Spend Your Summer Like Jackie Kennedy Did by Buying Her Childhood Summer Home

Wildmoor, the sprawling East Hampton estate where former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis summered as a child, has hit the market for $7.5 million.

Built in 1895, this historic mansion was originally owned by her grandfather, John Vernou Bouvier Jr., and remained in the Bouvier family for decades. While Kennedy Onassis was born and raised primarily in New York City, Wildmoor was a summer escape for her and her younger sister, Lee, and their parents, banker John Vernou “Black Jack” Bouvier III and socialite Janet Lee Bouvier.

It’s currently owned by the estate of Richard D. Spizzirri, an attorney with Davis Polk & Wardell. Spizzirri died in 2015.

“It has a special place in our hearts,” Hillary McAtee, Spizzirri’s daughter, told Mansion Global of the home her father purchased in the 1990s.

The six-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath home is located on Apaquogue Road in posh East Hampton. The property sits just a few doors down from Grey Gardens, the infamous estate inhabited by eccentric Edith Ewing “Big Edie” Bouvier Beale and Edith “Little Edie,” Bouvier Beale, the aunt and first cousin of Kennedy Onassis, respectively. The 1975 documentary “Grey Gardens” revealed that the once-grand estate had fallen into disrepair, thanks in part to the duo’s idiosyncrasies. A 2009 movie by the same name was a fictionalized account of the story starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore as Big and Little Edie, respectively.

According to Wildmoor’s listing, “The family hosted weekend polo matches in a nearby field and entertained friends in this gracious home.”

The home is also in close proximity to Lasata, an even larger property also owned by John Vernou Bouvier Jr., where budding equestrian Kennedy Onassis first began her love affair with horses. The Abraham Baker House, formerly known as the East Hampton Riding Club, where she rode horses throughout her youth, is also currently on the market for $2.19 million.

Wildmoor sits on about one acre and has a little over 4,000 square feet of interior space. From its gabled roof to its wraparound porch, atrium, and pergola-covered terrace, it’s a quintessential summer retreat.

Just a short walk to the beach, the home also boasts a free-standing former carriage house, which was made into an art studio by one-time former owner Adolph Gottlieb, an abstract expressionist painter, sculptor, and printmaker.

The home features Palladian doors and wood floors throughout and includes a living space with wood built-ins perfect for housing a large library. The spacious dining room includes more built-ins and easily fits a table with seating for 10, making it ideal for entertaining. The light and airy design provides stunning views of the property’s manicured lawns and surrounding countryside. 

Although the property has been renovated and updated throughout the years, there are some charming original touches as well, like a clawfoot bathtub. The kitchen has a tiled wood-fired stove, and there’s a fireplace in the living room too. The home is listed by Paula Butler of Sotheby’s International Realty. You can see the full listing here.