Hedge Funder Buys Thierry Despont’s Southampton Estate

Thierry Despont’s former Hamptons estate has been sold to a New York hedge funder for close to the asking price, months after going under contract.

The mystery buyer plunked down $17.9 million in cash to pick up 320 Majors Path in Southampton, the New York Post reported. The buyer signed an agreement to buy the late architect’s home four months ago, when the asking price was $18.4 million.

While the identity of the new owner is shrouded in secrecy, the property’s history is not. Putting together the 34-acre estate was a labor of love for Despont, who began by acquiring three contiguous parcels between 2011 and 2013 for $8.5 million.

The estate includes a main residence with a guest house and pool house. The main home spans 6,000 square feet with six bedrooms, so the $17.9 million sale breaks down to nearly $3,000 per square foot. The pool house is tucked next to an infinity pool and the estate’s central section includes a four-car garage.

A four-bedroom guest home sits on half an acre. The estate overlooks 50 acres of agricultural reserve.

The property once had a horse farm and was the original site of the Southampton Riding and Hunt Club, where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis rode. More recently, Rosewood Farms used the site.

Despont listed the home in the spring of 2022 for $23.5 million, but it didn’t sell. Last fall, after his death in August 2023, the price was reduced to $20 million.

Douglas Elliman brokers Paul Brennan, Michael Keszler and Martha Gundersen held the listing. They declined to comment to the Post.

Despont died in Southampton at 75 years old. The French-born architect worked on some of New York City’s most famous structures, converting the Battery Maritime Building and restoring the Statue of Liberty.

— Holden Walter-Warner