East Hampton’s “Pond House,” located on the exclusive Georgica Pond and adjacent to a 17-acre meadow preserve, sat on the market for eight long years, despite the fact that it was built by famed classical architect Standford White and features luxe offerings like an infinity pool, outdoor dining area, and hand-carved heated marble bathtubs. But in July, the 12,000-square-foot home finally went into contract for $25,925,000, and Behind the Hedges has now gotten word that the buyers are none other than Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The power couple rented a similarly grand Hamptons home in the summer of 2012, paying $400,000 to spend the month of August there and film a music video. No word yet on whether their new purchase will get the same public attention, but it’s certainly worthy.
The “Pond House” first hit the market back in 2009, at which time it was asking $39.5 million. After a year, it got a $4.5 million price chop, followed by another $5 million decrease a year-and-a-half later. In 2013 it went down to its final asking price of $28,995,000, meaning Bey and Jay got a $3 million discount.
The massive home was originally built by Stanford White, but in 2008 was renovated and enlarged by builder Jeffrey Collé, who as Behind the Hedges tells us, “even famously [rotated] the house 90 degrees so that the living room faced west over the pond instead of north.”
On display inside is an impressive collection of opulent architectural details, including quarter-sawn white oak paneling (one of Collé’s signature touches) with a hand-applied French chalk finish, hand-pegged parquet de Versailles floors installed by French craftsmen, and 18th-century French Louis XV carved stone fireplaces.
There are seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, plenty of room for the couple’s three children.
There’s also a detached 1,800-square-foot guest cottage with a living room, full kitchen, two bedrooms, and bath.
Outside, a 25′ x 45′ infinity pool and spa sits at the edge of the pond and is surrounded by an outdoor grilling area and wrap-around Turkish limestone terrace.
The buy came just in time for Beyonce’s Hurricane Harvey benefit concert next month at the Barclays Center.
Get an even better look at the home in this video:
