The notorious dome-shaped house in Montauk is going up for sale for nearly $3 million. Montauk has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, and like the rest of the Hamptons, it has become costly over the last few years, including the one-of-a-kind dome house built by a handyman in 1976.
The dome home personifies the DIY construction frenzy that swept the country in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Visionary and creative man Eugene Tallarico constructed it, and it is a tribute to his skill and originality.
Kevin Iglesias and Sarah Fox from Signature Premier Properties, the property listing agents, describe Tallarico as a man ahead of his time. “He wasn’t a builder, but he had a vision,” says Iglesias. He always liked the dome shape and wanted to do something architectural.”
Tallarico’s design combines artistic expression with practicality, drawing inspiration from Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome shape, which gained popularity thanks to Steve Baer’s “Dome Cookbook.” Tallarico’s inventiveness is evident in the dome home’s shingled sides, rich wood details, and distinctive features like an integrated vacuum system.
54 East Lake Drive is a notable address due to its superb craftsmanship and attention to detail, even if it is one of the few domes in the East End. With its handcrafted wood and stone floors, cathedral ceilings, and large triangular windows that let in abundant natural light, the house is rare in the Montauk real estate market.
Situated on a peaceful, dead-end street only a short distance from the village, the dome home offers the ideal combination of privacy and convenience, with panoramic views of the sound and Connecticut from its dome.
Given how the Montauk real estate market is changing, the future of this architectural treasure is in jeopardy. Some see it as a treasure that should be preserved, while others argue that the market for dome living is small and calls into doubt its attraction.
“It would be a shame to tear it down,” says Iglesias. “It’s a unicorn in Montauk. You can’t find another house like it.”
The dome house represents Montauk’s rich architectural legacy and history, not merely a piece of natural land. Its continued existence in the face of development pressures raises questions about the fine line this coastal town must draw between growth and preservation.
Eugene Thomas Tallarico, the late owner’s son, hopes to find a buyer who will cherish his father’s legacy and carry on his vision for the dome home while they weigh their options.
The dome house at 54 East Lake Drive is a reminder of a time when the DIY mentality and architectural experimentation formed the landscape of Montauk, a town where the old meets the new. Its reputation as a genuine architectural jewel will live on in the hearts and imaginations of those who call Montauk home, regardless of whether a buyer who shares Tallarico’s enthusiasm for invention purchases it or gives in to the demands of modernization.
