A LONG ISLAND RETREAT THAT’S ALWAYS IN FASHION

“On one of the pleasantest of the Long Island country roads, there is to be seen one of these made-over barns, which now present the appearance of a quaint, gray-shingled house with a green roof, and a large brick chimney in the middle. There are many diamond-paned windows set along the sides, and a little porch at the side door with a balcony above it.” So begins a story in the August 1912 issue of American Homes and Gardens, where 363 South Country Road made its print debut a little over a century ago.

Back then it was owned by three artistically inclined sisters — heiresses to the Post family cereal fortune — and notable for being a particularly excellent example of the many “well-built barns of a past generation that have been transformed into summer dwellings by people who love the space and freedom of a large, central living-room.” The Posts grew up summering nearby, and had played in the barn as kids, sewing notions, painting, and putting on amateur theatrical productions. They considered it the wellspring of their creative endeavors. Before current owners Arthur Krystofiak and Michel Botbol purchased it in 2009, photographer Bruce Weber had been its longtime steward. He, too, had connected with its vibe, using its various structures as backdrops for countless photo shoots, and even adding several buildings to the grounds.
“The Vogue Bambini shoot is probably the one I remember most,” recalls Weber’s nephew, fellow photographer Noe DeWitt, who spent his childhood summers exploring the property’s screened-in outbuildings. “The Adirondacks style of the place, the beautiful light — there was a very romantic, very real quality to the place. It had a great energy, but there was nothing fancy about it.” Fancy? No. A piece of living history? Yes.