Biggest Sale of Them All: Palm Beach Mansion Trades for Record $105 Million
The 4-acre estate stretching from the ocean to the Intracoastal Waterway belonged to the late Broadway producer Terry Allen Kramer.
July 16, 2019 at 12:25 PM
3 minute read
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.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllReal Estate Trends to Watch in 2025: Restructuring, Growth, and Challenges in South Florida
3 minute read830 Brickell is Open After Two-Year Delay That Led to Winston & Strawn Pulling Lease
3 minute readMiami Lawyers Beat Other Local Sectors, Attorneys Elsewhere in Office Usage
3 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Holland & Knight Launches Export Control Disputes and Advocacy Team
- 2Blake Lively's claims that movie co-star launched smear campaign gets support in publicist's suit
- 3Middle District of Pennsylvania's U.S. Attorney Announces Resignation
- 4Vinson & Elkins: Traditional Energy Practice Meets Energy Transition
- 5After 2024's Regulatory Tsunami, Financial Services Firms Hope Storm Clouds Break
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250