways. Designer Steven Gambrel renovated it for its previous owners, who were looking for an English clubby-feel with dark walls and heavy paneling. The present owners brought Gambrel back to lighten it up and provide a more casual, beachy atmosphere to reflect its nearness to the ocean.
The first noticeable change came with the outside makeover: a brick retaining wall spaced with a cinnabar-colored entrance gate. The sunken living room has a notable coffered ceiling and one of the six original fireplaces. The kitchen has been made larger and contains an incredible terra-cotta colored, 8-burner Lacanche range.
The property seems vastly larger than its 1.2 acres and is created for relaxed entertaining. To start, there’s an outdoor kitchen, an enclosed 18-seat dining table at one end of the terrace, a teal-painted potting shed, and a rather stately pathway lined with 26 crepe myrtle trees with their peeling bark.
One oddity in the Village Zoning Code: the charming wisteria-covered, two-story cottage is split down the middle, with the next-door neighbor owning half.
Real Estate on Egypt Lane Today
Before last week, only one home was available for sale on south-of-the-highway Egypt Lane in East Hampton: the historic Little Close home at the 140 address, built in 1921 by famous architects Polhemus and Coffin. Recently, the nearly 100-year-old home received a price cut that put it for sale at $11.5 million.
Now, another home has just listed for the same asking price of $11.5 million under Sotheby’s International Realty agent Patricia Wadzinski, located at 84 Egypt Lane. Standing 5,360 square feet in size, the traditional style home has six bedrooms, four full bathrooms, one half-bathroom, a country kitchen, breakfast area, and a master bedroom suite that occupies the second and third floors.
On over an acre of land, the home has incredible landscaping and gardens that occupy the exterior, making a romantic property with hydrangeas and lavender, accented by pergola-covered areas and a covered dining patio. Outside, there’s also brick patio surround a pool, a covered veranda, and a 690-square-foot guest house with a bedroom, bathroom, and sitting room. The property sold in 2010 for $7.5 million. The home that currently stands on the property was completed in 2012 and was previously available for rent at $25,000 per month.
Additional homes included on the House & Garden Tour are a hexagonal beach house belonging to interior designer David Netto, a historical gem on Main Street, an oasis of chic in Springs, and the carriage house of the iconic Grey Gardens.
The East Hampton Historical Society House & Garden Tour
The East Hampton Historical Society presents its 39th annual House & Garden Tour, celebrating some of the finest examples of East End architecture. The East Hampton Historical Society’s House Tour Committee has creatively selected houses that express the unique spirit of living on the East End. The annual tour offers a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse inside some of East Hampton’s most intriguing residences… each with a unique story to tell.
Drenched in history and hidden just behind the hedgerows or down a long and winding lane, this year’s tour aims to inspire, delight, and invite appreciation for the stewardship of some of these most charming properties.
By Robert J. Hefner is the Village's Historic District Consultant. He directed the meticulous, historically accurate restoration of Hook Mill, Gardiner Windmill, and Home Sweet Home, among the finest of the Village's and early America's historic structures. He edited "East Hampton's Heritage: An Illustrated Architectural Record" in association with the East Hampton Ladies Village Improvement Society (LVIS).
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