Ruschmeyer’s, a hotel resort and restaurant overlooking Montauk’s Fort Pond, hit the market this week for a whopping $35 million. The hotel and restaurant, located at 161 Second House Road, are also listed as separate properties for $23 and $12 million respectively.
A single-family house on a neighboring property, at 151 Second House Road, which has been used for staff quarters, was also listed on October 19 for an additional $2.5 million.
The Montauk landmark dates back to 1952, when it was originally a summer camp by the same name, and the 3.23-acre property was reimagined in 2011. It has since become a late-night summer hot-spot, a favorite with celebrities, like Naomi Watts, and New York City millennials looking for a respite from the city. The resort, less than a mile from Montauk Main Street, has been called “an adult summer camp” of sorts.
The resort certainly evokes memories of summer camp with wood paneled walls (some painted white) and minimalistic rooms, some have modern bunk beds. The main restaurant has wood beams, large lanterns hanging from the ceiling, bench seating and large windows to look out onto Fort Pond and the property.
Anthony C. Cerio of Brown Harris Stevens, who, with Mitchel Natter, has the listing, referred to it as restaurant row. “It’s a great location — in the middle of everything. You’ve got Sole down the block, Navy Beach around the corner and it’s across the water from Surf Lodge,” Cerio said.
The resort is turn-key, Cerio said. The main building holds the 162-seat restaurant, offering ample indoor and outdoor dining — even in the age of COVID. There are also multiple bar locations around the restaurant.
On the hotel side, 19 cabin-style rooms are located in a separate building, encircling the grassy area, where there is a teepee, lawn chairs and swings. According to Cerio, this one-of-a-kind has the potential for a time-share to bring in additional revenue.
SK Development partnered with hotel developers Ed Scheetz, the former Hard Rock investor, and Robbie McKinley, who also helped design the Surf Lodge, to purchase Ruschmeyer’s in April of 2011. It last changed hands in 2017, for an undisclosed price, after two years on the market.
The three-bedroom, two-story house neighboring the restaurant and hotel sits on one acre across from Fort Pond. Like the restaurant and hotel, it is minutes from Main Street and a short distance to the ocean beaches.
Recently renovated, the first floor offers a living room, eat-in kitchen, dining room, powder room and a laundry room. All three bedrooms and two full bathrooms are on the second floor. The master bedroom suite includes an office space and leads out onto a deck.
There is also plenty of space for entertaining both indoors and out. A deck wraps around three-quarters of the house. There is also a one-car garage and an outdoor shower.
The residential property is owned by Promover Capital LLC.
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