Westhampton Historic Enoch Pierson House To Be Preserved

A historic home, which was set to be demolished, will now be preserved, according to Gina Webster and James Mairs, owners of the house, which sits at 403 Mill Road in Westhampton.

Mairs said when he first purchased the house, which is known as the Enoch Pierson House, he had intentions to knock it down because of the costs associated with a refurbishment. 

"I couldn't justify putting in the money [to restore it]," said Mairs, who said the restoration will cost about $150,000.

However, he said, he recently came into "and unnamed windfall" and has decided to restore the home as best he can — This will be the fourth area house that Mairs and his wife have restored.

"We are going to take it back to the way it was before the second Word War — as close to the original as possible," said Mairs, who says he does not intend on saving the drafty windows.

The house, he said, was built sometime in 1870 and has several additions during its lifetime, including bathroom and kitchen wings.

Mairs, who has lived in the area since 1969, said he purchased the house after buying his house at 6 Baycrest, restoring it and then buying and restoring the house behind him, 405 Mill Road, which was constructed in the 1880. He then opted to buy 403 Mill Road.

He also restored a Quogue home ten years ago.

Mairs says he and his wife intend to rent 405 and 403 Mill Road as summer rentals, but he doesn't imagine that he will fetch a lot of money for them.

"They don't have a lot of modern conveniences and luxury that many other summer rentals have," he said.

But, that is no matter to Mairs, who says he has a love of old homes.

"They represent a much simpler time in the history of our country," he said.

Mairs also says he loves the thought that went behind the construction of older homes.

"They were built in relation to the sun and prevailing winds and they all have small rooms so you can zone heating."

According to Sally Spanburgh, chair of the Southampton Landmarks and Historic District Committee, historic records show that 403 Mill Road was built in 1885 by Enoch H. Pierson, a civic war veteran, who died in 1904. 

For more on the home's history, see the attached PDF file.