On the evening of Saturday, June 12, Brown Harris Stevens Real Estate invited guests to their event at the coveted 199 Coopers Neck Lane, Southampton property. The restored and reimagined Atterbury Estate was the star of the evening alongside a number of special guests and speakers.

The presentation of the night, titled “Golden Age: The Genius of Architect Grosvenor Atterbury” welcomed speakers such as the household-name Martha Stewart, billionaire real estate developer David Walentas, who restored the Atterbury Estate, contributing editor at Vanity Fair Paul Goldberger, and Peter Pennoyer of Peter Pennoyer Architects. 

The conversation celebrated innovative design and restoration, with special acknowledgment to architect and urban planner Grosvenor Atterbury (1869–1956). Atterbury is renowned for his work as a town planner, civic leader, creator of model tenements, and for producing more than 100 major projects, many of which include some of the country’s greatest private houses. 

Among the guests of the evening were Brooke Shields, who suffered an accident this year and is finally back on her feet, as well as designer Tory Burch, CNN’s Alina Cho, WNBC anchorman Chuck Scarborough, Southampton Mayor Jesse Warren, and many others. 

Brown Harris Stevens presented the event alongside partner House of SpeakEasy, a New York-based literary non-profit founded in 2013 by Amanda Foreman and Lucas Wittmann. Foreman welcomed guests to the event on behalf of her charity. SpeakEasy works to bring books, writers and cultural programming to marginalized and underserved communities. 

“It was nice to see a new house of this scale filled up with so many people for an event that went to a good cause. I found it very interesting, I thought that it was a tremendous turnout,” said BHS Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Christopher Burnside. 

“There were quite a few people that came to the event that actually came back and took a look at the project to see how it was moving along a few weeks later. As a broker, when somebody goes to an event and then comes back to see the progress, that means that it worked. Even if they don't buy it, there are people looking,” he added.

Walentas kicked off the event with a generous donation to House of SpeakEasy. As a graduate of the University of Virginia, he also plans to donate all proceeds from the possible $35 million sale of the Atterbury sale as part of the $100 million he pledged to create a fund for first-generation students of the university. 

The evening showcased the Atterbury Estate with house tours alongside cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Although the property has yet to be completed, BHS is confident that the event only helped the listing gain visibility.

“Overall it was fantastic, it was great exposure and lots of interesting people. There’s no such thing as a bad party in the Hamptons,” Burnside said. 

Photo credits: BHS / The Wave Agency