Southampton House Tour Offers Glimpses Of Life From Colonial Days To Present-Day Luxury

Ever wanted to walk in the shoes of a Colonial settler, or a Revolutionary patriot? How about a wealthy summer colonist, or a turn-of-the-last-century art student of William Merritt Chase?

With just a dash of imagination added to the mix, the fifth annual Southampton House Tour, called “Insider’s View,” will provide an opportunity to shake up one’s perspective, living for a brief time from Colonial days to present-day magnificence.

This year’s tour offers glimpses of a 19th century post-and-beam house with a renovated windmill in Shinnecock Hills; an immense summer mansion on Meadow Lane, complete with panoramic ocean views, as well as an in-home theater and spa; the historic St. Andrew’s Dune Church; the 1808 House; and the Thomas Halsey Homestead, which is the oldest house in Southampton Village.

To be held from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, the tour will also include refreshments at the 1708 House and a champagne reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

According to the Southampton Historical Museums and Research Center, the house in Shinnecock Hills rests on a bluff, with sprawling porches, diamond-paned windows and a windmill that now serves as a guest house. “The spirit remains very close to what architect Katherine Cotheal Budd must have had in mind when she designed it in 1896 for her friends and fellow students of William Merritt Chase’s Shinnecock Summer School of Art, the Howland sisters,” a release from the museums says.

When the present owners, the Edelman family, purchased the house from the photographer Francesco Scavullo, they made sure that the interior furnishings and decor—“a mixture of antiques and comfortable sofas and chairs”—were part of the package, and they have subsequently done renovations and added their own touch to the interior.

Another stop on the tour, the 17,000-square-foot ocean villa set between the ocean and Shinnecock Bay, is said to evoke the Shingle style “in the great tradition of Southampton’s most splendid Summer Colony mansions.” Built in 1988 and subsequently renovated, it includes a great room, three sitting rooms, dining room, eat-in kitchen, master suite, eight guest rooms, two staff rooms and an attached guest cottage, as well as a billiard room, home theater, game room, art room, yoga studio and gymnasium.

The decor is a mix of mid-century and contemporary Italian, Scandinavian and American furniture and art, including a Toso chandelier, a sideboard and coffee table by sculptor Michael Coffey, and a large bronze table designed specifically for the dining room. On the grounds are a tennis court, playground, pool with spa and a sprawling sun deck.

Built in 1666 on land that belonged to Thomas Halsey, one of Southampton’s original settlers, the Thomas Halsey Homestead is owned by the Southampton Historical Museum and open seasonally. Exhibited inside are furnishings and tools that would have been used by a prosperous farming family during the Colonial period, as well as a hands-on display of a Shinnecock Village during the Woodland Period. Behind the house is a Colonial-style herb garden.

Now a boutique hotel in Southampton Village, the 1708 House was actually started in its original form 60 years earlier, when Jonas Bower laid the foundation for his house; his basement survives today as the hotel’s wine cellar. In 1698, Isaac Bower built a bigger house over the original one, and the present owners speculate that Revolutionary patriots may have gathered in the cellar to exchange information during the British occupation.

The Huntting family of local whaling fame took possession in 1799, after which the Foster family became the owners, according to the Southampton Museums. In 1993, the present owners undertook a painstaking restoration project.

Refreshments will be served to tour-takers at the 1708 House from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

St. Andrew’s Dune Church is situated at the foot of Lake Agawam and described as one of Southampton’s most picturesque landmarks. Originally built as a life-saving station, it was acquired by Dr. T. Gaillard Thomas and donated as a church in 1879. A local carpenter was hired to create its rustic interior, which is illuminated by 11 Tiffany windows. The church was nearly destroyed in the 1938 hurricane, after which it was restored and twice moved back from the ocean.

Tickets to the house tour cost $95 in advance and $110 on the day of the tour. They can be purchased ahead of time at the Rogers Mansion’s Museum Shop, 17 Meeting House Lane, by calling (631) 283-2494, or online at www.southamptonhistoricalmuseum.org, and will be available for pickup on Tuesday, May 27, through Friday, May 30, at the Rogers Mansion. On the day of the tour, they can be picked up or purchased starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Thomas Halsey Homestead, 249 South Main Street, in the village.

The house tour’s proceeds benefit education programs of the Southampton Historical Museums, and its sponsors are Sant Ambroeus Restaurant, HC&G Magazines and Brunschwig & Fils.