Hamptons Weekly Roundup: William Merritt Chase house hits market, whose beach is it anyway? … & more

UPDATED, 7:20 p.m., Aug. 31: Sag Harbor seller hopes for presidential-sized profits

Market watchers are wondering whether a 300 percent price hike is justified for President Chester A. Arthur’s former Sag Harbor home. (He was only president for two years, after all.) The house at 20 Union Street hit the market in August for $14.2 million, Curbed reported, or more than three times what owner Anke Friedrich paid in 2014.

Since making the purchase, Friedrich recruited interior designer Steven Gambrel to completely renovate the three-story, six-bedroom home. It features a library with a fireplace, formal dining and living rooms, a wine cellar, and a media room. Earlier this summer, the property hit the rental market at $390,000 for the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day. [Curbed]

William Merritt Chase’s picturesque South Fork house asks $4.25M

William Merritt Chase, one of the most famous American painters of the late 19th century, made his mark in Southampton in 1891 when he became the founding director of the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art. His former 4,347-square-foot house at 9 Briar Lane, in fact, retains certain remnants of his history, such as an original soldier cross, herringbone floors and chestnut paneling in the great room. Sitting on a two-acre lot, the residence has six bedrooms and six bathrooms, according to 27East. [27East]

East Hampton is unsure whether it owns the bay beach at Driftwood Shores

An East Hampton beach

Talk about a stalemate. When Kenneth and Judith Reiss moved into their beachfront house, the matter of their beach became a sore subject with their neighbors, who claim people have enjoyed unbridled use of it for years and requested the city to look into its true ownership. Although the Reisses maintain that they have no objection to people walking it, they say they’ve been harassed by their neighbors. Now, East Hampton Town trustees have announced that its oldest deed of the property dates back to 1884, but that the description of the location is hazy and therefore inconclusive. [EHS]

Widow of former Carlyle Hotel owner is suing her stepson

Liliane Peck, the widow of the former hotelier Norman Peck, is suing her late husband’s son Ian Peck, calling him a spendthrift. Liliane’s lawsuit comes at the heels of Ian’s own suit last week to get a bigger share of his dad’s $41 million estate. “Unfortunately, virtually all of Ian’s ventures have resulted in discord and dissension with his business partners,’’ her complaint reads. “Further, Ian has lived a lavish lifestyle, including purchasing … expensive cars, boats, and a multimillion dollar home in the Hamptons.” Norman Peck bought the Carlyle on the Upper East Side for $15.5 million in 1967 and sold it in 2001 for $130 million. [TRD]

Sale of Sag Harbor’s Morpurgo House one step closer to closing in foreclosure auction deal

The Morpurgo House at 6 Union Street

The Suffolk County Supreme Court has thrown out a pending legal action holding up the sale of the decrepit house at 6 Union Street in Sag Harbor, 27East reported. Charlotte Lisi filed the action claiming that she had a stake in the property one day before the buyers who won the house at a foreclosure auction were expecting the deal to close. Her son, Brandon Lisi, pleaded guilty in 2011 to two felonies for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme that targeted East End homes, and the Morpurgo House is one of his disputed properties. Its new owners may have to wait 30 days while Charlotte has an opportunity to appeal the judge’s opinion before the sale closes. [27East]

Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the owner of 20 Union Street as Steven Gambrel