A historic waterfront estate in Miami Beach, owned by the late Miami fashion educator Sir Edward Porter is now listed for sale for $12.9 million.
The estate on North Bay Road was built in 1924 by Frank Hague, the mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey, who was known as "the granddaddy of Jersey bosses," and has not been on the market since Porter and his wife, Lady Anna Lee Porter, purchased the property in 1965 for $100,000, according to the listing agent.
The Porters received their honorifics from the Vatican’s Offices of the Pope for their philanthropy and contributions to education. The couple co-founded Miami’s International Fine Arts College, now known as Miami International University of Art and Design, which became an influential force in South Florida’s fashion, film and interior design industries.
Porter died in March at 96, and was preceded in death by his wife nine years earlier.
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"The estate was the home of our grandparents, and we feel like it’s time for us to let it go as well," said Mikhael Porter, the Porters’ grandchild and listing agent with One Sotheby’s International Realty. The property is co-listed by Mr. Porter, Mirce Curkoski and Albert Justo.
The estate, with nine bedrooms, eight full bathrooms, and three half bathrooms, has 8,521 square feet of living space. The first floor includes a living room with a 22-foot-high ceiling, an enclosed breezeway, sunroom and bar, dining room, kitchen with original 1920s Spanish tiles, laundry room, a bedroom and TV room, and guest quarters with a separate entrance.
Upstairs is a master suite with two bathrooms and a sitting room and three other bedrooms. An attic above the master suite has panoramic views of the waterfront and downtown Miami, and a third-floor room above the entrance serves as another bedroom.
The home includes hurricane-impact windows, ceiling fans, central heating and air conditioning, and has two full washer-dryer hookups in the laundry room and garage.
"Lady Anna Lee was known for her parties, which could have 600 guests," Mr. Porter said. "The local country clubs all asked her to stop throwing a New Year’s Eve party because all their attendees flocked to the Porter party instead of theirs. So she changed her party date to Jan. 1 to accommodate them, since she was also a member of all the local country clubs."
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Two separate housekeeper apartments are on the estate, each with a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.
The residence sits on a 25,410-square-foot lot with 120 feet of waterfront property and a private dock. The estate also features fruit trees, a classic Mediterranean pool, three-car garage, and a 100-foot driveway surrounded by lush foliage.
Zoning allows an additional 4,000 square feet to be added to the residence.
"The home has been unchanged since the 1960s, so most people will want to update the house," Mr. Porter said. "It’s a unique property that offers creative opportunities at every turn. You can blend Mediterranean with modern, or completely rebuild with a design of your own."