8 charming Hamptons houses from the AD archive

For all the modern homes in the Hamptons that appear on magazine pages and Instagram feeds, it’s unlikely that any will ever garner as much attention as East Hampton’s landmark, Grey Gardens. The house, which was inhabited by Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale (“Big Edie,” Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ aunt) and Edith Bouvier Beale (“Little Edie”), was immortalized in the 1975 documentary of the same name, which was later adapted into a Broadway musical. In the film, the state of the house was notably neglected. When it made its way into the pages of ADVERTISEMENT In the December 1984 issue, it was painstakingly restored by subsequent owners Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee. The couple worked with architect EL Futterman and contractor Robert Langman to undo, to put it mildly, years of deferred maintenance. Guided by attic finds, decaying layers of paint and the property’s titular garden, Quinn restored the flower-filled space to its past beauty.

Steven Spielberg’s guest house

Living room with pyramid-shaped wood-frame ceiling in the guest house in East Hampton, New York, the estate of film director Steven Spielberg, designed by architect Charles Gwathmey with interiors by Naomi Leff. The furniture is upholstered in white and natural colors, the French doors have light blue frames.

Photo: Norman McGrath

The guest house on Steven Spielberg’s East Hampton estate is an idiosyncratic wonder, a traditional if imposing Pennsylvania Dutch-style barn brought from New Jersey to stand next to the estate’s main house. Architect Charles Gwathmey of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates designed the structure as a series of distinct geometric shapes that flow into one another. The living room’s pyramid-shaped ceiling makes for a dramatic architectural impression. Inside, interior designer Naomi Leff opted for a simple color palette to balance the striking wood-frame ceiling. “The best thing about Naomi’s interior is the choice of fabrics and their hues, even more than their textures,” Spielberg said. ADVERTISEMENT in the guest house feature from November 1994.

Lee F. Mindel’s own house in the Hamptons

A double-page spread from June 2007 featuring different angles of Lee F. Mindel’s home in the Hamptons.

Photo: Michael Moran

Among other architectural feats, AD100 Hall of Famer Lee F. Mindel is known for opening dialogues between modernism and traditional design. It only makes sense that he designed a home for himself with features of that style. His East Hampton retreat is inspired by the area’s traditional farmhouses and shingle houses, with the exterior facade reminiscent of “barn doors and drawbridges,” according to a June 2007 magazine article. Mindel divided the home with a three-story glass lantern that lets light stream from the south into the north-facing facade. This piece of architectural ingenuity created indoor and outdoor courtyards; both allow you to see the water while being protected from the wind.