FDR’s “Winter White House” property sells at a loss: $10M

UPDATED Oct. 14, 2 p.m. A Golden Beach property once belonging to former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt has sold for $10 million, a $2 million loss from its previous sale in 2014.

Alex Goldstein

The “Winter White House,” FDR’s former residence at 219 Ocean Boulevard, was torn down in 1994 to make room for a new house designed by architect Carlos Zapata. And now, that home has been mostly demolished, which is why it sold at a loss, Alexander Goldstein, broker and head of Miles Real Estate, told The Real Deal.

The 29,600-square-foot beachfront plot, with 100 feet of ocean frontage, sold for $338 per square foot, said Goldstein, who brokered the deal with Robert Morales, of Roberto Morales Real Estate. (They were also involved in the sale of Sammy Sosa’s Golden Beach home earlier this year for $9.15 million.)

Before it was knocked down, the Zapata-designed ultra-modern mansion was 8,000 square feet with five bedrooms, a gym, infinity edge pool and two-story guest house. JC Condo Dreams I LLC, a Delaware company, paid $12 million for it in 2014. Alejandro Arrieta and Juan Gonzalez appear on county records tied to the Golden Beach address.

Records show the seller obtained a notice of commencement for interior cosmetic demolition and renovation work in January 2015, about a month after the company bought it. In March, the county placed a lien on the property for unpaid work totaling about $158,000 out of 258,000 to the contractor, TrandWorld. JC Condo Dreams I LLC paid it off in June.

Goldstein declined to name the buyer. The deal has yet to clear county records.

The buyer was represented by Sue Honowitz, an agent with Rusty Stein & Company.

Here’s a photo of the half-torn down property:

219 Ocean Boulevard