Sale of Historic South Florida Home Breaks Record

This West Palm Beach stunner traded at nearly 40% over asking in a single business day, setting a local record.

Had you any doubts South Florida real estate was as white-hot as it gets, consider the recent sale of 221 Monroe Drive, which not only hit the market and found a buyer without the sun setting in between but did so at $750,000 over its $1,950,000 asking price.

For two Corcoran agents, it was quite literally all in a day’s work.

“Hitting nearly $1,200 per square foot is a new milestone for this part of town,” said Amy Triggs of Corcoran’s Palm Beach office, who shared the listing with Marla Fountain.

Nestled in the Southland Park section of West Palm Beach, the 1925 Mediterranean Revival lies just over a block from the Intracoastal Waterway and strolling distance to Antique Row, a magnet for the burgeoning local design community that recently brought the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse to the city. The 13,000-square-foot lot boasts a detached garage and guest house, as well as a pool.

“The property enjoys considerable privacy and amenities while also being in the center of town,” added Fountain. “And you can reach a substantial number of places from here without needing a car.”

221 Monroe was historically home to the politically-prominent Johnston family. Harry Johnston II, who grew up in the house, was a longtime member and president of the Florida Senate before representing his home district in the U.S. House of Representatives, serving four successive terms in congress—he was later appointed Special Envoy to Sudan by then-President Clinton. Harry Johnston Sr. was Palm Beach County Attorney for 35 years, and his wife, Frances, ran a knitting shop on Flagler Drive.

The swoon-worthy residence is archetypal Old Florida. In 1926, the house appeared in a Palm Beach Times special advertising insert titled “The Truth About South Florida,” where It was touted as “a most attractive home of Spanish architectural design amid tropical influence.” The section additionally promoted the then-recently developed Clematis Street commercial district and teased the imminent completion of the “new” Breakers Hotel, which would welcome its first guests later that year.

The buyers, relocating from the Northeast, plan to renovate and expand.

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