This Westway Drive house has 14,000 square feet overall and 7,400 square feet under air, according to county records. Staff photo / Harold Bubil.
A record-setting mansion at 1219 Westway Drive in Sarasota's gilded Lido Shores neighborhood sold today. The price at closing: $6.35 million.
Built in 2003, the house has 7,400 square feet of air-conditioned space and 14,000 square feet overall.
The seller, Triple T Land Trust, was represented by listing agent Barbara Ackerman of Coldwell Banker Previews. The buyer, whose identity was not disclosed, was represented by Deborah Beacham of Michael Saunders & Company.
Called Bel Castello when it was developed by the now-defunct Sandcastles of Sarasota in 2003, the house was purchased for $9.2 million and the lot next door for $4 million in a simultaneous closing that represented the biggest single residential closing in Sarasota history. In comparison, Arvida Corp. paid $13.5 million for 2,200 acres of Ringling Estate holdings on the barrier islands in 1959.
The owner tore down a ranch house on the adjoining lot to create a garden and some space around the large house, which is almost as large as its own 16,000-square-foot lot.
The adjoining lot was not included in the sale Friday.
"The exceptional nature of that property was the view of the Gulf, and to still be able to have a boat in your backyard," said Ackerman. "The way the house is positioned on the lot was beautiful.
"The house was done in a consistent fashion – it all flows so beautifully. There was no compromise in quality throughout. That is unique -- every room was perfect. The attention to detail was the highest."
Beacham, the buyer's agent, said they are "an American family who could live anywhere in the world. They were looking for a beach lifestyle, amazing people, good education for their children, the arts and a good climate. Out of everywhere they looked, they chose Sarasota. They have multiple homes and this will be their permanent residence."
The buyers told Beacham that for this story, "You can tell him we are from Sarasota!”
