Hamptons Cottages: From Quonset Huts to Modular Homes

A recent feature in CULTURED magazine highlights a diverse array of small cottages in the East End, each with unique stories and significant impact. In the 1940s, Maude Terry, an African American educator, persuaded a developer to sell 20 inadequate acres in Sag Harbor to middle-class Black families, leading to the creation of SANS communities. Her sister, Amaza Lee Meredith, one of the first licensed Black female architects in the U.S., constructed the Terry Cottage. Pierre Chareau designed a Quonset House in 1946 for Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell, which was demolished in 1985. Notably, Andrew Geller's Double Diamond House (1959) and Antler House (1968) were preserved; the former features a distinctive 600-square-foot kite shape. Additionally, Christopher Burch's Cocoon9 launched prefabricated modular homes in 2015, including CocoonCabin and CocoonStudio (480 sq ft) and CocoonLite 20 (160 sq ft), showcased at Mecox Gardens in Water Mill. Toshiko Mori's 1,200-square-foot beach house (2016) for Phoebe and Nicolas de Croisset was built above flood level after Hurricane Sandy destroyed their 1920s cottage. Lastly, the Silver Sands Motel and Beach Bungalows in Greenport, established in 1957, were recently renovated by owner Alexander Perros in collaboration with Leroy Street Studio, embracing an all-electric design.