A modern Hamptons getaway with a unique history, owned by Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger, is on the market for $7.49 million.
The East Hampton home, on Skimhampton Road, sits on 1.3 acres. South of the highway, it’s less than a mile from the beach.
Last year, it was on the market with an adjacent, landscaped lot that came with a tennis court for $15 million, which was then reduced to $13.95 million.
The second lot, which is 1.7 acres, is also still for sale as a whisper listing.
“My hope is to sell it all to one person, but we can offer it separately. People seem more interested this way,” said Goldberger, who is the author of books including, “Why Architecture Matters.”
“It’s the same deal, just divvied up,” added listing broker Christopher Burnside, of Brown Harris Stevens, who shares the listing with Aubri Peele.
Goldberger and his late wife, Susan Solomon, paid $245,000 for the home in 1985. It was designed by local architect Frank Hollenbeck. At the time, he said, “We thought of it as a cheap, starter house. But then we liked it, and we did a little work.”
In 1993, the couple hired noted architect Robert A.M. Stern to design an addition. Daniel Romualdez — then a young architect working for Stern before going out on his own — was also involved in the project.
Over time, the couple purchased` the lot next door to save it from development, and put in a tennis court and lush landscaping. Additional work was done in 2016 by the award-winning firm Bates Masi Architects.
At 5,300 square feet, that little box of a starter home now features six bedrooms and 6½ bathrooms. It’s also the only modern home design in the Hamptons by Stern, who is known for his limestone grand dames in Manhattan, like 15 Central Park West and 220 Central Park South, both of which are home to the rich and famous.
Inside the beach house, there’s a chef’s kitchen, a gym and two fireplaces. Outside, there’s a pool, patios, entertaining areas and landscaped gardens.
The main bedroom suite features a home office, a walk-in closet, an ensuite bath and a large balcony deck overlooking the backyard. Details include high ceilings, large windows and open floor plans.
With two of their three kids in California and a third in Brooklyn, downsizing has become part of the plan, Goldberger said. He sold his home at the Beresford on the Upper West Side, where he and Solomon raised the kids, and moved into a smaller co-op at 870 United Nations Plaza — discovering a new neighborhood, which he said he enjoys. He hopes to stay in the Hamptons and is looking for a smaller spot.
The beach house, Goldberger quipped, “is a lot to keep up if you aren’t a hedgefunder. We are lucky to have it.”
While the East End saw home sales surge during the pandemic, sales fell sharply in the years since then.
Last year, the number of Hamptons home sales increased by 2%, rising from 1,522 in 2023 to 1,553 in 2024. Still, compared with the last 10 years, 2024 was the second-worst year for the number of sales. The worst was 2023, according to a Brown Harris Stevens 2024 Hamptons year-end market report.
Correspondingly, the dollar volume saw a 3.4% increase from 2023 to 2024, reaching $4.86 billion. The average sale price, while posting a modest increase, achieved an all-time high of $3.13 million. The median price, which reflects the middle of the market, rose by 7%, also setting a new record.
The numbers are “creeping toward better, but not where they were pre-pandemic,” a Brown Harris Stevens spokesperson said.