A piece of American history has been sold. A Florida estate, once known as the "Winter White House," was sold for $31 million last week. The estate became famous for being one of the homes of President John F. Kennedy and his family during his brief, tumultuous time in charge of the nation.
The sale
The estate was purchased by Jane Goldman, the daughter of Sol Goldman, who was a New York real estate investor. The humongous property was sold by John and Marianne Castle, who originally purchased the house from the Kennedy family back in 1995 for $4.9 million.
Goldman is cognizant of the historical nature of the house. She plans to renovate the massive mansion to make it a more livable space, while maintaining the history it holds as a place where the Kennedy family could relax and vacation amidst some of the most turbulent years in the history of the United States.
Historical house
John F. Kennedy's father purchased the Palm Beach house, sometimes known as "La Guerida," from the Wanamaker family in 1933 for the small sum of $120,000 (it was the Great Depression), which means it was kept in the family for over six decades. The mansion is Mediterranean-styled and is listed as having 11 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, and 15,347 square feet of living space. There's also several hundred feet of ocean right in front of the property and a huge stretch of beautiful grass.
It was the perfect place for the Kennedys to vacation to, with family gatherings and football games filling the halls and spaces of the "Winter White House."
Not all of the memories associated with the "Winter White House" are positive, though. William Kennedy Smith, John F. Kennedy's nephew, was famously accused of committing sexual assault in the mansion in 1991; he was later found to be not guilty.
The "Winter White House" additionally could no longer serve its most valuable purpose after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Perhaps the newest owners can find a way to pay ode to the famous people who lived there before them.
