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Pines Modern is a brand-new, non-profit 501(c)(3) endeavor dedicated to the rediscovery of all that the Pines has created, particularly its mid-century architectural and cultural heritage. We ask for your support in the form of tax deductible contributions to help us to continue discovering, documenting, and sharing the best that Fire Island Pines has to offer. There is much more to document! Our significant expenses include professional photography, drum-scanning of vintage images, creation and maintenance of the web site, required non-profit insurance, preservation consultations with homeowners, and the staffing of Pines Modern functions. Our officers are not paid for their efforts.
Donors at the $50 annual level and above will receive priority notification for house tours and other Pines Modern events. Each donor who contributes $150 and above will receive a free ticket to the next Pines Modern house tour. Please contact us if you would like to place an advertisement on our site.
For support regarding donations, send your message here.
2019 Contributors
Adam Wade
Pines Modern is a brand-new, non-profit 501(c)(3) endeavor dedicated to the rediscovery of all that the Pines has created, particularly its mid-century architectural and cultural heritage. We ask for your support in the form of tax deductible contributions to help us to continue discovering, documenting, and sharing the best that Fire Island Pines has to offer. There is much more to document! Our significant expenses include professional photography, drum-scanning of vintage images, creation and maintenance of the web site, required non-profit insurance, preservation consultations with homeowners, and the staffing of Pines Modern functions. Our officers are not paid for their efforts.
Donors at the $50 annual level and above will receive priority notification for house tours and other Pines Modern events. Each donor who contributes $150 and above will receive a free ticket to the next Pines Modern house tour. Please contact us if you would like to place an advertisement on our site.
For support regarding donations, send your message here.
2019 Contributors
Adam Wade
557 OCEAN WALK
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Architect: ARTHUR ERICKSON, 1977. Interior design: FRANCISCO KRIPACZ.
Arthur Erickson, a famous Canadian architect, shared 557 Ocean Walk with his romantic and business partner, the interior designer Francisco Kripacz. Massive wooden piers, angled for shade and views across the dunes, structure the home into a nine-square grid. Fences were hinged to lower for completely unimpeded views of the ocean, and vice versa. Its monochromatic interior gave pride of place to works by Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly, and Frank Stella. This home was featured in Architectural Digest in 1979.
The high-living couple hosted the likes of Calvin Klein, the von Furstenburgs, and disco royalty. It hails from the late Seventies, a time when residents vied to outdo one another for the most decadent event of the season. Erickson and Kripacz certainly came close in a party at their new home, nicknamed both the “White House” and “Lincoln Centre.” As Roberta Flack sang for the assembled guests, the ceiling retracted and hundreds of silver balloons floated into a starlit sky. It was an era for spectacle. Together with its Horace Gifford-designed neighbor at 556 Ocean Walk, it represents the apogee of Fire Island Pines architecture and culture. Today, it is occupied by television celebrity Robin Byrd.
Photos: ESTO. Plan: Greatbuildings.com. Kripacz portrait: FIPHPS.org.
