Restoring The Van Brunt House: A Legacy & Landmark in Southampton Village

In Southampton Village, where the streets are charted as much by memory as by map, the Van Brunt House has long been a defining landmark. On Elm Street amid the hedges and measured façades, you can still feel the trace of horse-drawn carriages and Gilded Age sophistication—a continuity honored in the now restored Van Brunt home located at 121 Elm Street.

Following a museum-caliber renewal, the Van Brunt House regains its original presence as an enduring testament to architectural integrity and cultural legacy. Not a remake but a return—a traditional foundation reconciled with today’s lifestyle, its inspiration made durable.

Now artfully restored and represented exclusively by The Oakley-Leicht Team, the Van Brunt House reclaims its place among the Village’s most iconic homes. A treasure for its next owner and a testament to the character of Southampton Village.

The Essence of Southampton Village

Raised in 1885 for W.D. Van Brunt—civic leader, two-time mayor, and a steady hand in the Village’s early ascent—the Queen Anne residence later passed to its second and only other owner, Aura Levitas, the poet and founding member of the Southampton Arts Council. Their combined imprint endures at 121 Elm Street, in the timber and glass, and beyond in the cultural and aesthetic vocabulary of the Village.

The Van Brunt House’s latest chapter arrives through a stunning, historically respectful renovation helmed with the utmost care and stewardship. The home’s silhouette remains resolutely Queen Anne; its language of white oak shingles, restored stained glass and front porch, hand-wrought details kept intact. 

Inside, a cohesive revision revitalizes original elements while introducing contemporary cadence and clarity: tall ceilings, an emphasis on natural light, and craftsmanship that prioritizes quiet excellence over flourish. Meticulously recreated stained-glass windows and preserved original doors confirm authenticity, while modern systems and serene proportions reflect modern luxury living.

 
A testament to the artful and authentic approach to restoration, the Van Brunt House earns its stature through integrity of materials, clarity of form, craftsmanship, and a respectful dialogue with its context.

Inside the Restoration

The front side of the house retains its historic plan, where a series of slightly canted windows becomes a reiterated motif in the office/library and first-floor suite—collecting daylight, animating the herringbone hardwoods, and giving each room distinct character. Original casings, doors, and profiles are retained and refined, stained-glass accents painstakingly restored by hand. Creatively, the original front entry now serves as a mudroom for return after beach days or an afternoon in the Village.

 
If you aren’t arriving by carriage, the detached garage (with EV charger) leads to the new side-entry foyer, which serves as the central point of arrival and greeting guests.

 
The contemporary sequence that follows at the rear does not compete with the traditional language at the front; it completes it. A great room anchored by a wood-burning/gas fireplace and framed by glass doors that extend the interior grain outdoors to a covered living room, reinforcing a measured, indoor–outdoor cadence. 

 
On the second level, the architectural conversation continues. The primary suite gathers volume under vaulted ceilings, its wood-burning/gas fireplace echoing the hearth below, and its bath wrapped in Thasos marble with a custom bench—heritage materials, modern wellness. Three additional ensuite bedrooms maintain the house’s traditional proportions, each finished with custom baths and generous closets. 

The walkout lower level delivers modern Hamptons living with composure: a tall-ceilinged lounge, wet bar, and temperature-controlled wine cellar for collectors and enthusiasts; a theater; and a wellness center with gym, cedar sauna, massage room, and spa bath. Sliding doors open to a broad sunken patio that draws daylight deep into the space and extends circulation to the rear grounds. A well-sized bedroom and bath provide guest privacy.

Grounds as Gallery

The exterior composition is a masterclass in landscape architecture and luxurious outdoor living. Realized and executed by an iconic designer, the grounds feel both curated and organic—never overdone, always in balance. Tuned to the cadence of a continental villa: refined, symmetrical where it matters, and impeccably edited. 

At the center, a heated saltwater gunite pool with attached spa and full-length lap lane organizes the grounds.  A covered outdoor living room with a wood-burning fireplace and a fully equipped outdoor kitchen stages summer days and shoulder-season evenings with equal grace. 

Lush perimeter hedges define the stately rear grounds, while specimen trees punctuate sightlines. Plantings are curated rather than crowded—textural layers that harmonize with the home’s provenance and white-oak shingle palette. An open lawn area creates a natural gallery for sculpture and entertaining space. Also clad in cedar-shake siding, the carriage house garage with EV charger and 2-story pool house are in deliberate dialogue with the main residence. To preserve the hush, the pool house conceals all mechanicals on its lower level.

The grounds distill the essence of sophisticated outdoor living—architecture, landscape, and leisure held in equal accord.

A Singular Vision

The cohesiveness of the Van Brunt Home’s revision is its quiet triumph: enabling 21st-century ease without compromising its 19th-century elegance. Smart, unobtrusive systems, refined lighting, and thoughtfully updated mechanicals advance comfort without diluting identity. 

Throughout, historic fabric and contemporary amenity are woven in a single, cohesive architectural vision. Even its handcrafted light fixtures, restored porch, and salvaged architectural details tell a story of endurance—each one a thread in a larger tapestry of careful preservation.  Provenance is not a talking point but a structural element carried forward with care.

What makes this home singular, however, is not simply its level of finish or its rare blend of architectural eras—it is the cultural continuity it represents. Homes like 121 Elm Street have long defined the visual and emotional fabric of Southampton. To see The Van Brunt Home so lovingly reclaimed with integrity, inspiration, and cultural reach is to see the spirit of the Village itself restored.

For more information about 121 Elm Street, Southampton Village, reach out to The Oakley-Leicht Team.

THE OAKLEY-LEICHT TEAM
at Saunders & Associates
[email protected]
Cell: Patty: (516) 639-3487 Brian: (516) 729-6828

For more info, click here.