This $95 Million East Hampton Estate Has 1,200 Feet of Waterfront Along Georgica Pond
There is no shortage of beautiful scenery on the east end of Long Island. Still, few parts of the Hamptons are considered as picturesque or intensely coveted as the Georgica Pond area in East Hampton, and there aren’t many estates along the scenic shoreline that are as ample as the 11-plus-acre spread known as Briar Patch. On the market back in 2014 for an eye-watering $140 million, and again for sale in 2020 for $95 million, the extraordinary property is newly back on the market a decade later for the same price of $95 million. Harald Grant and Bruce Grant of Sotheby’s International Realty—Southampton Brokerage hold the plum listing.
Owned by fewer than a handful of people over its near 100 years, private education and media mogul Chris Whittle and his now ex-wife, Italian photographer Priscilla Rattazzi, acquired the historic estate in 1990. Unable to repay a loan secured against the property, after a lengthy court battle, Whittle reportedly handed the keys to the lender—an international network of private schools that he co-founded but had since left to pursue other ventures in for-profit education—after they were granted title in a credit bid at a public auction in 2021.
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The main residence was built in 1931 and designed by Arthur C. Jackson, the architect responsible for the New York Public Library plans and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s childhood home in East Hampton, Lasata (now owned by fashion designer Tom Ford).
The shingle-clad residence, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, rambles over roughly 10,000 square feet with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, plus a couple more powder rooms. The gracious floor plan was designed for elegant entertaining with French doors opening onto spacious brick terraces, and the interior finishes have been reported to include two-foot-wide reclaimed floorboards, handmade wallpaper, hand-stenciled ceilings, and a total of four fireplaces.
The guest house, which measures about 3,500 square feet, was built in 1990 and designed by esteemed architect Peter Marino to complement the grace and grandeur of the main house. In addition to a large living room with a coffered ceiling and a fireplace, there’s a sunny eat-in kitchen. Both rooms face the water and spill onto a wraparound porch, while four ensuite bedrooms and a powder room are sprinkled throughout. According to listing details, at the same time the guest house was built, the main residence was given a refresh that was also spearheaded by Mr. Marino.
Between the homes, linked by brick paths that cut across a plush lawn, lies a 60-foot-long heated swimming pool and a sunken hot tub surrounded by wood decking. From the sunbeds, there’s a serene view across Georgica Pond. Just behind the pool, enveloped in trees, is a lighted tennis court, a changing cabana and a four-bay carriage house. Nature trails traverse the acreage peppered with century-old sycamore, beech and linden trees.
It’s about 1.5 miles by road to Georgica Beach or, for the more intrepid, a quick sail or kayak ride over glassy waters to the sandy isthmus that separates the Atlantic Ocean from Georgica Pond. And for grabbing some grub on the cook’s day off, downtown East Hampton’s Citarella Gourmet Market, and the perennially popular eatery Nick & Toni’s are only a bit more than three miles away.
Click here for more photos of the East Hampton estate.
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