American Flag House In Southampton Village Is Up For Sale

A Southampton resident who painted an American flag on his house this summer has put it up for sale.

Michael White, president and founder of Georgica Builders, said he decided to sell his house at 81 Wooley Street after the Southampton Village Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review rejected his plan to construct a new single-family home there.

Mr. White already had a permit to tear down the existing house, purchased earlier this year, but needed approval from the ARB to build a 2,979-square-foot, two-story home in its place. After neighbors criticized the plan, saying among other things that it was too close to the sidewalk, Mr. White painted the Stars and Stripes on the old house in July to affirm his rights as a property owner. The board denied his application in August, saying it was incomplete, which Mr. White said was not the case.

This week the builder said he believes the comments from residents weighed heavily on the ARB's decision.

“I was going to build my house there, and I really don’t want to live in that neighborhood anymore. There’s just not nice people in that neighborhood,” he said. “It’s unfortunate. Somebody’s going to build a house there, whether it’s me or somebody else.”

Mr. White plans to file a lawsuit against the ARB for wrongfully denying his application and said his attorney, Lindenhurst-based William L. McCormick, is currently finalizing the suit.

Meanwhile, the property is listed with Corcoran for $1.9 million. According to the listing, the five-bedroom, two-bathroom house is about 2,116 square feet, sits on .29 acres, and was built in 1920. The listing does not include pictures of the front of the two-story structure, where the American flag is painted, or the property's address. Instead, it states, It's What's Inside That Counts."

The listing says that the home can be updated, or a buyer can build new. But Mr. White said that some interested buyers are hesitant because they are unsure what the village would allow them to do with it, given his failed attempt to build a new house.

"I have this stigma to the lot,” he said. "The village has hurt the value of my property.

“They’re ridiculous, the neighbors over there,” he added. “Who’s going to want to live there?”

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