This Old Home: Once Upon An Asharoken 'Cottage'

If you are looking for a house with a distinguished musical past, which also pays homage to one of most acclaimed American architects of all time, then the home located at 411 Asharoken Avenue just might be for you.

According to the marketing brochure, the home was originally built in 1922 on the sandy ribbon of land bordered by Duck Island Harbor and Long Island Sound for conductor and pianist Erno Rapée.

The Hungarian-born immigrated here in 1912, and eventually rose to fame as the head conductor of the Radio City Symphony Orchestra, according to hwwilsonweb.com.

A man of diverse musical talents, Rapée also composed songs for movies during the silent-film era, and once sound was introduced, he served as composer, arranger, and musical director on countless motion pictures. Rapée reportedly enthralled audiences across the nation with symphonic, operatic and chamber music via his Music Hall of the Air.

Rapée’s simple Cape Cod-style cottage, which had been used as a summer retreat, soared to glorious new heights following an elaborate renovation by John Ross of John Ross Custom Homes in 1999.

For Ross, who served as both the designer and the contractor according to the marketing brochure, challenges included expanding on living space, and taking full advantage of the site’s breathtaking water views. He also wanted the renovated home to “fit into the community.”

 “I wanted the house to look like an old house that had always been there,” Ross said.

To achieve this lofty goal, Ross created an exterior for the house which pays homage to the work of Stanford White, one of the most highly regarded architects of the nineteenth century.

Samuel White’s book, “The Houses of McKim, Mead & White,” focuses on enduring legacy of this prestigious architectural firm of which White was a partner. White’s flair for innovative detail attracted the likes of the Vanderbilts and Pulitzers, the moneyed movers and shakers of the gilded age.

According to Britannica.com, until at least 1887, the firm was known for building mansions in the countryside and along the sea in the ‘shingle’ style.

In fact, following its renovation, the house at 411 Asharoken Avenue, with its weathered shingles and a soaring turret, looks very much like the home pictured on the book written by Samuel White, Stanford White’s great grandson, a photo of which is attached.

According to Ross, the design stage took about three or four months, with construction spanning an equal period of time. More than 1,500 square feet were added, but it is the reconfiguration of living space and details that really make this house sparkle. Ross won a prestigious renovation design award from the American Institute of Building Design in 1999 for seamlessly melding the best of the past and the present.

The house is currently on the market for $2,399,000. According to listing agent Jacquie Lewisy of , this one of a kind residence boasts four bedrooms and four baths and offers breathtaking panoramic views of Long Island Sound and Duck Island Harbor.

The house, which sits on .75 acre, offers the best of all nautical worlds, with 100 feet of private beach on Long Island Sound, and 100 feet on Duck Harbor, plus a roll-up dock.

Lewisy said that, in addition to the spectacular waterviews, she is particularly captivated by craftsmanship and variety of wood types used in the home. The compass rose inlaid in the entry foyer immediately makes a statement.

“The compass is pointing north,” Ross said of this traditional detail befitting a waterfront home.

Of other particular interest on the first floor is the living room with a fieldstone fireplace and a black granite raised hearth. It also features a 25-foot ceiling, with exposed support beams adding visual interest.

There is also an expansive gourmet kitchen.

The master bedroom on the second floor showcases Ross’s eye for artistic detail. In addition to providing 180-degree views of Long Island Sound, the room’s 20-foot turret ceiling is a work of art which boasts a hand-painted floral mural, plaster medallion and custom plaster cast frieze board.

A lady’s study on the same floor is a virtual waltz of the imagination with original plaster walls and birds-eye wood floors. Hand-painted murals, including cherubs, adorn the walls and ceiling.

If all this isn’t enough, there’s a free-standing two and a half car garage with spacious guest quarters and additional space that could serve as either a studio or home gym. To learn more, visit www.jacquielewisy.com.