Westhampton Beach’s Oneck Estate demolished due to periodic flooding

Oneck Estate, a distinctive home with a red terracotta roof that stood on the edge of Moriches Bay, has been torn down as its owners plan to divvy it up into four lots, 27east reported. The 4.52-acre property at 285 Oneck Lane sold last year for $6.5 million to a limited liability company. It was previously sold in 1999 for $2 million and then listed in 2013 for $17.5 million before coming on and off the market in subsequent years with various price cuts, Curbed reported. The 10-bedroom estate was built around 1908, but the water table has risen since then, putting it six feet below Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements. The first floor of the home would reportedly sometimes flood and large puddles often spring up on its grounds. The new owners decided that it would be cheaper and more practical to simply raze the home, Brown Harris Stevens’ Daniel Sullivan told 27east. Sullivan, who represented the estate’s seller in 2018, will now also handle the subdivision sales. “We looked at it from a lot of different angels and it just couldn’t be saved,” he said. Construction crews will now be tasked with elevating the property so it can accommodate future homes. [27east]