Hard Rock heavyweight James F. Allen and his wife, Shelly Allen, don’t want any neighbors.
The Allens scooped up a 38,000-square-foot waterfront property next door to their home in Fort Lauderdale for $35.8 million.
Allen, the chairman of Hard Rock International and Hard Rock Digital and the CEO of Seminole Gaming, and his wife bought the mansion at 1300 Brickell Drive in an off-market sale. The seller’s identity was obscured by a trust.
The property last traded for $7.3 million in 2021. An older home on the property was demolished a few years later. Fort Lauderdale-based Storelli Construction filed a notice last year that it was building a three-story, five-bedroom house on the lot with seven bathrooms, five half-bathrooms, a three-car garage, a pool and a dock, South Florida Business Journal reported.
The Allens’ residence is listed as the neighboring property, at 1310 Brickell Drive. That 10,300-square-foot waterfront home sits on a 40,200-square-foot lot and was built in 2004.
Their latest purchase reflects Fort Lauderdale’s rebounding luxury market, which has seen a slew of pricey deals this year.
WeatherTech founder David MacNeil sold two waterfront mansions, one for $34 million in April and another for $26 million in May. In March, Insurance Care Direct co-chairman Seth Cohen sold his 1.4-acre waterfront property for $42.7 million.
Allen has almost 50 years of experience in the hospitality and gaming industry. He previously served as the chairman of the board of directors of the American Gaming Association and has managed gaming, hospitality and entertainment operations for the Seminole Tribe of Florida since 2001, according to his LinkedIn.
He’s credited with making Seminole Gaming one of the most successful tribal enterprises in the world, helping it grow to include six casino locations throughout Florida. In 2017, he worked with Las Vegas-based Klai Juba Wald Architects on a $1.5 billion expansion of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, The Real Deal previously reported.
That expansion featured the world’s first guitar-shaped hotel, rising 450 feet tall with 638 guest rooms. The hotel opened in 2019.
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