AUDIO
Pines Modern is a brand-new, non-profit 501(c)(3) endeavor dedicated to the rediscovery of all that the Pines has created, particularly its mid-century architectural and cultural heritage. We ask for your support in the form of tax deductible contributions to help us to continue discovering, documenting, and sharing the best that Fire Island Pines has to offer. There is much more to document! Our significant expenses include professional photography, drum-scanning of vintage images, creation and maintenance of the web site, required non-profit insurance, preservation consultations with homeowners, and the staffing of Pines Modern functions. Our officers are not paid for their efforts.
Donors at the $50 annual level and above will receive priority notification for house tours and other Pines Modern events. Each donor who contributes $150 and above will receive a free ticket to the next Pines Modern house tour. Please contact us if you would like to place an advertisement on our site.
For support regarding donations, send your message here.
2019 Contributors
Adam Wade
Pines Modern is a brand-new, non-profit 501(c)(3) endeavor dedicated to the rediscovery of all that the Pines has created, particularly its mid-century architectural and cultural heritage. We ask for your support in the form of tax deductible contributions to help us to continue discovering, documenting, and sharing the best that Fire Island Pines has to offer. There is much more to document! Our significant expenses include professional photography, drum-scanning of vintage images, creation and maintenance of the web site, required non-profit insurance, preservation consultations with homeowners, and the staffing of Pines Modern functions. Our officers are not paid for their efforts.
Donors at the $50 annual level and above will receive priority notification for house tours and other Pines Modern events. Each donor who contributes $150 and above will receive a free ticket to the next Pines Modern house tour. Please contact us if you would like to place an advertisement on our site.
For support regarding donations, send your message here.
2019 Contributors
Adam Wade
443 SAIL WALK
AUDIO
Architect: JULIO KAUFMAN, 1960. Renovation: H3 ARCHITECTURE, 2004.
Background for this house was provided courtesy of the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society.
John Goodwin, a nephew of financier J. P. Morgan, and his wife Ellie commissioned one of the most unusual homes in the Pines in 1960. Originally reposing on a lot that extended all the way from bay to ocean, this symmetrical home took advantage of equally extraordinary views in all directions. A pyramid with four dormers contained three small bedrooms and a spiral stair that ascended to a loft space.
Architect Julio Kaufman hailed from Buenos Aires. He designed a home for himself in 1957, as well as the concrete-block Botel for Peggy Fears after the original burned down in 1959. A seaplane accident around the time of the Goodwin House's construction resulted in the amputation of Kaufman's arm, which did not stop the architect from designing two model Pines Co-op interiors from his hospital bed.
In 2001 playwright Paul Rudnick and Dr. John Raftis purchased the home, now surrounded by other dwellings. A 2004 renovation undertaken by Hal Hayes demonstrates a clever adaptation to the home's changed context as well as evolving standards of comfort. As Hayes recalled:
"[Rudnick and Raftis] led very public lives in the city, and privacy was very important to them here in the Pines; Paul was also writing his play “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told,” a humorous and gay retelling of classic Bible stories, during the design process. The design concept grew out of both of these issues.
A large guest house was added at the front of the property; the 30’ width of this structure created a visual barrier from Sail Walk and enclosed a very private courtyard between the guest house and the main house. The mass of the guest house was broken down into three 10’ squares, each rotated to a pure north-south orientation and articulated as three small pyramids, recalling the complex of the Great Pyramid of Cheops and its three adjacent small pyramids, one for each of his queens; Paul loved the idea and insisted that 'we have to have the Queens’ pyramids!' The three 10’ square spaces are two bedrooms flanking a central bathroom, each with a translucent pyramidal roof.
The private courtyard included the new pool, hot tub, outdoor kitchen and living room. The main pyramid was completely gutted, creating a single large living/dining/kitchen space on the upper floor. The solid east face of the pyramid was removed and replaced with a custom floor-to-ceiling steel & glass roof-wall system, opening the interior to the spectacular views of the dunes, ocean and bay.
The lower level was expanded to be the same size as the upper floor, with a powder room, laundry and large master suite comprised of a boudoir, dressing rooms, bathroom, sauna, potting shed and gym."
Photos: Courtesy Hal Hayes and the Fire Island Pines Historic Preservation Society. Illustration: Ferron Bell courtesy FIPHPS. 2022 Color photos: Genevieve Garruppo for The New York Times.
