This 19th-Century Hamptons Cottage Sits Within an Exclusive Enclave. It Can Be Yours for $18.5 Million.
In one of the more rarefied areas of Southampton, New York, a 140-plus-year-old cottage in a serene park-like setting has come to market for the first time in more than three decades with an asking price of $18.5 million. Known as Clover Top and offering a delectable taste of the Hamptons from a slower, less flashy bygone era, the rambling residence is part of a discreet enclave known as Fair Lea. Michaela Keszler and Paulina Keszler at Douglas Elliman hold the listing.
In 1874, Alfred Nelson and his wife Emily Fairlee Ogden, he a New York City-based shipping scion and banker, and she a descendant of John Ogden, a Mayflower Pilgrim, shelled out $2,100—about $61,000 today—to acquire an eight-acre swathe of undeveloped beachfront property at the bottom of Main Street. Several more acres were later added, and by the turn of the century, five cottages, all built as summer rentals, stood along a slender private lane that then (and today) extends all the way from Gin Lane to the beach.
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In the mid-1920s, after Nelson’s death, the entire Fair Lea compound was sold to a trio of investors who further subdivided the land to add several additional building lots. Today, there are seven estates that comprise Fair Lea, some of which have been owned by high society movers and shakers, including Anne Ford, Gloria Vanderbilt and Tony-winning Broadway composer and lyricist Richard Adler.
The Fair Lea cottage known as Clover Top was built in 1883 and is one of the four original cottages that remain standing and looks remarkably much as it did when it was built. Property records show Clover Top has been owned for decades by Alexandra Von Hohenzollern and Prince Karl Friedrich von Hohenzollern, the head of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a noted jazz musician and the sax-playing leader of the band Royal Groovin.
Updated over the years but still unpretentious in the way summer cottages in the Hamptons used to be, the Stick-style-meets-Queen-Anne dwelling has plenty of room to accommodate large groups of family and friends in low-key comfort. Standing three stories tall, there are eight (and potentially more) bedrooms serviced by six bathrooms and a pair of powder rooms dispersed among 5,200 square feet.
The home stands on over 1.3 landscaped acres and features steeply pitched gable roofs, covered porches and an octagonal tower, all prominent features of the original homes within Fair Lea. Five fireplaces take the edge off chilly swing seasons, while the original louvered shutters used to close the home during the winter remain operable.
The main level offers front and rear entrances, both with staircases that climb to the third level, where the land’s slight rise allows for views of the Atlantic Ocean. Along with a 31-foot-long living room, there’s a cozy den, an octagonal dining room, and an eat-in kitchen. Off the kitchen, a sun porch serves as a casual dining spot, as does the huge deck that wraps around the living and dining rooms.
The second level holds a trio of bedrooms, all with a private bath and two, including the primary suite, have a fireplace. There are several rooms tucked up on the top floor that can be used as bedrooms, along with a couple of bathrooms, and the semi-detached two-car garage is topped by a deluxe guest suite with a sitting room and private bath.
Surrounding the house are thick carpets of lawn, mature plantings and a swimming pool. A small cabana has an outdoor shower that’s perfect for rinsing off after a day at the beach, which is accessible to residents and guests of the homes in the Fair Lea enclave by a sandy path at the bottom of the lane.
For those who don’t like to fight summertime traffic, just around the bend on Gin Lane (or a few minutes stroll down the beach) is the ultra-exclusive members-only Bathing Corporation of Southampton—members typically refer to as just The Beach Club—and less than a mile straight up Main Street is the heart of Southampton’s designer boutique- and eatery-filled downtown district.
Click here for more photos of Clover Top.
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