A famed Hamptons “stilt’ house that has been perched up on wooden pillars for more than 70 years toppled into the bay following a stretch of brutal cold weather that struck the Northeast US.
The abandoned beach house — long known for standing tall in the waters off the South Fork of Long Island in Amagansett — collapsed into Gardiners Bay on Saturday night, News 12 Long Island reported.
The aging wooden supports that kept the house elevated for decades gave way after Winter Storm Fern battered New York and prolonged a deep freeze that followed, icing over the bay beneath the home.
Photos show the once-elevated home located in the hamlet now partially submerged in ice-choked waters.
The home had stood isolated above the bay after relentless erosion stripped away the sandy north-facing shoreline, leaving it fully surrounded by water since about 2004.
Despite its secluded location, the “stilt house” became a well-known and frequently photographed local landmark.
Suffolk County tax records identify Gary Ryan as the homeowner, according to the East Hampton Press.
While records do not pinpoint the exact date of construction, the structure’s roots date back to the late 1940s or early 1950s — a time when the area was primarily a fishing community, Billy Kalbacher told the East Hampton Press in 2017.
Kalbacher noted that his sister and brother-in-law, John Easevoli, used to live in the home before it was surrounded by water.
“I mean a real fishing community, when guys from the city, the Bronx, Brooklyn came out with their cronies, 1948, 1950, and they all built shacks on the beach,” Kalbacher said.
Easevoli, a carpenter, built and restored the home before the family relocated to Napeague around 1966 or 1967, according to the outlet.
The building originally sat on a beach until erosion took its toll on the shore.
“It used to be 100 feet to the water, now the shack is in the water and about 30 feet from shore,” Kalbacher said at the time.
In the 20 years leading up to its collapse, officials questioned whether to condemn the “stilt house” over safety concerns and overdue property taxes — even as rising waters elevated it to unlikely landmark status.
The executive director of the Southampton Historical Museum, Tom Edmonds, told the outlet that weathered fishing shacks have long been fixtures in the landscape, standing as quiet reminders of the community’s past.
Just two weeks before the collapse, the Northern Lights briefly illuminated the sky behind the home.
Last week marked the first time since 2015 that Gardiners Bay had frozen over, the East Hampton Press reported.
Following the collapse, town officials began evaluating next steps and consulting with New York State authorities about potential emergency measures.
East Hampton Town Councilman Tom Flight said marine contractors have provided early guidance on safely accessing the site and managing debris.
“At this state, the town’s priority is preparedness and prevention — making sure that any potential hazards are addressed before they escalate,” Flight told the outlet.
Much of the ice around the home had broken up and drifted away by Tuesday.
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