Dream Finders Homes CEO Finds Dream Home in Avondale
After going up for auction last October, the historic Tudor-Revival mansion at 3730 Richmond St. is now under new ownership.
Dream Finders Homes, Inc. Founder, President and CEO Patrick Zalupski found the dream home for his family in the sprawling Avondale estate.
The 18,100-square-foot mansion is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It boasts 10 bedrooms and 12.5 bathrooms. The property sits on 2.2 acres and enjoys 220 waterfront feet along the St. Johns River.
In October, The Resident News reported on the auction, which initially opened with an asking price of $25 million with starting bids between $2 million and $7 million. The asking price was then readjusted to $4.5 million.
Ultimately, the home sold for nearly $7.8 million. According to the listing, the furnishings were included in the sale.
The property was co-listed by Sperry Lee, Jr. of RE/MAX Specialist PV [Ponte Vedra] and Julie Little Brewer, in cooperation with Concierge Auctions. “It’s certainly one of the most iconic houses in Jacksonville, so I’m sure [the Zalupskis] will be great stewards of it,” said Lee.
John Hove purchased the Lane-Towers House in 2012 for $2.6 million and spent years renovating and reviving the sprawling mansion and its property. He and his late wife, Yvonne, were only the fourth owners of the historic property. Past owners included the Lane family, the Towers family and Raymond Mason, Jr.
About the estate’s renovations, Lee recalled his favorite quote by Hove, “‘It’s a brand-new house in an old suit,’ which is exactly what it is. It’s a new house, it just has an old cover.”
Built in 1928 and initially renovated in 1930, the home was meticulously restored to its historic grandeur and renovated with comforts for a modern-day owner. A 2015 article by The Resident News detailing the renovations Hove had planned for the property discussed the type of attention he was paying to ensure the estate was given its due, from the six-color blend created for the repairs to the property’s 1,200-foot brick-and-wrought-iron wall to ensure the closest possible match to the original brick colors and the 32 eleven-foot wrought iron sections “Hove personally cut down, sandblasted, galvanized, polished and painted with primer and top coating.”
Moving on to the next chapter of his life, Hove has remarried and relocated to South Carolina and is looking forward to closing on a new home that doesn’t require any renovations.
“I’m leaving my renovating days behind me,” he said. “The house we’re going to buy is not in need of any renovations. We can just move in.”
By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News
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