Julia Koch, the second-richest woman in America, may not be on the social scene, but she is keeping busy.
We hear the famously private socialite has been creating a family compound in the Hamptons, complete with multimillion-dollar renovations. Koch, who is worth an estimated $81.2 billion, owns two homes on Meadow Lane in Southampton, also known as Billionaire Lane. She quietly scooped up another nearby plot for $33.5 million in the past year, we hear.
A source revealed she is creating a “family compound” for her three children with late husband David, who died in August 2019 at 79.
Julia Koch has amassed more real estate on Meadow Lane, we hear. WireImage
We hear Koch has been busy updating the homes to the tune of millions of dollars, especially one she purchased in 2022 for $75 million that needs a full renovation to “bring it up to date and make it more modern,” our source said.
When the property first came on the market, one report described it as a “22,000-square-foot Tudor-style fixer-upper.” Additionally, it has 500 feet of beach frontage and a total of 15 bedrooms.
Koch, who is the widow of Koch Industries’ David Koch, is the second-richest woman in America. FilmMagic
We hear Koch, seen here at the School Of American Ballet’s 2017 Winter Ball, is building a family compound for her children. FilmMagic
A neighbor told Page Six at the time that the home “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.”
She also owns an $18 million mansion on the street, which is known for having wealthy residents including Calvin Klein, Leon Black, Aby Rosen, Ian Schrager and Jay Sugarman.
We hear Koch, shown here at the Winter Ball in 2014, is busy working on renovations. WireImage
We hear the renovations will cost in the multimillions. She is seen here at the the Metropolitan Opera House in 2009. Getty Images
Koch has built a reputation for being the queen of stellar redos. She previously tapped A-list designer Peter Marino to work on her $40 million Upper East Side townhouse. She also received the Ballinger Award for restoration or rehabilitation of a landmarked estate or public space in 2008 for her work on a Palm Beach property.
The socialite is rarely seen. She was last spotted by Page Six in 2023 at Washington Post heiress Lally Weymouth’s Fourth of July bash. She was then spotted the night after at New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft’s holiday shindig. Prior to that, she had not been spotted on the scene since 2019, after her husband died.