Two historic Southampton homes—including one familiar to Curbed readers—are slated for demolition. Anyone interested in local history and preservation should speak up Wednesday at 7PM, when the Southampton Architectural Review Board is holding two public hearings regarding their destruction. At risk are 51 Pond Lane and 40 Meadow Lane.
51 Pond Lane is a house overlooking Lake Agawam once owned by Pyrrhus Concer, born a slave. Mr. Concer lived an absolutely fascinating life. He was owned originally by the prominent Cooper family and then was sold to Charles Pelletreau, great-grandson of the silversmith. Pyrrus worked the farm fields as a youth, and then went to sea as a whaler when he was 18. On his 21st birthday, he was freed by Charles Pelletreau. He continued to work as a whaler and was one of the first Americans to dock in Tokyo, Japan. He bought property with his earnings and died a wealthy man. (For more about his fascinating life, see Sally Spanburgh's blog post about him.) After his death, the Concer house was sold to Elihu Root, a lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize. "It is a very important historic resource in the village of Southampton and should not be allowed to be torn down because of its age and because of its associations," says Ms. Spanburgh.
The other house, 40 Meadow Lane, A- Weel-Y-Moor, is a beautiful circa-1880 Shingle Style familiar to Curbed Hamptons readers. It was originally built by F.H. Betts, president of the Southampton Village Improvement Society. In the 1930s, the Betts sold the home to the Fulton Cutting family, who owned the house for the next 80 years, putting it on the market back in 2011 for $17.5M. The house languished until recently; it is now in contract. Its purchaser is Nir Meir, principal at NYC real estate developers HFZ Capital Group, who has applied for a demolition permit.
Remember, people, once they're gone, they're gone forever.
· Two Historic Homes Slated For Possible Demolition In The Village [27East]
· The Imminently Endangered Physical Legacy of Pyrrhus Concer [SVR]
· All posts about A-Weel-Y-Mor [Curbed Hamptons]
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