Beachfront mansion fetches record-breaking $48.8 million in Naples' Port Royal area
Jennifer BeesonSouthwest Florida’s most expensive listing has sold – again – this time breaking the record as the priciest home sale in Collier County's history.
The beachfront mansion, with 9,394 square feet of space, in the Port Royal neighborhood of Naples, was sold June 20 for a record-breaking $48.8 million. The home, at 2500 Gordon Drive, was listed at $60.9 million.
A confidentiality agreement protects the identities of the seller and buyer, as well as details of the transaction, according Vicki Tracy, chief operating officer for Gulf Coast International Properties. The listing agent was Michael A McCumber, with Gulf Coast International Properties. Karen Van Arsdale, a Realtor with Premier Sotheby’s International, brought the buyer.
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“Honoring our client’s request for confidentiality, I’ll merely state that a sale of this magnitude is evidence of the desirability and strength of Naples’ ultra-luxury market,” said Elise Ramer, spokesperson for Premier Sotheby’s International.
In 2007, software mogul Art Allen purchased the six-bedroom, nine-bathroom home from Miles C. Collier, grandson of the county’s founder, for $40 million.
"Paradise Coast Wives," a reality show that goes behind-the-scenes of women who live in some of the most exclusive and wealthy neighborhoods, was once filmed in Naples.
Allen's wife, Carole, was on the show and in one episode entertained cast members by the pool, including Shemane Nugent, wife of singer Ted Nugent, and Leanne Thrasher Chang, a former Naples High School star athlete who became a top model.
In 2015, the home was sold for $45.6 million to a buyer listed as 2500 Gordon LLC. Mark Price, an attorney with Roetzel and Andress in Naples, represented the limited liability corporation.
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According to Collier County public records, the latest buyer is listed as Kevin G. Coleman, a trustee of the 2500 Gordon Land Trust. Coleman is a shareholder and founding member of Coleman Yovanovich Koester, a Florida-based law firm.
Coleman is not the actual buyer but is a trustee who set up the trust for the buyers, whose names have not been disclosed.
Just a half-mile north, a five-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion at 3100 Gordon Drive previously set the record for the most expensive sale in the region in 2012 when it was sold for $47.25 million to industrialist Randal Bellestri.
Two years later, Bellestri's estate went back on the market for a record-setting $68 million when he was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for tax evasion charges after failing to report millions in income derived from the sale of scrap metal.
Since 2014, the 3100 estate went off the market. It reappeared on the multiple listing service Wednesday at $49.5 million, with McCumber as the listing agent.
Presidents, grand events
The estate at 2500 Gordon Drive has not been just a quiet retreat for generations of family members. It also has welcomed presidents and dignitaries over the past 80 years, as well as grand charity events that have supported many area nonprofit organizations, according to a news release from Gulf Coast International Properties.
Some highlights from its 81-year history:
- 1937 – William B. Uihlein and his wife Melitta Uihlein purchased the property in 1937. Uihlein was chairman of the Schlitz Brewing Co. The original beachfront estate featured nine beds, 12 baths and a five-car garage. The property also included a guest house and servants’ quarters.
- 1965 – Southwest Florida developer and philanthropist Raymond L. Lutgert purchased the home. The Lutgert Cos. are well known in Collier County, with projects such as the Estuary at Grey Oaks, Mercato, the Promenade and the Northern Trust Building.
- 1981 – The Collier family acquired the beachfront estate. The original 1937 house was in bad shape and the family decided to start from scratch. They demolished the original home and built a new home that still stands today.
- 2007 – Arthur Allen, founder of ASG Technologies, purchased the home for $40 million. During his time living at the beachfront estate, reality TV show "Paradise Coast Wives" was filmed there on occasion, with Allen's wife being one of the stars.
- 2015 – The estate was acquired by 2500 Gordon LLC for $45.6 million. The identity of the owner has not been disclosed.
- 2018 – 2500 Gordon Land Trust purchased the home for $48.8 million. The identity of the owner has not been disclosed.
From the archives: Naples mansion fetches near-record $45.6M
