South Tampa estate on the market for $7 million
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 28, 2015

The timeless appeal of the sprawling estate at 1010 Frankland Road was something that took, well, a lot of time to get just right.

The planning and design of the 11,000-square-foot home in Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club began in 1999. Bayfair Homes of Tampa started construction in February 2001, and was delayed by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks - the Pentagon is constructed of the same Indiana limestone as the home, and nearly all of the post-Sept. 11 limestone production was diverted to rebuild the Department of Defense headquarters.

The home, completed in 2003, is now on the market for $7 million - the very high of the South Tampa market, and particularly steep for a home not on the water. But between its high-end construction and location on the Palma Ceia golf course - it overlooks the fifth fairway - the house is in a class of its own, said Susan Kynes Baldwin, an agent with Keller Williams Realty in South Tampa, who is marketing the property.

"It's just spectacular," Baldwin said. "It's not like anything you've ever seen in Tampa, and I've lived here my whole life, and I'm 62."

The home's Georgian style is more commonly seen in the Northeastern U.S., where it was the dominant architecture style in the 1700s. The roof is made from Vermont slate.

"Materials were selected not for just their appearance, but for their appropriateness and durability. Details were carefully checked against historical precedent," according to the home's marketing materials.

All eaves, door trim, window trim, porch details and flooring are made from handcarved limestone from Monroe County, Indiana. The exterior is finished with wooden moulded bricks from Alabama.

The couple has put the home on the market because they're ready to downsize, Baldwin said. Beyond their personal situation, though, it's also a good time to list a home for sale in South Tampa.

Prices are up 15 percent year over year in South Tampa, Baldwin said, and demand remains strong.

"I've been in the business 14 years," she said, "and other than right before the crash, this is the hottest I've ever seen it."

The home hit the market in August, and overall, it's been pretty quiet, Baldwin said - but she expected that.

"We don't have many buyers at that level," she said.

More potential buyers are likely on the way, she said, and with the city's job growth, she anticipates more executives moving to Tampa.

"For someone that doesn't want to live on the water, that wants to live in an estate in the heart of Tampa, there's just not much available," she said. "There are three houses on the golf course for sale, and they're all nice homes, and it all depends on what your style is, but this house is very, very special."

Ashley Gurbal Kritzer is a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.