Historic Hamptons Windmill House!

Both a rare conversation piece and a charming small home, this former working windmill was converted into a home in the 1950s by Faberge cosmetics-founder, Samuel Rubin, now for sale priced at $11.5 million.

The Windmill House is believed to have been built by the descendants of the first Dutch settlers in Amagansett: the brothers Abraham and Jacob Schellinger. When New Amsterdam, at the tip of what is now Manhattan, was taken over by the British, Abraham and Jacob’s father moved the family to Amagansett. The family built the windmill approximately 200 years later to provide power for the next door apple orchard, which still exists today.

When Rubin bought and converted the windmill into a home in the 1950s, he had tennis courts and used the property to entertain friends. Though only 1,300 square feet with two bedrooms and one bath, the house sits on 5.3 acres and is only a few minutes to both Napeague Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The ground floor opens to an 18’ by 18’ hexagonal living space with wide-plank hardwood floors and exposed-beam ceilings and a stairwell with a rope banister that leads to the upper levels. Also on the main level are the kitchen, a bedroom and bath. The second floor of the windmill is the main bedroom, and above that is the unfinished tower room that housed the wooden mechanical workings of the sails, including a break that would stop them. Many parts of the original hand-hewn works are still there, as well as a storage closet.

On par with Beverly Hills and Miami Beach, numerous celebrities have made the Hamptons their vacation or permanent homes. It’s within commuting distance of Manhattan but offers a laid back, beachy environment that maintains a charming vibe. Some celebrities hop back and forth by helicopter to get their Hamptons fix, while others live there all or most of the year, including Jerry Seinfeld, Brooke Shields, Beyoncé and Jay Z, Alec Baldwin, Kelly Ripa, Robert Downey, Jr. and Christie Brinkley.

The listing agent is Bobby Rosenbaum of Douglas Elliman, Bridgehampton, New York.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Douglas Elliman

Source: www.elliman.com