The tony Southampton estate at 623 Halsey Neck Lane, the cherished retreat of the late Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun and his wife, Mica, has slashed its asking price by nearly 35% — tumbling from $52 million to $34 million, The Post has learned.
The 11,000-square-foot Hamptons property, perched on 5.5 acres with 450 feet of Taylor Creek frontage, listed for that higher sum in March 2024 — its first availability since the Erteguns built it 35 years ago.
Ahmet, a music industry titan who propelled talents like Ray Charles and the Rolling Stones to stardom, died in 2006 at 83 after a backstage fall in Manhattan. Socialite and philanthropist Mica, who outlived him by almost 17 years, passed away at 97 in December 2023 at this East End property, one of four the couple owned around the world.
The residence features 10 bedrooms, 13.5 bathrooms, a staff wing and striking design elements like a towering pyramid-vaulted living room ceiling and a Palladian-inspired layout.
And now, a deep-pocketed house hunter can buy it for less.
“The price change really sort of came about as a result of having the house on the market for some period of time and realizing the buyer pool expectations given that the house, though is certainly in wonderful condition, is a house that was built 30 years ago,” Tim Davis of Corcoran, one of the brokers representing the listing, told The Post.
“People may want to make changes to it and make some improvements to it. And we’re seeing some very, very strong prices with houses that really don’t require any work at all,” Davis added. “And those that do require some work, we are seeing that we’re adjusting to the marketplace and getting a lot more action and offers.”
Davis said that since the price cut, the home has lured in several interested parties, including an individual who plans on bringing his architect to see what modern-day upgrades can be made.
“If somebody was to buy this and spend $4 to $5 million renovating, that’s going to take some time,” Davis added. “Somebody could probably still be in for July and August of this year, if they got into it right away, so that’s what we’re focusing on right now.”
Facing a conservation parcel once tied to the DuPont family — industrialists famed for their gunpowder fortune — the estate carries a whiff of Southampton’s storied past.
“These are sort of old-world, old-money names that were part of the history of Southampton in general. So to that, it has its own interest and the home itself is quite impressive,” Davis previously told The Post.
Beyond its grandeur, the couple’s worldly décor kept inside this residence, and all their others, was the focus of a buzzy Christie’s auction in late 2024. The sale comprised 636 lots from the Erteguns’ collection — artworks, antique furniture and china — with about 230 lots originating from this East End dwelling.
The auction, according to the Christie’s website, brought in a whopping $191.61 million in sales total across three November sales in New York and Paris. (It isn’t clear if that figure includes fees.)
Some of the prized pieces included the John Helion “Bande Verte” painting from 1936, which was auctioned off for over $1 million — $300,000 more than it was initially expected to go for.
A David Hockney painting from 1937, which portrayed three chairs with a section of a Picasso mural, went for $9.03 million — $3 million more than it was expected to fetch.
But the priciest in the auction, was a Rene Magritte painting from 1954, titled “L’empire des lumières,” which was auctioned off for a colossal $121.16 million — and set a new record as the most expensive surrealist artwork ever sold.
The mansion now sits vacant, its contents stripped away following the auction. Proceeds from the auction and the home sale are both slated to go to charity.
“They’ve been the only owners. I was sort of dreading this house being empty of furniture,” Davis previously said. “In a way now, one can view the space and be part of that space and imagine themselves being there in their own way — without feeling like they need to honor what was once there.”
The estate is co-listed with Harald Grant of Sotheby’s International Realty.
