Next on the Michael Davis Chopping Block is …

The next historic property in Bridgehampton slated for demolition is 130 Jobs Ln  — ripping out the heart of a potential historic district.

The property is immediately south of the Mecox cemetery, a very historic and old burial ground. Jobs Lane was developed in the 1860s. In its stead, the owners wish to build a very large house with . Need I say more? Why oh why do people buy historic homes only to have them torn down? Argh!

The structures existing at 130 Jobs Ln — house, garage/pool house and shed — are likely to have been originally built for Lafayette W. Seabury (1825-1911). Lafayette was a farmer, carpenter, and an owner of the from 1772-1880. His son, Orlando, worked as a blacksmith in a shop on Ocean Road in the 1870s, and later joined his father (“L.W. Seabury & Son”) working as a miller at the windmill.

Lafayette’s brother was Ichabod Sheffield Seabury, a prominent local architect who built many structures in the Hamptons, such as the Tiffany/Hendrickson house at Hill View Farm on Lumber Lane, the Bridgehampton Academy and the . He is likely to have been involved with the building of the house and accessory structures at 130 Jobs Ln for his brother. The main volume of the house with the east (front) facing gable was the original home and can be estimated to have been built in 1881. The wing to the south appears to have been added slightly later.

The current neighborhood has a pleasant balance of new and old homes and even a contemporary home two lots south of 130 Jobs Ln. However, as this is not a terribly long street, there may only be five historic structures remaining, with 130 being one of them. These historic structures remind residents , visitors, passersby and the like of the roots and history of the hamlet and town and help to maintain the historic character of the area. While there are other large "speculative" homes on the street, adding one as large as is being proposed will not only completely transform this particular property, but will also contribute toward the further disintegration of historic resources on the street and in the community as well as tip the balance of architectural styles on the street toward the overly large developer style.

The threatened 130 Jobs Ln is a beautiful piece of property with a very country feel due to the spacious layout of the structures and the preponderance of mature trees; one wonders how the proposed house will fit on the site without removing one or more of them. All of the structures seem to be in excellent condition. Its architecture is an excellent surviving example of those built in the late 1880s as well as associated with historic personages. It would easily qualify as a town landmark as well as a contributing structure within a small historic district of surviving Talmadge, Seabury and Downs family structures in the immediate vicinity. Without 130, the heart of that potential historic district will have been removed.

There are similar homes in the vicinity that have been modified and updated and still exist today. One example is 80 Butter Ln, built in the same time frame and an exemplary model of the adaptability, via renovation and enlargement, of a similar structure.

It’s just another sad day for the Southampton Town Landmarks and Historic Districts Board to review this type of demolition application and not be able to do a darn thing about it except blow a kiss and wave goodbye. I’m sure there are many more to come with the arrival of Spring. Lord help me.

Sources:
"Sketches of Local History," William Donaldson Halsey,1935
"Long Island Traveler," March 11, 1881