The former estate of beauty mogul Estée Lauder earned landmark status in Palm Beach, ensuring that the town’s preservation program will oversee any future work at the property.
The Palm Beach Landmarks Preservation Commission on Wednesday voted unanimously to grant historic designation to the home at 144 Everglade Avenue, with the support of current owner Leslie B. Johnston.
The house, built in 1919 by an unknown architect, sits on half an acre and spans 4,800 square feet, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, according to records. The property’s second owner, Loring Q. White, hired early Palm Beach architects Marion Sims Wyeth and Howard Major to design additions and alterations to the house. Wyeth notably also designed the Mar-a-Lago Club and the Florida Governor’s Mansion.
White, a Mayflower descendent, was an early Palm Beach resident. He helped establish the Palm Beach Day School, the island community’s elite private school, according to the property’s landmark designation report.
Estée Lauder and her husband, Joseph, bought the house in 1957, according to the report. The sale is not reflected in records. Lauder owned the property until 1990, during which time her beauty company grew from a small business to a billion-dollar global empire.
Estée and Joseph Lauder lived in the house until about 1966, followed by their son Leonard and his wife Evelyn, who lived in the home until about 1989, the report states.
Estée Lauder sold the estate for $1 million in 1990. The current owner bought it with her late husband, Summerfield K. Johnston III, also known as Skeeter Johnston, for $4.8 million in 2003, records show.
Skeeter Johnston was the heir to a Coca-Cola bottling fortune. His great-grandfather, James F. Johnston, was the first Coca-Cola franchisee, according to the Chattanoogan. Skeeter Johnston held multiple executive roles in the family’s bottling business until his death in 2007. An accomplished polo player, he died in a horse-related accident while preparing for a match at the Palm Beach International Polo Club in 2007, according to multiple outlets.
In the future, any alterations to the home must be reviewed and approved by the Palm Beach Landmarks Preservation Commission, ensuring renovations maintain the home’s original design elements. A new quirk in Florida law, however, does not protect the structure from future demolition.
House Bill 423, passed in the Florida state legislature earlier this year, blew a hole in the town’s historic preservation program. Per the new law, any homes designated as historic after Jan. 1 of this year are only protected from demolition if that is also the wish of the homeowner.
If the home at 144 Everglade Avenue is ever sold to a less sentimental owner, the historic estate could be in jeopardy.