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The contemporary compound at 230 and 234 Old Montauk Highway is slated to be demolished.
Two award-winning contemporary residences built in 2006 on an oceanfront compound in Montauk are slated for demolition soon even though, according to the demolition sale announcement, they have never been lived in.
At 230 and 234 Old Montauk Highway, the house and guest house by James Biber of Biber Architects won an American Architecture Award for Distinguished Buildings in 2007 and an AIA New York State Design Awards Citation for Design in 2006.
In 2013, Jeanne Levy-Church — whose charitable organization, the JEHT Foundation, was bankrupted in the Bernie Madoff scandal — sold the compound to Michael Hirtenstein, a serial real estate investor.
While it may be true that the residences had never been “lived in” in the traditional sense for any significant length of time, they have certainly been used.
Hirtenstein ran into hot water with East Hampton Town in 2017 when he rented the compound to Tinder, the app-based dating service, which used the property to throw parties for members of an exclusive group of Tinder users called “Tinder Select.” By the following year, he had listed it for sale for $21 million.
The sale closed in 2019 with a final price of $18.14 million in a deal brokered by Gary DePersia of Corcoran. At the time, The Wall Street Journal ran the headline “Squarespace CEO Buys Trio of Properties in One of Montauk’s Priciest-Ever Deals.” The article says Anthony Casalena bought three waterfront Montauk parcels in all — 230 and 234 Old Montauk Highway among them — totaling 6 contiguous acres, for around $42 million.
The 230 and 234 Old Montauk Highway listing states that the compound is 4 acres, 75 feet high above the shoreline, with 300 feet of oceanfront.
The main house is 5,500 square feet with three levels of living space, including a gourmet kitchen, a dining room, a step-down living room, a master bedroom with a rooftop deck and wraparound terraces, a lower level gym with skylight, a screening room and a wine cellar.
“The robust masonry and steel structure is clad in the most permanent of materials including glazed brick, terrazzo, hurricane rated glass and custom metal roofing,” the listing continues.
The two-bedroom, one-bath guest house is 2,400 square feet with an eat-in kitchen, a lounge and a continuous deck, and both houses were custom built by Men at Work Construction of Wainscott to withstand hurricane force winds, according to the listing.
The compound also includes a heated Gunite infinity-edge pool, Jacuzzi and outdoor shower.
The listing notes that the property “allows for major expansion” on both lots and an additional swimming pool.
A two-day demolition sale starts October 7, arranged by Hampton Estate Sales.
“We are selling everything from these two contemporary masterpieces,” the announcement reads. “The homes were never lived in so many things are essentially new. There are several subzero refrigerators, gorgeous contemporary furnishings, outdoor teak and so much more. Everything goes!”
