It’s not often an architect is handed a blank canvas and told to dream big—but that’s exactly what happened in Longboat Key, FL, where a striking midcentury masterpiece now unfolds across a 4.58-acre lot.
The waterfront 6,891-square-foot home, which is listed for $22 million, was designed by architect Carl Abbott—the youngest member of the original Sarasota School of Architecture.
“It is an incredibly well-built and -designed home and sticking with that midcentury style. It’s not a cold or sterile modern, but a nice, warm, natural modern,” says co-listing agent Katy McBrayer, who, along with Montana Taplinger, are with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.
Abbott was able to “unfold the house exactly how he would have wanted to if he had had the space to do it his entire career,” adds McBrayer.
“It was the first time he was able to do that, so he was very excited.”
The almost 5 acres meant Abbott had plenty of room to create a large and unique canvas.
“He was able to basically take the house and unfold it out into different areas of the lot,” McBrayer explains. “A lot of times, they’re forced to just put one story on top of another, and here, he’s able to open the rooms out to expand all the views.”
That means some rooms seem to float on top of large columns. All have tall ceilings and huge windows to make the most of the view.
“[The architect] was able to maximize the views and each and every room has incredible views,” says McBrayer. “Lots of natural light throughout the home and the placement of windows that he put throughout, the light comes through all day beautifully.”
The home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, fewer than some homes of this size.
The list price includes the adjacent lot, which McBrayer says creates the largest single-family parcel on Longboat Key.
“[The lots are separate] because that allows one to build a separate structure, like a guesthouse, so you could build a separate house on it for multigenerational living, or an au pair, or help, or that kind of thing,” she explains.
The overall lot size is unheard of in the area.
“Getting 5 acres just within Sarasota is near impossible, but getting 5 acres on one of our keys is really impossible, so this is a once in a lifetime purchase,” McBrayer says. “This is one of the few enormous estates remaining.”
The unique indoor space flows into the outdoors spaces, with a lagoon-style pool that basically wraps around the house.
“It was built at a level so that when you’re sitting in the main living space or the great room, when you sit down, it almost looks as if the pool goes into the water view,” she says, adding the windows are placed in the home so there are several views of the pool as you walk around inside.
There is also a dock with two boat lifts and deep-water access.
The sellers are looking to downsize and give up their treasure, which they completed in 2008.
“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life. It’s a piece of art. I don’t think of it even as a home, really,” McBrayer says. “The sellers are very artistic and so is Carl Abbott, so it truly is a piece of art in itself.”
A piece of art that is ready for a new collector.
“The perfect buyer is somebody who wants to make a legacy purchase to have in the family for a long time, who values land, and who wants privacy,” McBrayer says. “Somebody who is into that midcentury modern design and can appreciate that and like values quality over quantity.”
