Historic East Hampton saltbox finds a buyer after less than a month

The home just went into contract

By Grace Cassidy Jun 19, 2018, 7:21am EDT

At the end of May, this historic 300-year-old saltbox near East Hampton village came on the market for $1.32 million—and after just three weeks, the home has already found a buyer and a contract has been signed.

Built in 1720, this colonial-era saltbox is referred to as the Conklin House, and, according to a Saunders representative, the home has been referred to as “the best example of an eighteenth-century saltbox house in the Town of East Hampton outside the Village” by preservation experts. In 2005, the town purchased what’s known as a historic preservation easement on the home so that the key features of the structure would be preserved.

But that historic preservation easement doesn’t mean that the new owners won’t be able to make the home their own.

The town permitted a 900-square-foot addition adjacent to the kitchen which is not considered to be historically significant. There are no restrictions on what the new owners could make that space into—though they might consider adding a proper master suite, since there are currently four bedrooms inside the 2,300-square-foot structure, but only one full bathroom.

Saunders agent Jackie Lowey also said that new owners can try to work with the town to get approval for other uses of the existing barn. The property is nearly an acre in size, so as far as coverage is concerned, there is plenty of room for a pool to be added.

There are period details throughout the home that have been maintained, such as hand-hewn beams, the original hardwood floors, two staircases, and four fireplaces—including one authentic colonial bake oven.

Interestingly, the easement requires that the new owner agrees to open the house to the public once a year and allow historians to access the structure. Even the hedging in the front of the property has to remain clipped on one side so that it can be seen from the street.

Located at 57 Accabonac Road in East Hampton, the property is just a half-mile north of village shops and restaurants, and a mile and a half away from the ocean at Egypt Beach.