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[caption id="attachment_56090" align="alignnone" width="800"] A rendering of the proposed changes at Billy Joel's house on Bay Street.[/caption]
By Douglas Feiden
It is widely known in Sag Harbor that Billy Joel has a passion for motorcycles, fast boats, pretty women, multi-colored buoys and the occasional drink at the American Hotel.
But it will come as a surprise to many villagers that the pop singer also has a fascination with the whaling industry and the mid-19th century architecture closely associated with it.
Nothing like a meeting of the Board of Historic Preservation and Architectural Review to illuminate the tastes and fancies of local homeowners — up to and including the six-time Grammy Award winner who may be Sag Harbor’s most famous resident.
[caption id="attachment_56091" align="alignright" width="578"]
On top of the house would be a "widow's walk," which were popular in coastal villages to provide unimpeded views of the harbor and sea.[/caption]
At issue in the ARB meeting on September 22 was a discussion item on the proposed renovation and remodeling of an existing, 4,943-square-foot, two-building compound owned by Maritime Properties LLC on behalf of Mr. Joel at 20 Bay Street.
Festooned by buoys on the Rysam Street side and garaging a large trove of his motorcycles, the 0.2-acre property consists of a mid-20th century commercial structure that once housed a fish market and bait-and-tackle shop and is topped by an entertainment deck, and a two-story, five-bay frame dwelling that was originally built in the 1790s but has undergone extensive remodeling.
Radical new alterations are on tap if Mr. Joel gets his way, though East Hampton-based home designer Jeffrey Colle, the owner’s agent, quickly reassured the ARB on one key point: “He doesn't want a McMansion,” he said. “That was the first thing he said to us.”
What does he want? “The idea is to try to marry the two houses a little better,” said architectural design consultant Bill Beeton. “We would lift the existing house, actually the first floor of both houses. Now, there’s a three or four foot difference between the two floors, and this would make a more consistent first floor of the house.”
An earlier version of the proposal presented in February called for literally hoisting the older home off its foundation and pivoting it so it would line up with the newer building. The two structures are now angled askew, and by turning and realigning one home, they would abut, creating an unbroken façade directly opposite the shore.
Under the new plan, the same goal would be achieved by raising the entire compound and placing a portion of it on a 4-foot wall, which would be hidden by a dense evergreen hedge.
That posed a problem for the board: “If you’re a 4-foot child, you can’t even see this house if you’re walking next to the wall,” said ARB member Christopher Leonard.
“Yes, but if you’re a 4-foot child, and you’re looking at a hedge, it’s going to be the same situation,” said Mr. Colle.
Meanwhile, Zach Studenroth, the ARB’s historic consultant, focused on what he called a “strange viewing platform” atop the house that “doesn’t emulate anything historical.”
That’s a proposed “widow’s walk,” Mr. Beeton said, referring to the railed platforms built on roofs in coastal villages to provide unimpeded views of harbor and sea.
“The client has an interest in whaling history and the idea of a widow’s walk,” he explained. A Glover Street home with a similar structure had inspired Mr. Joel, he said.
“He should get a lifetime membership in the Whaling Museum,” Mr. Studenroth replied.
Added ARB alternate member Judith Long, “That widow’s walk thing on Glover Street was built like 20 years ago.”
Mr. Beeton said the designers were “incorporating elements that the client requested as a fantasy concept,” and Mr. Colle said they could be removed from the next set of drawings when they return to the ARB for a follow-up presentation.
“This is a key building on the waterfront, and we want to get this right,” said ARB Chairman Anthony Brandt.
gavinmenu on Sep 28, 2016