WEST OF THE CANAL: THE NEW FRONTIER

Referred to as “the Brooklyn” of the Hamptons by Nikola Cejic of Douglas Elliman, the emergence of the area known as “West of the (Shinnecock) Canal” might be the most significant movement since Jackson Pollock discovered the Springs. West of the Canal includes Remsenburg, Quogue, East Quogue, Westhampton, and Hampton Bays. Cejic first noticed the trend during the pandemic. As prices skyrocketed and space became a commodity, people realized that, for the price of a two-bedroom cottage east of the canal, they could score a house with multiple bedrooms, a pool, and maybe even a tennis court. Then there was the added value of time — during the busy summer season this could mean hours of commuting slashed in half. What had once been an unnoticed location is now a mix of dive bars, mom-and-pop stores, fine dining, elegant new hotels, and plenty of baby strollers. And, like Brooklyn, proximity to towns further east is just across the bridge.

Remsenburg is one of the Hampton’s most tranquil and majestic communities West of the Canal. An historic hamlet first settled in 1712, the town was home to author P.G. Wodehouse and Marvel Comics’s Stan Lee. According to Todd Bourgard, “We would get a listing in Remsenburg and we would hold on to it for a year. Now, when those houses come up, they go.” One of those properties is 74-80 Cedar Lane. Listed with Lauren Spiegel of Douglas Elliman, the house was originally built in 1890 as a hunting lodge. The historic 6,300-square-foot home sits on over seven acres of southwest-facing waterfront. Totally refurbished in 2016, this turnkey, resort-like estate includes a four-bedroom guesthouse, pool house, and a 19th-century renovated windmill. The expansive front lawn extends down to a sandy beach, docks, a boat house, and tennis courts. The house meets all the attributes of quiet luxury, a term often used to describe the sleepy hamlet, which, to this day, does not include a single stoplight.