Koch is her own neighbor

JULIA Koch has snapped up a historic Hamptons property that’s next door to her current Southampton estate, Page Six has exclusively learned. East End sources told us that Koch — who is New York’s richest woman — bought the home for slightly below the asking price of $75 million.

The 8-acre estate has 500 feet of beach frontage and a total of 15 bedrooms. It was built in the 1920s and was previously owned by the lawyer Julia Vance Carter. But when the property went on the market last year, one report described it as a “22,000-square-foot Tudor-style fixer-upper.”

An insider told Page Six that Koch plans to restore the historic property, but that any ideas about renovations are in the early stages and may have to go through time-consuming red tape.

“It is a very unique, historic home,” said a source with knowledge of the property. “It was her neighbor’s home for decades and had fallen into a bit of a state of disrepair. They’re in the very early stages of exploring different options [for restoration] — and that might be years away.”

Another source told us that the property could actually be a place for Koch’s three grown children and their families to stay. “They really can’t use the house right away,” said a source.

A listing says the house in its current configuration also includes a staff wing, a separate cottage for guests, a gym, tennis courts, game rooms and a 48-foot pool with a spa. Koch already has an $18 million mansion along what’s known as Billionaire Lane in Southampton, where residents have also included Calvin Klein, Leon Black, Aby Rosen, Ian Schrager and Jay Sugarman. Reps did not comment.

Koch and her late husband, David Koch, previously restored a unique home that neighbored their Palm Beach, Fla., estate, and wound up winning an architectural award in 2008 for the project.