Palm Beach home with historic entry sells for $6.1M

A five-bedroom Palm Beach house with a Moorish-style entry arch designated as a town landmark sold for $6.1 million.

A half-acre lot at 365 North County Road is the site of the two-story house, built in 1968 with 7,027 square feet of living space indoors and outdoors.

The entry arch is protected from demolition because the Town of Palm Beach has designated it as a landmark. But the house could be demolished.

The arch is a remnant of El Mirasol, a 37-room mansion that acclaimed architect Addison Mizner designed in 1919. The designer of the arched entry, however, appears to be the firm of Maurice Fatio, who was a rival of Mizner.

The late Valerie Ellis Fleming, who died in February, had resided in the house for more than 40 years.A revocable trust in her name sold the house to Frank Strausser, a novelist, producer and playright.

A deed recorded last week shows that Strausser and his wife Dorrie Emrick Strausser reside in a rental home at 274 Monterey Road in Palm Beach.

Brown Harris Stevens agents Lisa Wilkinson and Cara Coniglio McClure represented Strausser and another Brown Harris Stevens agent, Ashley Copeland, represented Fleming’s estate in the off-market transaction. [Palm Beach Daily News] — Mike Seemuth