Palm Beach design panel demands changes to proposed lakeside mansion

The design of a proposed lakefront mansion in Midtown Palm Beach has received a less-than-welcome reception from the town’s powerful Architectural Commission.

At its most recent meeting, the panel asked architect Randy Correll to rethink the mansion he had designed to replace an existing estate — once listed for sale at nearly $85 million — on about 1.7 acres at 203 S. Lake Trail. Correll is affiliated with Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York City.

Among the commissioners’ concerns were the scale of the proposed 16,578-square-foot mansion and the plan for a new service entry into the property from narrow — and often congested — Seabreeze Avenue. The main driveway into the property, meanwhile, would be from the cul-de-sac at the west end of Seaspray Avenue. The streets are among the oldest platted residential roads in town.

The board also was at odds with other elements of the plan, including a cupola-like observation tower on the roof.

The design of this mansion proposed for a lakefront lot at 203 S. Lake Trail in Midtown Palm Beach was met with skepticism by the Architectural Commission. Officials in particular were not happy with the rooftop observation tower, seen at the upper left of this rendering.

Commissioners also said they were worried about noise from a proposed street-side sports court planned for padel, a racket sport. And some board members expressed similar noise concerns about the property’s generator.

“I don’t think the placement of the padel court respects the neighborhood at all,” Commissioner K.T. Catlin said during the board’s Aug. 28 meeting.

A digital image taken from a video depicting the lakefront mansion designed for 203 S. Lake Trail shows a padel sports court, at the far right, on the southeast side of the property near the cul-de-sac that terminates Seaspray Avenue in Midtown Palm Beach.

After hearing repeated objections to the padel court, Correll told the commissioners: “We hear all of you. We’ll either move it or get rid of it in our next iteration.”

The commissioners’ main concerns about the house plans were echoed in letters of opposition to the project written by owners of eight homes in the historically sensitive neighborhood near the campus of the Society of the Four Arts.

The estate in question is owned by investments executive Gerald “Jerry” Jordan and his wife, Darlene, a former Massachusetts assistant attorney general. They submitted the application for the architectural board to review the project, but it’s unclear if the couple wants to build the house for themselves.

According to people familiar with the property, the mansion Correll designed may have been commissioned by an as-yet-unidentified buyer who wants a town-approved design in hand before closing any deal for the Jordans’ property. Alternatively, the Jordans might be seeking approval for the project so they could market their estate with house plans sanctioned by the commission — nearly always a major selling point, according to Palm Beach real estate observers.

The Jordans briefly listed their property for sale at $84.9 million in 2021.

The Jordans and broker Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate, who held the 2021 listing, coud not be reached for comment for this story.

The Jordans bought their estate and its 1930s-era house — designed and later renovated by the late society architect John L. Volk — in November 2000, records show.

Correll said the architecture of the original house and other Volk homes inspired the design of the proposed mansion, which would have a white stucco exterior, blue shutters, and lakefront loggias and balconies. The overall style nods at Bermudian-style buildings, with elements that include quoins at the corners and simple columns on the front porch.

Although Commissioner Claudia Visconti found much of the architecture “charming,” others on the dais said the details needed refining.

Correll also told the board that the house had 1,000 fewer interior square feet than the Jordans’ existing home. The mansion would be set back farther from the streets bordering the property, Correll added, allowing for more green space in the landscaping plan created by landscape architect Mario Nievera of Nievera Williams Design.

Even so, most of the commission members had problems with the size of the mansion, which would stretch across the property from north to south between Seabreeze and Seaspray avenues. The two streets, along with nearby Seaview Avenue, have long been dubbed by locals as the “Sea” streets.

Attached to the two-story main residence, a guest wing would lead to a one-story poolside cabana with more guest accommodations.

“The mass of the house is just significantly larger than it looks (on paper),” Commissioner Elizabeth Connaughton said. “I think it’s too tall and it’s too big.”

She later added: “I think it’s just very clear the footprint of this house is now out of place with the ‘Sea’ streets.”

Chairman Jeff Smith, however, disagreed, saying the new layout was “pretty similar” to the existing house. “I don’t have a problem with the size of the house,” Smith said.

And he described the larger setbacks as “a bonus,” a view shared by Alternate Commissioner David Phoenix.

But Phoenix said there was room for improvement and urged Correll to lower the height of the roof. “Giving it a haircut and retaining some of the charm of the neighborhood would be helpful,” he said.

Commissioner Kenn Karakul said the layout of the guest wing and the pool house was cumbersome and “seems like a run-on. I think there’s a more interesting way — you guys are very talented — to accomplish that.”

The proposed service entrance off Seabreeze Avenue would be the third driveway on the property and would need the Town Council’s approval of a “special exception” to zoning regulations. The additional curb cut’s location near an entrance point to the Lake Trail walking-and-biking path was mentioned by several of the neighbors in their letters of objection.

“We believe this addition would grossly exacerbate traffic issues on our street, increase disruptions, and, most importantly, pose a significant safety risk to those using the Lake Trail access,” wrote Frank Speno, who lives at 416 Seabreeze Ave.

The board unanimously voted to have Correll return to Town Hall in October with a revised design. Catlin, who made the motion to defer, had made her views about the project crystal clear when she spoke earlier in the meeting.

“I want to see something that’s more reflective of the area and looks like it’s been there forever,” she said.

Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Email [email protected], call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

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