Behind The Mission To Conserve The Hamptons’ Modernist Treasures

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wood paneled home exterior

HAMPTONS 20 CENTURY MODERN

“The idea is to offer access to relatively obscure architectural gems hiding in plain sight,” shares designer Timothy Godbold of the grass roots organization he launched last spring.

A Sag Harbor resident of nearly a decade, Godbold was dismayed upon purchasing his own midcentury home to learn there were no protections for the modernist masterpieces of Charles Gwathmey, Norman Jaffe, Andrew Geller and their contemporaries. “I asked around thinking I would discover preservation societies and was told there was nothing of the sort out here—and that if I had an inclination to do something, I better hurry,” he says.

Hamptons 20 Century Modern has a baseline goal of conservancy and awareness for these dwindling treasures—but looking ahead, Godbold is dreaming big. “The fundamentals of Palm Springs Modernism Week—architectural lectures, vintage shopping, house tours—could be easily translated for this area,” he posits. “Hamptons residents are notoriously private, but I think if we build a following and get on people’s radar, anything is possible.”

wooden walkway to glass structure

PHOTO COURTESY BATES MASI + ARCHITECTS