Dortoni Bakery co-owner lists renovated Oyster Bay Cove mansion for $4M
This Oyster Bay Cove estate is listed for nearly $4 million and was renovated twice by Dortoni Bakery president Daniele Messina, pictured in March. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty; John Paraskevas
Daniele Messina, co-owner of the beloved Dortoni Bakery (with five locations on Long Island), said choosing his home in Oyster Bay Cove was nothing like choosing a wedding cake.
"When my customers order wedding cakes, they spend two hours talking about the filling," he said. "When I bought this house, I had no idea. I just saw it, thought it was gorgeous, and for some reason two days later, I bought it."
Two renovations later, the house is on the market for nearly $4 million. The annual property taxes total $32,173.
Built in 1905, the historic home once belonged to lawyer Arthur Delano Weeks. He was a descendent of Francis Weeks, an early settler of Oyster Bay. The Weeks family owned most of the houses on both sides of Cove Road, according to Oyster Bay town historian John Hammond.
"The family remained in Oyster Bay for centuries," said Fran Covello, of Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty. She is co-listing the property with Donna Scala, of Laffey Real Estate.
The second renovation of the home was what Messina called a "resto-mod," involving restoration and modification. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty
The house features six bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms. It sits on a 2.53-acre lot, and includes a barn on site. Its large size and location on Cove Road are prominent in the community, Messina said.
So, with approvals from the planning board and building department, the property faced two overhauls, Messina said. The first, which took place shortly after he bought the house in 2021, excluded some major projects, like the windows and the flooring.
Messina realized that in order to ultimately sell the house, these updates would be necessary.
"We basically did a massive 'resto-mod' to the home," he said, "which is a restoration and modification. I say 'resto-mod' because we put modern technology and modern comforts into it, and retained all of its character."
It was like the first renovation never happened. "He decided to dig in and erase everything that he did originally, and create a fabulous home," said Covello.
Messina cleaned and reinforced the natural spring-fed pond around back, using wood from the barn. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
The kitchen has been completely redone, with white lacquer cabinets, quartz countertops and upgraded appliances. Original, wood-burning fireplaces have been converted to electric. A bluestone patio has replaced brick, and Messina cleaned and reinforced the natural spring-fed pond around back, using wood from the barn.
New bathrooms, new driveway, the works. But despite the modernity of the property, some features — including the original banister, roofline, cedar shake siding and some moldings — have remained.
"The vibe of the home, you cannot replace," Messina said.
"It's a legacy for me. One day I'm not going to be here, and my kids or whoever will drive by and say, 'This guy renovated that home,' and I'm very glad."
— Daniele Messina
Credit: John Paraskevas
Looking at it now, Messina is content with how his passion project turned out.
"It's a legacy for me," he said. "One day I'm not going to be here, and my kids or whoever will drive by and say, 'This guy renovated that home,' and I'm very glad. That's how I look at it."
The property is in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District.
See more of the nearly $4 million Oyster Bay Cove estate
The Cove Road property spans 2.53 acres. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
One of the home's six bedrooms. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
The kitchen sports white lacquer cabinets and quartz countertops. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
The home has four full and two half-bathrooms. Credit: Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty
Rachel Weiss joined Newsday in 2016. As a real estate/living multimedia reporter, Rachel writes feature stories and contributes to and appears in on-camera video packages. She was the lead reporter on Newsday’s LI Acts of Kindness series.
