Waterfront home on Shelter Island listed for $4.75M

This Shelter Island traditional home, listed for $4.75 million, is built on property that once belonged to the “Borax King,” says the home’s listing agent.

Frank Smith, a miner in the 1800s, made his fortune in Death Valley, California, mining Borax, which is now used primarily as a cleaning agent. Smith purchased a large plot of land on Shelter Island in the late 1800s and built a house, which has since been knocked down, says Penelope Moore of Saunders & Associates.

On part of Smith’s former estate, not far from where his house was situated, is this five-bedroom, four-bathroom home, which was constructed in 2010. One original aspect that still remains, Moore says, is a stone-and-concrete Japanese bridge built by Smith that connects the home’s dock to a sandy area on the opposite side of the inlet.

The 6,228-sqaure-foot house, with four full bathrooms and two half-baths, features double height ceilings and walls of windows that offer water views.

“It’s a Hamptons-style house, which is unusual to see in Shelter Island,” says Moore, who adds that the house is two properties from a home Billy Joel once owned.

Beyond the foyer is a living room with a fireplace and doors that lead out to a waterfront deck. An archway opens into a granite kitchen, which includes a breakfast area and center island with a breakfast bar, and dining room, which boasts a butler’s serving pantry. The main level includes two guest suites, one of which is en suite.

The master suite, with a balcony overlooking the water and a fireplace, encompasses the entire second level. The master bathroom includes a walk-in shower with body sprays, a soaking tub, a double sink and a laundry center. The suite also features a bar area and two walk-in closets.

The lower level of the home, which is above grade, offers two bedrooms with water views, two bathrooms, a media room and a wine cellar.

Also on the 1.14-acre lot is a gunite pool, a built-in outdoor kitchen and a 1-1/2 story garage. The property, which looks out at Mashomack Preserve, includes 265 feet of waterfront, a dock and a lavender-lined walkway to the beach.

“It was built with an eye toward having views of the water,” Moore says. “With the preserve, those views will never change.”