Justin and Meira Besikof plan to build a Mediterranean-style home on the property they just bought at 350 Seabreeze Ave. in Midtown.
Justin and Meira Besikof have closed a $7 million land-value deal to buy a Midtown house that had not changed hands in more than 40 years on one of Palm Beach’s historic “Sea” streets.
And the couple already appear close to winning the Architectural Commission’s approval to replace the home at 350 Seabreeze Ave. with a Mediterranean-style house they want to build.
Via a deed recorded Dec. 15, Judy Goodman sold the four-bedroom house she shared with her late husband, Dr. J. John Goodman, who died Jan. 28 at age 98. A dermatologist and clinical researcher, he was married to his wife for 45 years.
With 3,946 square feet, the former Goodman house was built in 1982 on about a fifth of an acre on the south side of Seabreeze Avenue, a couple of lots east of Cocoanut Row.
At its meeting this month, members of the Architectural Commission generally reacted favorably to the design of the larger house the Besikofs have commissioned for the property. But in a unanimous vote, the board asked architects Patrick Segraves and Daniel Clavijo of SKA Architect + Planner to make some changes to the two-story house and return for a second review Jan. 24.
The Besikofs, who own a landmarked home nearby, plan to build the house on Seabreeze Avenue as a custom home for themselves, Justin Besikof told the Palm Beach Daily News after the meeting.
The new residence would have 4,430 square feet, according to the plans presented at the architectural board’s Dec. 15 meeting.
BIG LISTING IN PALM BEACH:Rebuilt house on Palm Beach estate formerly owned by Lilly Pulitzer lists at $54.9 million
The proposed house has already won a thumbs-up from several neighbors, the panel was told — not always an easy task on Seabreeze, Seaspray and Seaview avenues, which are among the town’s oldest platted residential roads and often referred to by locals as the “Sea” streets. Neighbors can be fiercely protective of the streets’ architectural fabric and often slam new designs as being too large or inharmonious with nearby homes.
Get the News Alerts newsletter in your inbox.
Get alerted to the latest stories to stay on top of the news
Delivery: VariesYour Email
The Besikofs won praise for their proposed house from interior designer Anne Pepper, who lives one street over from Seabreeze Avenue and describes herself as a “passionate ‘Sea’ streets supporter.” She often is a vocal critic of houses proposed for the neighborhood.
But the Besikofs’ design, she said, “is a big improvement over what is there,” she said.
Pepper also had no problems with the Besikofs’ request for a code variance to allow the house to have a porte-cochère in lieu of the required garage. Attached carports “have existed on the Sea Streets in the past. I think it’s much more charming than looking at garage doors,” Pepper said.
She did suggest the design team reduce the amount of hardscape and slightly lower the height of the house to be more in line with neighboring homes.
Commissioner John David Corey acknowledged Pepper’s “pretty good endorsement” of the project in his remarks.
“We haven’t seen that in a long time,” Corey said with a bemused smile.
THIS OLD HOUSE? SOLD!TV celeb Bob Vila, wife pay $12.5M for Fosters’ historic house in Palm Beach
The majority of the board agreed that the house’s Mediterranean-style details needed to be massaged. They also wanted more green space and a lower roof.
“I think (the height) just needs to come down a smidge,” said Vice Chairman Richard Sammons.
Justin Besikof is an investment banker and mergers-and-acquisitions specialist. His and his wife’s primary residence is in Wayzata, Minnesota, which also is home to Madeira Partners, the firm he founded and where he serves as president.
“We love the ‘Sea’ streets and our current, very charming landmarked home at 360 Seaspray (Ave.), but long term, we look forward to moving around the corner,” Justin Besikof told the Palm Beach Daily News.
He specifically mentioned the Seabreeze Avenue lot’s 75 feet of street frontage and its location on the south side of the road.
Broker Linda Olsson of Linda R. Olsson Inc. handled both sides of this month’s sale on Seabreeze Avenue. The deed recorded on the same day as the architectural board’s meeting.
In early 2022, the Besikofs sold, for a recorded $8 million, a Palm Beach house they were developing at 218 Everglade Ave. while it was still in construction. Justin Besikof represented his own interests in that North End sale as a real estate agent, working with Olsson. Agent Elizabeth DeWoody of Compass Florida acted for the buyer in the deal on Everglade Avenue.
Olson and DeWoody played the same roles in late 2020 when the Besikofs sold, for a recorded $6.34 million, a Midtown house they built at 307 Chilean Ave.
Segraves and Clavijo also worked on the designs of the houses on Everglade Avenue and Chilean Avenue.
FROM THE ARCHIVES:In-construction house developed by seasonal Palm Beacher Justin Besikof sells on near North End