Listed at $8.95 million, this Palm Beach house has been a ‘peaceful sanctuary’ for couple
Emma and Bill Roberts have enjoyed their updated 1960s-era house on famous Seaview Avenue in Palm Beach.
When Emma and Bill Roberts bought their Palm Beach home at 401 Seaview Ave. in 2012, it was in remarkably good shape. The home’s previous owner, real estate agent Gary Pohrer, had taken the renovations on himself, creating a little jewel box out of the rundown 1965-era cottage.
His work resonated with the Robertses, who had just completed renovations on a home they owned on Cocoanut Row.
“We weren’t looking for a new place,” Bill says. “Gary had invited us over, and I decided to buy it the first time I saw it.
“It’s on a beautiful corner lot. The vibrancy of the schoolchildren walking by gives it life. It has so much sun and it’s in the center of the ‘Sea’ streets,” he says referring to the neighboring roads — Seaspray and Seabreeze avenues — that along with Seaview are among the oldest platted streets in town. With their lively mix of historic houses, restored cottages and newer homes, the streets are considered to be among the area's choicest residential streets.
The house is on the northwest corner of Cocoanut Row, immediately north of The Society of the Four Arts’ campus and across the street from Palm Beach Public School and Palm Beach Day Academy.
After purchasing it, the Robertses further refreshed the house over time. “We did some minor modifications, but most of what we did was decorate,” Bill says. “We enlarged a wall, put in a custom bar and converted a bedroom into an office/den. We also made one of the full bathrooms (into) a half bath.”
The latter project was among the renovation of all the bathrooms, which included the addition of new hardware, fixtures and custom tiling.
“We also resurfaced the pool and put in new tiles with a slightly darker color,” Bill says, adding that the yard was also landscaped.
Today, though, another home has grabbed their attention and offers a new project for them. As such, they’ve listed their three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home — with 2,439 square feet of living space, inside and out — through Pohrer, who is affiliated with Douglas Elliman Real Estate. The property is priced at $8.95 million, and the furniture is available separately.
Standing on nearly a quarter acre — a double lot for the neighborhood — the house is hidden behind high hedges and has a feature familiar to frequent passersby on Cocoanut Row: An archway has been trimmed through the hedge to allow cars to access the front motor court while offering a tantalizing peek at the house.
From the front porch, one enters the living room and dining area, with the kitchen just adjacent. North of the kitchen are the den, the bar, the powder room, a laundry area and the one-car garage.
On the western side of the house are the main bedroom suite and two guest bedrooms that share a bathroom. To the south, an awning-covered patio is accessed from the living areas, and foot traffic flows from there out to the pool with its overflow-design whirlpool spa.
Flooring throughout the house is covered in wide-plank white oak, and windows and doors are fitted with impact-resistant glass.
For the decor, the Robertses added hand-blocked wallpaper to some of the rooms. The living and dining rooms are topped by a beamed pitched ceiling.
Among the living room’s other highlights are a fireplace with a coquina mantel and a large picture window viewing the pool and gardens.
The kitchen is finished with white cabinets, Calacatta gold marble counters and a tile backsplash laid in a herringbone pattern. To one side, the kitchen has doors that open to the pool patio, while on the other side is the wet bar, painted Hermes’ signature orange.
A set of French doors in the main bedroom leads into a private side garden.
Emma and Bill are both busy professionals. He is a partner and co-CEO at GW&K, an investments-management firm with offices in Boston, New York City and Winter Park near Orlando, while Emma owns New England Capers Catering in Boston.
“This home is our peaceful sanctuary,” Bill explains, “our getaway and a place to unwind.
“I’ll miss living in the neighborhood of the Sea streets, which are really charming. When walking every day, it feels like a community. We have access to a common beach, and I’ll miss getting over the (Royal Park) Bridge in under two minutes.”
But the Robertses are content to be leaving the house in fine shape, ready for a new owner.
“It’s a very charming, turnkey bungalow with everything updated,” Bill says. “Someone could move in tomorrow.”
To see more photos of 401 Seaview Ave. in Palm Beach, click on the photo gallery near the top of this page.
For more than 20 years, Christine Davis has written about Palm Beach real estate in the "On the Market" feature in the Palm Beach Daily News.