The late Barbara Gladstone is back in the headlines this summer—not for her celebrated art galleries, but for her real estate. Just weeks after her refined Chelsea townhouse hit the market, the influential art dealer’s expansive North Fork retreat has quietly joined the listings, asking $12 million with Bridget Elkin of Compass.
Gladstone—who shaped the trajectory of contemporary art through her visionary Manhattan gallery, with additional spaces in Brussels and Seoul, and represented luminaries like Robert Rauschenberg and Keith Haring—kept the waterfront Cutchogue estate as a serene escape from the city’s art-world pace. She passed away in June 2024 at the age of 89.
The property spans 140 feet of pristine Great Peconic Bay frontage, complete with a sandy beach. The 10,000-square-foot shingle-style home is one of the few surviving turn-of-the-19th-century summer “cottages” on Long Island’s East End to remain largely intact. Restored and updated, it marries old-world craftsmanship—think original doorknobs and hardware—with modern amenities. Set on 1.2 acres, the estate returned to the market this summer with refreshed interiors and a renewed air of understated grandeur.
Inside, the main floor offers waterside living and dining rooms, each with a fireplace and elegant fluted trim, plus an expansive chef’s kitchen with a breakfast nook, butler’s pantry, and a flower-cutting room featuring a custom marble sink. An enormous screened porch serves as a summer kitchen and dining space overlooking the bay.
The second-floor primary suite features a fireplace, dressing room, generous walk-in closets, and sweeping water views. Five additional bedrooms fill the upper floors, along with a library, office, multiple wet bars, and spa-like baths with steam showers and soaking tubs.
Outside, manicured perennial gardens and hedged lawns frame a bay-facing gunite pool. A charming carriage house contains a home theater, gym, and guest quarters, while a historic icehouse nods to the property’s storied past.
Earlier this year, records show, Gladstone also sold a nearby residence she referred to as “the Guesthouse” for $1.94 million—just above its $1.8 million asking price.
