Motorola heirs list Bristol condo in West Palm Beach for $29M

Motorola heir Christopher Galvin and his wife, Cindy Bardes Galvin, have chosen island life.

One year after an entity linked to them bought a waterfront Palm Beach estate for $46 million, the couple is listing their Bristol condo in West Palm Beach for $29 million, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Brown Harris Stevens agents Pat McInerney and Sylvia James have the listing for their unit, 2203 at 1100 South Flagler Drive. 

Bardes Galvin told the outlet they bought the unit pre-construction in 2018 when the couple moved to South Florida. Records show Grandin LLC, the couple’s Delaware entity, closed on the condo for $12.2 million in 2020. The couple spent about $10 million on renovations and furnishings, Bardes Galvin told the publication.

The listing for the nearly 5,000-square-foot unit includes furniture for the five bedrooms, five bathrooms and one half-bathroom, it shows. The 69-unit, 25-story Bristol was completed in 2019, and its amenities include a dog park, salon, gym, pool, lounge and two spas.

Last month, top attorney Alfred Engelberg and his wife, Gail Engelberg, bought a unit in the tower for $19.8 million. 

It’s been a longtime since Motorola flip phones were the height of technological excellence, but that’s of no mind to the Galvins. Christopher Galvin, who is the grandson of Motorola founder Paul Galvin, led the company until he was ousted by the board in 2003. Shortly after he stepped down from leadership, the entire Galvin family sold off their shares worth approximately $720 million, according to Chicago Magazine. Not long after, the company was hobbled by the introduction of smart phones. 

Galvin, his brother, Michael, and father, Bob, went on to establish their own firm, Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, in 2005. 

Bardes Galvin heads the interior design firm Bardes Interiors, based in Palm Beach. 

The couple is linked to two Palm Beach properties. A Delaware LLC linked to the Galvins bought a waterfront estate on Everglades Island at 662 Island Drive from financier Jeffrey Walker for $46 million last June. The 9,600-square-foot mansion spans 150 feet of waterfront, and faces the historic Tarpon Island mansion currently listed for $218 million. 

The same LLC also bought a non-waterfront home at 101 Gulfstream Road for $23.9 million in May last year. Galvin-linked entities have dropped at least $82.1 million on Palm Beach County real estate since 2020.

–– Kate Hinsche