LOOKING TO BUY A '50'S BEACH COTTAGE? LOOK AT THIS ONE!

Smaller beach cottage colony on Hillsboro Mile.  Charming 50's cottage is 80' to the sand and ocean, FABULOUS LOCATION protected from the wind, has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 1530 living sq ft.  Set in the middle of the community, there is an ocean view "peak" from the living room and patio, nice yard.  

Kitchen is 15'x13' and open to 15'x13' living room. Sliders provide exit to patio and landscaped open view in this one-story "Nantucket-like" stand-alone condo cottage.  CHARMING UNIT.  Easy to maintain. See wood plank and beam ceiling below.

Amenities include clubhouse with great room, billiards, party kitchen and exercise room.  Pool, units across the street on the ICW and the path to the ICW.  Parking outside gated community - entry phone. Up to 2 pets, under 30 lbs each.  No lease first year.   

Marilyn will be happy to show you this charming beachcomber lifestyle...  list price: $995,000... call 561-302-3388.  See BEACH CONDO.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT RIVERFRONT KANKAKEE (IL) HOME BEING CONSIDERED FOR PURCHASE BY HISTORIC ACTIVISTS

Stating that this home pioneered the architect’s Prairie Style, and it is up for sale right now, the non-profit Wright in Kankakee group are facing a June deadline for a $170,000 down payment and have raised $70,000 so far.  They are looking for an angel to donate another $100,000.

Located in a historic district along the Kankakee River, about 60 miles south of Chicago, Bradley House has a ground-hugging exterior, dazzling interior spaces and more than 100 of Wright’s iconic art glass windows.  The Boca Museum of Art displayed a collection of Wright’s windows several years ago.

Former owners painstakingly restored areas of the house which is now priced at $1.9MM, making it one of the city’s most costly properties.  The house was built by the grandson of a Chicago farm-implement manufacturer in 1900, and the town renamed itself Bradley in the manufacturer’s honor.  Other owners include a president of the National Audubon Society who converted the stable into a bird-house factory and two US military cooks who transformed the house into the successful Yesteryear restaurant in the 1950’s.  It fell on hard times in 1986 and was purchased by the heir to a news media fortune who wanted to retire and run a bed and breakfast at the house, but he came to a bad end at the hands of kidnappers in 1987.

Next it was owned by a group of attorneys who converted it into law offices and in 2005, Gaines and Sharon Hall purchased the property and began restorations at the cost of over $1mm.  Among their restorations were the stable, the breezeway that joins it to the house, the living room and arched corridor above that leads to a riverfront sitting room.  In 2009 the house was put on the National Register of Historic Places, which is credited to the Halls work.

Barbara Streisand bought the house’s Wright-designed desk in the 1980’s and at a recent Christies sale the above sideboard windows were purchased for $15,000.

The activists want to make the house into a museum.  Other Wright homes in the area that draw tourists include Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park and his Robie House in Chicago’s Hyde Park area and there is concern that, as a museum, the house will not draw enough visitors to cover maintenance costs.  Guestimate is that, as a house museum and arts education center, $600-700,000 could be generated annually.  Some say portions of the house could be rented out for offices for another income stream. 

Perhaps this historic home will find it’s rightful place in history in the very near future.

FOR SALE: ALL UPGRADED HOME IN LAKE WORTH HISTORIC DISTRICT

Stroll two blocks to intracoastal waterway, nearby beach, golf course or trendy downtown Lake Worth's shoppes, restaurants, art galleries and antique shoppes.  Built in 1948, this home has 1531 living sq ft, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. 

Living Room is 18'x15', kitchen is 10'x10'.  Full size stackable washer and dryer.  Tankless gas water heater.  

Sun Room and Dining Room.

French doors, hardwood floors, cedar double closets, new Spanish tile roof.  Stucco exterior.  Large backyard with white PVC fencing.  Over $100,000 in upgrades!  Pets OK.  922 Palmway.  Listed for $285,000.  Originally on market 6/5/09 at $324,999.  If you would like to see this home and consider purchasing it, call Marilyn Farber Jacobs at 561-302-3388.  Marilyn is a Realtor and Mortgage Broker and may quickly get you pre-approved for a mortgage.

$5.6MM FOR MIAMI BEACH GLASS HOUSE

Built in 1957, this 7351 sq ft home at 544 Lakeview Drive was just purchased for $762 per sq ft.  The architectural style is called “MiMo.”  This property is an innovative work of art completed in 2009.  It is an authentic, modern one-of-a-kind house and includes Italian interior sliding glass doors, a Bofi kitchen and Bofi bathrooms.  The breathtaking master comprises a white marble bath and Japanese soaking tub.

The finishes are unlike any other home in Miami. Beautifully updated, the house is nicknamed “The Glass House,” it has 6 bedrooms, 6 ½ bathrooms, hurricane impact doors and windows, a bar and Japanese soaking tub.  There is a theatre and gym in the guest house, which has 1 bedroom, 2 baths.

The expansive glass extends the living area to the outdoors.  There is an infinity pool with wading area and lap pool, hot tub adjacent.  There are 200 ft of waterfront on Surprise Lake and there is a dock.  The outside covered patio area is enormous, and there is a full summer kitchen.  The lot is just short of an acre, on a tranquil cul-de-sac.  It closed after 351 days on the market.

IS THE “GREENER OPTION” OF REPAIRING HISTORIC WOOD WINDOWS BETTER THAN REPLACING THEM?

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a new Tip Sheet entitled “Historic Wood Windows.”  Preservationists point out the replacements erode the character of a building, waste a historic resource and there is a potential net energy conservation loss.  Vinyl, aluminum or a composite of wood will not last as long as the original window.

The Tip Sheet explains why retaining wood windows is more cost and energy efficient than modern replacements.  Modern replacements often have a 20-year life whereas wood windows can be repaired to function indefinitely.  Energy savings will not recoup the expense of new windows within the 20 year life. Included is information on maintenance, lead paint concerns and resources for more information. 

TOUR SOME OF THE OLDEST FLORIDA HOMES IN EVERGLADES CITY, SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

In southwest Florida, many families can trace their ancestors back to settlements in the 1800’s.  There are more than 50 historic buildings in the area.

Founded in 2004, the Everglades Society for Historic Preservation’s mission is to preserve historic sites, structures, documents, artifacts and memories within the Everglades area in Collier County, Florida.  Historical researchers can use their items but can’t remove them.  You can download a catalog of books from their site.  Their Vallez Collection includes original paintings by Naples artist Jerry Vellez including historic buildings in the area.

The Society is presenting the Everglades Homes Tour on Saturday, March 13^th from 1-5 pm in Everglades City.  Registration is at the Rod and Gun Club Lodge where attendees get a booklet and map.  They can wander among the houses, which have been opened to the public for the day by their owners, and see old-growth trees and landscaped gardens.  The Lodges offers a scenic porch overlooking river views, and in the lobby local artists and authors will exhibit and sign their works.  For more information call 239-695-4642.  Tickets are $20 each.

Everglades city is east of Marco Island and south of Naples. 

RUSH LIMBAUGH SELLING MANHATTAN PENTHOUSE

This beautiful luxury condo atop 1049 5^th Avenue, 10 rooms on the 20^th floor, is for sale for $13.95MM.   He purchased the apartment in 1994, reported for about $5MM. While the apartment does not necessary fit as “historic,” it is well worth seeing.

The unit includes hand painted wall and ceiling murals (by renowned artist Richard Smith), Baroque décor, crystal chandeliers, and gold leaf moldings.  There is a hand-cut patterned marble entrance hall floor, herringbone mahogany floors in the public rooms and wall-to-wall carpeting in the bedrooms.  Some walls are upholstered in Fortuna fabric. Draperies are swagged and edged with dangling pompoms.  Monthly maintenance is $13,360.

There is a double wide living room with a fireplace and both the living rooms and dining room have windows on three sides affording beautiful Central Park views, and direct elevator entry.  There is storage room in the basement and a separate staff room on the 3^rd floor of the building.

This is a pre-war building, built in 1928 as the Adam Hotel and in the 1990’s was converted to condos with full time white glove doorman and concierge services.  Windows are massive.  The building faces 86^th Street.

Living sq ft is 4661, on a full floor.  Apartment includes 4 en-suite bedrooms, a wood paneled library/den, media room, eat-in-kitchen, his and her dressing rooms, 4 terraces – 2 with direct Central Park views – and 5.5 bathrooms.  

FORMER MANALAPAN POPE MANSION SELLS FOR $12MM

The 3-acre, 32,000 sq ft mansion at 1370 South Ocean in Manalapan was formerly owned by Lois and the late Generoso Pope, founder of The National Enquirer, and has changed ownership several times in the past decade.  The property was first owned by Leroy Clay Paslay and his wife Aileen.  He served as vice mayor and commissioner of Manalapan.  The Popes bought the estate in 1970.

The property, one of Manalapan’s most prestigious mansions, has 300’ of oceanfront and 72 rooms.  There are 8 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, a 12-car garage, two elevators, tennis court with pavilion, guesthouse and a 2,000-bottle wine cellar.  There is an oceanfront grand salon, oceanfront gourmet kitchen with separate catering kitchen, movie theater, fitness center, games room, opulent office, marble basement, tropical pool with grotto waterfalls and swim-up bar, formidable seawall with retractable stairs to the beach, fully accessorized dock to accommodate motor yachts up to 200’.

Developer Frank McKinney marketed the property for $30MM, as the worlds most expensive spec home.  He had purchased it from Lois Pope for $15MM in 1999, spent $6MM remodeling, and sold it for $27.5MM.  In July 2004, McKinney’s company took back the property’s title for $19MM and sold it 2 months later to Peter and Tamara Lowe for $22.4MM.  The Lowes are motivational speakers who head Success Events International.

It was then sold by Peter S. and Tamara A. Lowe for an amount nearly equal to existing Bank of America liens on the property to Germantown-Seneca Joint Venture, about $22.5MM.  The joint venture company has now sold it for $12MM.