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"JJML House Tour"
by Kathryn G. Menu
The Sag Harbor Express,
July 10, 2008
Welcome Home
Susan Weitz has a fond place in
her heart for the John Jermain
Memorial Library. As a young
mother of two sons, Weitz and
her husband John summered in Sag
Harbor, enjoying a seaside life
on their boat with their
children. The library's reading
hour became a sanctuary for the
artistically inclined family -
one of her sons, now grown,
recently brought his own
daughter to the library to see
if a copy of one of his favorite
childhood books is still in the
collection.
Weitz's residence, located in
Sag Harbor's historic district,
once housed captains who thrived
during the village's maritime
heyday and is one five houses on
the annual Friends of the John
Jermain Memorial Library House
Tour - a tour that has been held
for three decades.
The House Tour will run
tomorrow, Friday, July 11 from
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. showcasing
houses in and around Sag Harbor
that paint not only a historical
portrait of the area, but
feature different architectural
and design styles, and of
course, a lot of stories.
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The dining room in
Susan Weitz's Sag
Harbor home. |
This
year's tour features five
houses, as well as the Christ
Episcopal Church of Sag Harbor.
Weitz's house is billed as
offering the Hollywood
memorabilia of a former movie
actress, which is true, but the
home also showcases a
partnership between Weitz and
builder
Robert Tortora.
Tortora gutted, restored
and renovated the historic home
from the 1830s specifically for
Weitz, who had an integral role
in the home's architecture and
interior design. The home aims
to combine the look and feel of
a historic home, while
incorporating modern amenities.
In addition to having the final
word on the layout of the home,
Weitz handpicked the design and
color of each room - colors she
joked made
Tortora shudder on first
mention, but that create
vibrancy to each living space
enhancing the decor rather than
detracting from it.
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