Late McKinsey Exec’s East Hampton Compound Lists for $41.9 Million

As a young McKinsey executive in Manhattan in the 1970s, Robert O’Block loved driving to his summer home in the Hamptons, often stopping for corn on the cob at a farm stand along the way. When he moved to Boston in the 1980s, he kept up the tradition of driving to East Hampton, eschewing coastal spots like Nantucket and Cape Cod. 

Following his death in March at the age of 82, Robert’s home is coming on the market for $41.9 million, said Greg O’Block, one of his three sons. The brothers are selling because they all live in different cities and aren’t close enough to the Hamptons to enjoy the home, Greg said. 

Located on Jeffreys Lane in East Hampton, the roughly 4.4-acre property has about 260 feet of frontage on Hook Pond and overlooks the Maidstone Club. There are two houses: a six-bedroom residence on a 2.5-acre waterfront parcel and a two-bedroom guest cottage on a 1.9-acre lot behind it. 

His father paid $170,000 for the larger house in the 1970s, Greg said. “He always used to brag about it, because it’s the price we pay for a car now,” he said. 

In 2001, Robert paid $4.8 million for the neighboring property to create a family compound. The second parcel has a house from the 1800s that was relocated from the village of East Hampton in 1923, according to historical documents. 

Greg said his father renovated both houses over the years. “He was the king of maintenance,” he said. Robert restored the historic house—which the family predominantly used as a guesthouse—to its classic, saltbox shape, retaining rough-hewn ceiling beams and adding a basement, Greg said. 

“He wanted to bring it back,” Greg said. “He loved, loved, loved that property so much.”

Greg, 35, said the family spent summers in the Hamptons where his father, an avid golfer, joined the Maidstone Club and served on the greens committee. Greg went to camp at the club, too. As a kid, he would sometimes take a paddle boat onto Hook Pond and make his way to the golf course to collect errant balls.

The three brothers each got married at the property, said Greg, who wed interior designer Jeffrey Alan Marks there in 2018. Before the wedding, they remodeled the interiors of both homes, adding wallpaper, lighting and decor. The property is featured in Marks’s latest book, “This Is Home,” which came out in February. Greg said his father was around to see the book and proudly shared it with his nurses.

Greg and his brothers would like to sell both parcels to a single buyer, but they know someone is likely going to want to modify the homes to suit their needs, he said. 

The larger lot, with the main residence, can have up to 12,000 square feet of gross floor area above ground, and the parcel is large enough for a tennis court in addition to the pool. The smaller lot, with the historic house that was used as a guest cottage, can have up to 7,600 square feet above ground. Each parcel can also have an accessory dwelling unit.

The size, location and space to build on the property are key selling points, said listing agent Terry Cohen of Hedgerow Exclusive Properties, who is marketing the property with colleagues Gary Cooper and Preston Kaye. She said the market in the Hamptons has been strong, despite recent stock market volatility. 

“It’s all very buyer specific,” she said. There are some buyers who want to find something by the summer. Others are making value plays. Historically, Hamptons real estate has been a good investment, she said. “If the buyer finds it’s the right property and thinks it’s the right value, why not strike?”