Three houses have changed hands within four months on Parc Monceau, a lake to-sea cul-de-sac of just seven homes on the South End.
The latest property to sell is No. 124, which faces the lake and, like its neighbors, was developed a half-century ago by the late builder Clarence Mack.
Two limited liability companies were involved in the transactions — recorded Jan. 31 at $4.975 million — of the six-bedroom house built in 1962. The first company was Greenway Financial Group LLC, an entity controlled by sellers Scott and Jayne Wilson Schroeder of Ridgeway, N.J. That company had paid a recorded $4.5 million for the quarter-acre property in 2008.
On the buyer’s side was a Florida LLC named after the property’s address and managed by attorney and businessman Charles D. Barnett of Palm Beach Gardens, whose name is attached to dozens of business entities in state records.
Broker Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates handled both sides of the sale. He declined to comment.
Built in same Palm Beach Regency style as the other homes on the street, the renovated house has a little more than 7,000 square feet of living space, inside and out.
The company that bought the house, 124 Parc Monceau LLC, was registered with the state in August. Moens’ listing in the local multiple listing service shows that the house went under contract in October and had been leased prior to its sale.
Other recent sales in the neighborhood: In September, 1720 S. Ocean Blvd. — an oceanfront house at the opposite end of Parc Monceau — sold privately for a recorded $5.35 million in a deal that saw broker Brandon Rinker of Rinker Realty acting for both sides. He represented his grandmother, longtime Palm Beacher Ruby S. Rinker, who used a revocable trust to buy the 1959 house from Jerome and Barbara Glazer.
A month later, a trust affiliated with interior decorator Luis Lapitz sold No. 115 for $4.35 million to a Florida corporation, 145 Anchor Properties of Vero Beach Inc., which has an address in England. Brandon Rinker brought the buyer for the renovated 1960 house, and Moens had the listing.
None of the three properties that sold is adjacent.
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That was quick — A week after they closed on their new Palm Beach house, retired banker A. Edward Allinson and his interior-decorator wife, Margarita, had a contract pending for the home he has owned in his name since 2001 at 310 Polmer Park.
Their real estate agent, Cris Condon of Sotheby’s International Realty, reported a “pending” sale of the North End property on Jan. 22 in the local multiple listing service. It’s been listed since Dec. 3 for $5.95 million.
Ed Allinson had paid $3.65 million for the property, property records show. Built in 1962, the Palm Beach Regency-style house has four bedrooms and about 5,800 total square feet. Two lots west of North Lake Way, the house also enjoys one of the highest elevations on the island.
Last month, Condon represented Allinson when he bought a Mediterranean-style house at 236 Via Las Brisas for a recorded $6.55 million from a trust linked to Norma and William R. Tiefel, whose primary residence is on Via del Lago. Broker Christian J. Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate acted on behalf of the Tiefels in that deal.
Condon isn’t commenting, so there’s no word on when the Polmer Park sale is expected to close, the buyer or the amount that will change hands.
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Decorative speech — Author and interior decorator Nicky Haslam showcased his dry English wit as much as his considerable design skills during a talk Saturday at the American Friends of British Art’s annual lecture and luncheon at The Colony.
“I’ve written three books and they’re all about myself — a bit of vanity publishing,” cracked Haslam, the bon vivant proprietor of NH Design of London and Toronto.
His latest book was the focus of his illustrated presentation — Folly de Grandeur: Romance and Revival in an English Country House. The book spotlights the restoration and expansion project he carried out at his Hampshire home, a 400-year-old hunting lodge he has owned for 40 years.
The small-scale house was once home to the late John Fowler of the famous Colefax Fowler decorating firm. Haslam noted that he tried to honor Fowler’s legacy in the decor, happily pointing out that the draperies and pelmet in the foyer are the decorator’s originals.
“I do find myself doing things like John did,” he said, referring to the interior’s classic English Country style — comfortable sofas, vividly patterned wall coverings, colorful fabrics and rooms filled to the brim with furniture. There are also plenty of family heirlooms, including a cushion given to his aristocratic mother, the late Diana Posonby, by her godmother, Queen Victoria.
The facade, with its whimsically arched roofline, is featured on the cover of the British edition. “But you in America got cushions,” Haslam said, referring to the U.S. version’s book jacket, which has a photo of one of the home’s sitting rooms.
The exterior, he noted, is deceptive: “It’s like a stage set. When you’re in the garden looking at it, you can’t believe there’s anything beyond it. And there isn’t much – six rooms about the size of this podium.”
He later showed a photo of a narrow staircase, which he described deadpan: “They’re about 3-inches wide, those stairs.”
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Darrell Hofheinz writes about real estate and edits Home Loggia. He welcomes news items about Palm Beach real estate for this column. Email dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com or call 820-3831.