Madonia Antiques Hosts Houses of the Hamptons Book Signing

Ann Madonia Antiques on Jobs Lane hosted a lovely book signing reception for co-authors Gary Lawrance and Anne Surchin‘s newly revised edition of their wildly popular Houses of the Hamptons, 1880-1930. Ann Madonia and her daughter and business partner Susan Madonia were on hand to greet guests, many of whom have ancestral homes featured in the beautifully produced tome.

First published in 2007, Houses of the Hamptons, 1880-1930 features some 34 extraordinary estates. The lavish book, which has a new color cover, includes archival photos of the homes, as well as current pictures of any that remain standing. Many of the properties illustrated no longer exist in the Hamptons landscape—some were destroyed to make way for more contemporary structures and others to be subdivided—making the book a remarkable and important study of a period when seaside “cottages” often contained 40-plus rooms.

But not all the “Houses of the Hamptons” have vanished and many are enjoying a new wave of attention from major figures in the business and fashion scenes. For example, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg spent about $20 million to buy the historic “Ballyshear” estate—complete with barns, horse paddocks and a patio that can easily hold 500 guests—from Charles and Diana Holmes last year. Julia Vance Carter lives in the historic “Ocean Castle” and generous Southampton Hospital supporters John and Jenny Paulson reside in the fabled “Old Trees” property on Lake Agawam in Southampton.

Recently Calvin Klein tore down the DuPont Family estate on Meadow Way, which some say had become a travesty of architecture under former owner Bernie Trupin.

The signing attracted a host of Hamptonites, including woman-about-town Jean Shafiroff, Lucy Puig  and Jose Pincay, Raul Montes de Oca, Pandora Biddle, Gary and Katherine Andreassen, and Donna and Richard Soloway. Guests John Wanamaker Leas, Sophy Haynes and Suzette Smith were also on hand to see their homes in the new coffee table book.