That 60's Show

Homes that we called "Modern" in the 60's became "Contemporary" in the 90's, and are now being called "Modern" once again. The picture here, with the hungry-looking chair, is of the inside of an East Hampton oceanfront home on the market for just south of $20MM.

I remember as a kid enjoying the ride to the beach in Westhampton as we drove down Dune Road in the family station wagon. "I see the Tee Vee house" one of the five of us would proclaim as we got to the point where we approached this oceanfront house, built on what we called stilts (pilings), that looked just like a big television. "I see the floating house" someone would sing to the tune of "naaaa...na...na...naaaa...na" as we went past La Ronde Beach Club and came upon a structure which looked like two huge diamonds made of white plastic on the bottom and clear plastic on the top, again propped up on pilings. We figured it was built that way so it would float in a big hurricane. I myself wanted to go up and knock on their plastic door to ask if I could come over during the next hurricane so I could be in the house when it floated away. I used to fantasize about where it would end up; on Main Street? By the Country Club? Maybe if it was a really big storm, it would end up next to the ice cream place on Montauk Highway and I would live there forever and have as many banana milkshakes as I wanted...forever.

Well, I never got the ride, the ice cream place is now a bank, my doctor told me to stay away from any and all milkshakes, and the houses that got washed away in the 1995 storm in what now has become the Village of Westhampton Dunes have almost all been replaced by post-modern McMansions.

But, alas, Modern Architecture is back! Modern homes are being bought and renovated, new modern homes are being built and sold for million$ (i.e. Houses at Sagaponak) and the pre-fab Modern Home has arrived. See the link below. md

ABC News: Boom Nation: Prefab Chic