The over $100 million sale of the La Follia mansion on Palm Beach set a record for the tony island town. Photo: Giles Bradford
In mansion-studded Palm Beach, eye-popping sale prices are the norm for lavish mansions, but the $105 million trade of La Follia beat all others. The price for the 4.72-acre property that belonged to the late Broadway producer Terry Allen Kramer apparently is even higher with multiple media outlets reporting it's closer to $110 million when commissions and fees are included. The sellers were two trusts tied to Kramer. The buyer remains a mystery. The principals behind Wemio LLC, a Delaware-registered limited liability company, are protected from disclosure by state law. Jessica Shapiro, a Gunster shareholder in West Palm Beach who represented the seller, said the buyer's identity has been well-protected. It wasn't even disclosed to her. "That is truly the $100 million question," Shapiro said. Maura Ziska of Kochman & Ziska in West Palm Beach represented the buyer but declined to disclose the identity. La Follia, which translates to madness or folly, was where Kramer hosted parties for family and friends over the years. The mansion at 1295 S. Ocean Blvd. is south of the Southern Boulevard causeway and a half mile from President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago. The estate with 210 feet of water frontage spans the width of the Palm Beach barrier island from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway. The 20,411-square-foot Italian Renaissance mansion has lavish details including extensive covered patios, a wrought-iron gate complete with elephant sculptures, tri-colored marble floors, 25-foot high ceilings, coffered paneled ceilings, and millwork with coquina and other materials used to anchor the structure, according to listing real estate group Douglas Elliman's website. It sits 24 feet above sea level. Inside, there are four suites in the main house, a six-bedroom and six-bathroom staff's quarters, gym, cinema and three wine cellars. Outside is a pool, cabana, boat dock and five-car garage. Architect Jeff Smith designed the H-shaped estate. Kramer, whose father founded New York's boutique investment bank Allen & Co. LLC, bought the property with her late husband, Irwin Kramer, for $4 million in 1993 and had the mansion completed two years later. Kramer, who won five Tony awards, was the producer for "Hello, Dolly," "The Humans" and "Kinky Boots." She died in May in New York at 85. The sale closed June 28. The price tag beats the previous record held by Trump's $95 million sale in 2008 of his Palm Beach estate to Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian billionaire who split the property in three and sold it in pieces. La Follia initially was listed for $135 million. Shapiro, who represented the two Kramer-tied trusts selling the property, stayed tight-lipped about the negotiations. This was a high-profile transaction, putting even more pressure than usual on Shapiro and others who worked on the deal. "Everyone made sure our T's were crossed, our I's were dotted," Shapiro said. "We went above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly. And it did." Douglas Elliman agents Gary Pohrer, Ashley McIntosh, Cara McClure, Lisa Wilkinson and Adam McPherson listed the estate.