NEARLY 100 YEARS OF HISTORY LIVE INSIDE THE GILDED WALLS OF THIS SPANISH REVIVAL-STYLE PRIVATE RESORT ESTATE, SET IN ONE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA’S MOST IDYLLIC ENCLAVES

BY AMANDA McCOY • PHOTOS COURTESY OF CORCORAN PREMIER REALTY

Amere 20 minutes from the nucleus of downtown Orlando lies Winter Park, a vibrant, verdurous village filled with lush gardens, art museums, and 2,781 acres of silky blue waterways. Christened as a winter resort for wealthy northerners in 1887, the town has maintained its ambrosial charm over the decades, marked by cobblestoned streets, lively outdoor cafés, and high-end boutiques. The area’s vast chain of lakes spanning 12 in all is brimming with wildlife and offers a smorgasbord of year-round recreation, as do the 11 amenity-rich public parks. But perhaps Winter Park’s most enchanting visual treat is the myriad of magnificent resort estates, spanning different periods and styles, each providing an exquisite snapshot back in time. One of them, tucked into the Oak tree-lined streets of the Vias on Lake Maitland, recently entered the market, and its stunning grounds, deluxe European influence and materials, and hidden surprises is truly a vision to behold. Welcome to 1411 Via Tuscany.

“The Vias is one of the most prestigious areas in Winter Park,” noted real estate agent Chocky Burks with Corcoran Premier Realty. “Typically historical and referred to as Old Winter Park, the Vias features iconic custom built estates, brick streets, and lovely mature oaks and landscaping. There is an eclectic mix of styles and ages all perfectly working together to create one of the best loved neighborhoods in Winter Park.”

Built in 1926 then given the title the “House of Swans” the mansion is currently on the National Registry of Historic Places. It is believed to be a Spanish Revival style by Addison Mizner, a prolific early 20th century Florida-based architect famed for his Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival interpretations peppered throughout the state. The home underwent an extensive multi-year renovation and addition in 2009, led by Pellegrini Homes and awarded architect Dailey Janssen, overhauling nearly every square inch of the home and outfitting it with cutting-edge amenities, state-of-the-art appliances, and luxe materials like custom designed Hope’s windows and doors and French baked white oak floors. But there is one area that was left untouched; the Chapel Room and its clay flooring, pecky cypress beams, and wrought iron fixtures are all from the original House of Swans.

With over 9,000 square feet of living space, this five-bedroom, eight-bathroom mega house was designed with entertaining in mind, for both intimate family gatherings and large-scale soirées. For larger gatherings, the air-conditioned garage harbors a caterer’s kitchen, and there’s a separate private casita with a kitchen to house overnight guests.

One step inside the main two-story dwelling, and it’s clear that while the home honors its storied century-year-old past, it’s still a lantern of 21st century innovation. Lutron smart lighting illuminates the rooms, the water filtration system is top of the line, and nearly every room has fully electric shades. But the sense of grandeur the gilded regality of the Jazz Age remains. A fountain in the courtyard gently serenades inhabitants with the sound of flowing water. Antique chandeliers hang like a crown over rich wooden furniture. Bourgien stone covers the floors in one room and flows into French heart oak in the next. Large windows overlook the beautifully manicured grounds cascading down to the lake.

The warm, natural light in the kitchen juxtaposes the chocolatey Turkish wooden cabinetry, custom built for the home. Its romantic, old-world aesthetic is intermixed with ultra-modern appliances, including a La Cornue range, Sub-Aero refrigerators, and Dacor warming drawer, all blanketed in the same dark wooden finish. The kitchen opens to the capacious family room, filled with custom built-ins, lush leather sofas, a gas-burning fireplace, and several casement windows that open to let the Florida breeze in at night. Two separate offices with pecky cypress ceilings offer ample work space.

A detailed iron and wooden stairwell leads to the second level, where the sprawling master bedroom offers commanding views of the lake. The en-suite radiates classic 1920s glamour, featuring a solid marble tub and his-and-her sinks floating in front of a wall of windows.

When the evening calls for a James Bond screening and bottle of vintage Bordeaux, that’s where the basement comes into play. Downstairs, dwellers will find the massive media room, home theater, and wine grotto. The laundry room also lives here and features a pair of stacked washers and dryers.

Originally constructed as a private resort estate, the mansion’s backyard playground certainly lives up to its moniker. Designed by Mario Nievera, the landscaping is meticulously polished but still fiercely green. A rivulet flows down from the shaded pavilion to meet the pool, which is encased in imported custom designed Italian hand painted glass tile and accompanied by a cabana with a full kitchen, wood burning pizza oven, and changing rooms with showers.

At the water’s edge lies a curio of the hamlet the only true boathouse on the Winter Park chain, grandfathered in and never to be built again. It’s the toy keeper, housing a boat and jet ski and finished with a kitchenette and space for relaxing, regaling, and enjoying the resort lifestyle, just as its inhabitants over the past 100 years did before.
This home is listed for $15,900,000.

Corcoran Premier Realty
1921 Maguire Road Ste 104, Windermere, FL
corcoran.com