The Florida coast boasts numerous waterfront homes, but not many have been standing since the turn of the last century.
In Rockledge, the oldest city in Brevard County, Florida, just southwest of Cape Canaveral on Indian River, is a rare historic home that has been painstakingly renovated, with echoes of its past.
Denise Mansour, who is co-listing the property with Lauren Merrell of Dale Sorensen Real Estate, purchased the four-bedroom, 3.5 bathroom home with her husband in 2016 and they set about on an extensive renovation.
This Florida estate boasts a picturesque front yard, complete with a fountain. (Dale Sorensen Real Estate)
The home had been built circa 1901 by George Sebring, an Ohio pottery manufacturer who spent summers here and went on to found nearby Sebring.
“It was said that it was a teardown, but my husband and I saw the beauty,” Mansour said. “It was definitely our biggest project and the best feeling of accomplishment.”
An updated living area conserves its elegance. (Dave Sorensen Real Estate)
Mansour and her husband upgraded the home’s electric system and plumbing. They moved the kitchen to the home’s formal dining room and turned the old kitchen into a home theater with a 100-inch screen and plush stadium-style seating.
A carefully crafted kitchen perfect for gathering. (Dale Sorensen Real Estate)
The new kitchen has custom inset cabinets and an island crafted from knotty alder with a single piece of white granite. It has an original coffered ceiling that was reproduced in the dining room. There is a professional range and secondary oven.
The Mansours kept many original features of the home, including door handles and hinges and ceramic fixtures from Sebring. Doors in the main bathroom and the laundry room have original feathered glass.
“If I took a door down, I took all the pieces of the door out and put them aside,” Mansour said.
Relax in this renovated luxury bedroom. (Dale Sorensen Real Estate)
The current owners did more upgrades, replacing the windows and renovating a stand-alone cottage on the property that was the property’s first kitchen. They added spray foam insulation and a fiber-optic line, and the building is used as an office. The work in the cottage also included installing flooring in one of the rooms and faux painting it to match the original wood floors in the rest of the building.
A boathouse with captivating river views. (Dale Sorensen Real Estate)
On the river is a boathouse that was partially rebuilt after a storm. It has an 8,000-pound lift and a 10-foot-by-40-foot roof deck with river views. The center of the ceiling was raised to accommodate a boat with a center console.
The property also features an apartment above the two-car garage and an herb garden irrigated with fresh water.
The sun sets on this luxury gem. (Dale Sorensen Real Estate)
Merrell said the home is unique in the area for its preservation of history.
“It really stands apart from everything else,” Merrell said.
The home is on the market for $2.09 million.
