Sagaponack - Take this house please! It's free if you can move it. Who can resist a deal like that? So far, there are no takers for the 1930s classic American four square despite an aggressive campaign to give the house away, so custom builder Michael Davis can move forward with a project.

The stone fireplace was added to the 1840s house in the 1930s according to architectural historian Zachery Studenroth. Photos courtesy of Michael Davis

Davis, a Sagaponack resident, is in contract to purchase a 2.3 acre lot located at 243 Hedges Lane. The property known as Lot 1 is the largest in an eight-acre subdivision. The site is home to several structures representative of a defunct working farm that idled years ago. Davis is seeking demolition permits to raze two old barns, a garage, a shed and the four square if he is unable to find someone who wants the house and can move it.

A vintage farmhouse dating back to 1840 that is also part of the original farmstead will be spared in accordance with Davis's proposal now before the Sagaponack Village Architectural Review Board (ARB).

Davis plans to move the small Greek Revival farmhouse to the northwest corner of the property. It will be used as a guest house forming part of the new residential compound Davis hopes to build. The site plan calls for the construction of a 6,900 square foot home. "That's less than half the size of the house next door that's for sale now," Davis said.

The original banister remains in tact and provides an excellent example of woodworking of the era.

The 1840s house will be located to the front of the property in clear view of passersby on Hedges Lane. Davis's plan requires the cooperation and approval of the ARB as well as the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) where the required variances must be granted. The ARB would like Davis to pay to move the Four Square.


The ARB reviews all requests for demolition permits. The Hedges Lane property, part of a subdivision named The Sagaponack Greens is not within the village's historic district. However, a newly enacted village code, passed by the Village Board earlier this year, broadened the ARB's reach concerning the issuance of demolition permits.

The law was enacted to preserve the quaintness and integral character of the village according to the Trustees who favored its adoption. It applies to buildings outside the village historic district as well as to those within the designated historic area. The law was not in effect when Davis went into contract to purchase the building lot.

The term "historic" is ill defined in the law according to opponents of the code who claim the statute is too broad. The law allows the ARB to deny demolition permits on any structure they consider to be "significant," regardless of the age or architectural significance of the structure. In the case of the four square the debate has centered on the merits of saving the structure versus the cost and feasibility of moving the building. The architectural merit of the building has come under discussion as well. Some residents feel there are already enough four squares in existence in the village that have been preserved and renovated.

"This house is nothing special," Sagaponack resident Louis Meisel said pointing to significant homes in the village that have been saved.

The vintage home has undergone serveral changes over the years. The restoration project will take the house back to its original appearance using materials that will enhance its appearance.

Meisel, a Sagaponack resident for the last 25 years, had some experience of his own to relate to the board. Meisel was in a similar situation years ago as a real estate developer when he put up a commercial building on Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton. "There was an old house on the site," Meisel said. "I didn't want to tear it down. So I tried to give it away." It took a long time for Meisel to find a taker. Eventually two women agreed to purchase the old house for one dollar and move it. "It cost almost as much as building a new house by the time they were done," Meisel said.

Original doors remain throughout the house.

Paul Brennan, a real estate broker at Prudential Douglas Elliman involved in the sale of the building lot is trying mightily to move the house so Davis can close the deal. "We have had 10 or 12 calls so far, and no takers," Brennan said at the last meeting of the ARB. He has been running prominent ads in local newspapers advertising the free house. "Once they talk to the house mover and find out what's involved they back off," Brennan said.

The house at 34 feet in width is wider than the roads it would have to travel and would involve taking out trees along the roadside. The two and half story height requires the temporary removal of telephone, electric and cable lines. Then there is the question of the infrastructure. "Frankly, I don't know what kind of condition it's in," Davis said referring to the electrical wiring, plumbing and heating systems. "I didn't think it would come to this so I didn't pay that much attention to it."

Davis has received letters of support from 33 village residents to date, while four members of the community have gone on record against his proposal. Davis described his plan as a way to make a right out of a wrong. "I feel like I have been caught up in a three part saga," he said after the ARB's last public hearing that ended without a decision in his favor. The ARB plans to meet again at the end of November. In the meantime the Board instructed the applicant to continue to find someone willing to save the four square. "We would like more frequent updates on the callers inquiring about the house," Anthony Tohill the attorney for the ARB said.

The roof line and other architectural details will be preserved.

Davis described his plan to restore the 1840s house in return for permission to demolish the other buildings as a give and take.

Initially an engineer advised against the relocation claiming the 1840s structure was infested with powder post beetles and could not be moved. Davis hired another engineer who came to a more favorable conclusion that eventually led to the proposal to relocate and preserve the 1,000 square foot vintage house.

A handful of village residents advocated the total preservation and restoration of the entire farmstead hoping a developer would create a unique project on the site.

"What we are really talking about here is preserving the remnants of a farm," Michael Gaynor said. Gaynor expressed interest in acquiring the house. He recently returned to the South Fork after living out of the area for eight years. "It's almost unrecognizable now," Gaynor said of his once familiar haunts where houses have over taken the open fields in Sagaponack.

The 1840s farmhouse will be relocated and restored according to the builder's plans. A new 6,900 square foot house will be built on the 2.3 acre site on Hedges Lane. Photo by Andrea Aurichio

Davis is no stranger to historic structures and old buildings. He renovated several "antique" buildings in his native England before crossing the pond to take up residence on the South Fork more than 25 years ago. Among those projects was the restoration of an 11th century monastery and a 16th century farmhouse that Davis eventually moved into and made his home. Years later he rented a house in Wainscott, fell in love with the South Fork and eventually bought a house. He lived in East Hampton for several years before moving to Sagaponack.

When Davis was eyeing the Hedges Lane property he consulted with architectural historian Zachary Studenroth. "When we removed the shingles we found beaded corner boards," Davis said. Further investigation revealed a map dating back to 1850 indicating the house once belonged to the Hedges family.

The small house eventually became part of a 40-acre farm that offered a clear view of the Atlantic Ocean from Hedges Lane. The developers were required to set aside 24 of the 40 acres as open space as part of the approval process. The lots ranging in size from 1.4 acres to the 2.3 acres all have southwestern views across the reserved field. They are less than a quarter mile from the ocean. Four of eight lots priced between $5.25 million to $5.75 million are now in contract.

"As a resident of Sagaponack I think it's a shame that this land was subdivided," Davis said. "It should have been preserved. But it wasn't. Now I would like to do a good job."