Another Fire Island architectural wonder is up for sale, this time in the distinctive form of Julio Kaufman’s Pyramid House at 443 Sail Walk. Just a few streets away from the recently marketed Horace Gifford-designed beach house on Ocean Drive, the Pyramid House is one of the more distinctive homes in a neighbourhood renowned for its architectural self-expression.
The main living room in the Pyramid House
Explore Fire Island's Pyramid House, now for sale
The house was designed at the start of the 1960s by Kaufman, an architect who was born in Buenos Aires but came to the US to study architecture at Columbia in 1952. After building his own home on Fire Island in 1957, Kaufman was commissioned by one John Goodwin (a grandson of JP Morgan, no less) to design a private retreat. The pyramid shape came from Kaufman’s idiosyncratic approach – he wanted the living room at the centre of the house to have views of the whole island.
The house has dramatic beach and bay views
The Pyramid House, Fire Island
The original structure was raised up above the dunes on a rickety deck on a generous plot going down to the beach. In the decades that followed Sail Walk became more and more developed and the house required sturdier foundations. The original two-bedroom configuration was expanded and altered, whilst still retaining the dramatic silhouette – by then a familiar local landmark. The original Asian-inspired décor has been switched out for a more beach house friendly aesthetic.
View from the main living room
The new glass and steel main window opens up the interior
In addition, the restored property now has an entire wall plane of steel and glass, dramatically improving on Kaufman’s original vision. The impressive views range across what are now the protected Fire Island National Seashore. Another bedroom was added, with the primary suite located on the lower level, which opens directly onto the pool with the dunes beyond.
The primary suite is located on the lower level, adjacent to the pool
The primary bedroom suite
There are also three small pyramid-shaped structures that add another two guest bedrooms and bathroom. In total, the Pyramid House offers 2,100 square feet of accommodation, arranged as private, self-contained complex. The agents note there is scope to update and expand still further, although it is being sold with central air conditioning and a refurbished pool.
It wasn’t Kaufman’s only major project in the area – he was also responsible for the new Pines Yacht Club and Botel, following a 1959 fire that destroyed the original, owned by former Ziegfeld girl, actress and producer Peggy Fears. Kaufman designed the replacement – a place for boat owners to moor up and stay for the night that became one of the island’s popular nightspots – despite losing an arm in a seaplane accident during the construction phase of both projects.
‘More than six decades after its creation, the Pyramid House remains remarkably private and unmistakably iconic - a landmark of Fire Island modernism ready for its next chapter,’ says agent Esteban Gomez.
Aerial view, the Pyramid House, Fire Island
Aerial view, the Pyramid House, Fire Island
The Pyramid House, Fire Island, NY, is for sale for $3,300,000, through Compass.com, listed by Esteban Gomez at @TheCreativesAgent