Fort Lauderdale, FL, Oct. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The most expensive real estate listing in Fort Lauderdale, a $39 million mansion in the exclusive Las Olas Isles estate enclave, will be sold via luxury auction November 1.
The mansion’s owner worked with an award-winning team of architects, interior decorators and builders to design and build the more than 17,000 square-foot, 27-room mansion dubbed ‘Bella Fortuna.’ The property, which features direct yacht access just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, was purchased from Wayne Huizenga’s family.
Upon buying the property, the existing house was demolished and the land raised by eight feet so that the first floor of the new mansion would be 10 feet above sea level. The estate was designed by the world-renowned Jeffrey W. Smith of Smith Architectural Group in Palm Beach in collaboration with legendary interior designer Bunny Williams in New York. The estate was built by Marker Construction.
Situated on a rare one-acre peninsula lot with panoramic views of both the Intracoastal Waterway and New River, the estate features five bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and a host of amenities including seven balconies, 750 linear feet on the water, a 325-foot concrete dock, whole house generator and exterior kitchen, just to name a few.
The mansion, which was completed in 2015, is loaded with upgrades and one-of-a-kind features, including custom marble throughout, a whisper-ride elevator, mahogany butler pantry, massage room, hand painted Portuguese wall tiles, 1,780 square foot yoga meditation room, hidden panic room, heated swimming pool, two fireplaces and two home offices.
Bella Fortuna’s owners paid particular attention to even the most intricate of details offering custom-made French Lavastone kitchen countertops, P.E. Guerin and Nanz hardware, custom ‘mosaicos hidralico’ bathroom floor tiles, carved shell-stone window and door borders and sconces, Wolf and Subzero appliances with built-in cabinets in the gourmet chef’s kitchen, authentic coquina pavers throughout and even a five-hole putting green overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway.
The late Leonard Pardon, whose faux painted ceilings are works of national cultural significance in the Sultinates of Oman and Brunei, and who also was appointed by Queen Elizabeth to do restorative painting in Buckingham Palace, faux painted the many unique ceilings in Bella Fortuna in one of his last major commissions.
Bella Fortuna won more than 13 awards including the prestigious Addison Mizner award from the Institute of Classical Architecture, as well as 10 craftmanship awards from the Construction Association of South Florida and the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association landscape award.
After much research, and consultation with star listing agent Katrina Campins of The Campins Company, the owners decided that the luxury auction process would be a viable route to showcase the property. Campins selected the Fisher Auction Company, the group that managed the very successful Versace Mansion auction.
The minimum bid for the auction is $19.5 million. According to the mansion’s builder, cost of construction at Bella Fortuna in today’s pricing would be approximately $25 million, which far exceeds the reserve price and does not include the value of the land. Additionally, 25 percent of the final bid may be paid in Bitcoin.
The auction will be held Thursday, November 1 at 11 a.m. at the home, 534 Bontona Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301. Bidders must be prequalified by October 30 in order to be eligible to bid. For information on how to prequalify, visit visit www.bellafortunaestate.com.