We’d noticed security with batons shooing people into a house on Old Montauk Highway in Montauk a couple weekends in a row, though we’d somehow missed that Tinder was holding events for its super secret, invitation only group of super hot young singles in Montauk. The Select House was only open to members of Select. (If you have to ask, you’re too old, ugly, or poor. Sorry!) We’re sure that in between discussing Kierkegaard and modern poetry, the young and frisky hooked up. Of course, we weren’t invited–sorry, we can’t type through our tears…
Anyway, the property, located at 234 and 230 Old Montauk Highway, has quite the interesting history. It was designed by architect James Biber for midcentury modern enthusiasts Kenneth and Jeanne Levy Church. The couple loved the 5,000-square-foot masterpiece, which is complemented by a separate 2,400-square-foot guest house. There’s a pool, four acres of land and 300 feet of ocean front. Unfortunately the Churches were victims of their Old Montauk Highway neighbor Bernie Madoff. They listed the property in 2007 for $35 million. Years went by and the asking price steadily dropped. Finally, in 2013, telecom zillionaire Michael “Big Hirt” Hirtenstein purchased the property for $13 million.
Hirtenstein has been renting the place ever since; he leased to a Tinder executive for July this year for a cool $150K. (Ed Bruehl and Chris Coleman of Saunders are the listing brokers.) And thus the Select House was born. Sorry, hoi polloi!
