With his wife, Meira, Justin Besikof carried out an extensive renovation to help preserve the “long-term integrity” of a 1937 house at 360 Seaspray Ave.
Like many other out-of-staters during the coronavirus pandemic, Justin and Meira Besikof of Wayzata, Minnesota, came to Palm Beach — and then stayed.
They ended up in the 300 block of Seaspray Avenue, where they rented a landmarked home, which they loved and decided to buy in May 2021.
They then commenced on an 18-month restoration project to upgrade the house and personalize it, working with architect Pat Segraves of SKA Architect + Planner and Steve West, a landscape architect with Parker Yannette Design Group.
“Over the years and many owners, the house had been refreshed and updated,” Justin Besikof says about the house, which was built in 1937 on the southeast corner of Cocoanut Row.
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“We took on important and necessary improvements to greatly improve the long-term integrity of the home.”
The list of those projects was long but included replacing old cast-iron plumbing, improving driveway- and storm-drainage systems, installing a new air exchanger and ventilation equipment, putting in smart-home technology, reworking the landscaping, and replacing the roof and gutters, Justin explains.
“We also added (impact-resistant) windows and doors, converted the fireplace to gas and made numerous interior cosmetic updates,” he says.
The interiors today have a modern but comfortable feel. Floors were refinished and bedrooms were re-carpeted. The kitchen got new professional-grade appliances, lighting and Cambria quartzite countertops.
Justin, who owns Madeira Partners LLC, a merger and acquisition advisory company, used his time in Palm Beach for another project, as well. He earned his real estate license — and he’s looking for another renovation project.
“We had so much fun redoing this house, and we’d like to find another older home like it. We enjoyed the intricacies of our landmarked older home, bringing it up to today’s standards, while maintaining its charm and character,” he says.
Affiliated with Linda R. Olsson Inc., Realtor, Justin has listed the couple’s house at 360 Seaspray Ave. — with four bedrooms, five-and-a-half baths and 3,331 square feet of living space, inside and out — for $12.5 million.
Two generations of the Wright family lived in Palm Beach house
The Monterey-style house was built for Horace O. Wright Sr. and designed by noted architect Gustav Maass. After Wright died in 1941, his son, Horace O. Wright Jr., and his family lived in it.
The town designated it a landmark in 2016, so its exterior walls cannot be altered without the town’s permission. The designation came a little more than year after the house was damaged by a fire that necessitated a renovation by the owner at the time.
A report prepared as part of the landmarking process noted the fire’s damage to the home’s interior but mentioned that many exterior features survived, including the “significant cantilevered porch and original metal railing.”
The living room, dining room and kitchen are off the foyer and stair hall. South of these rooms are the den, two guest bedrooms — one of which doubles as a pool cabana — and an oversized one-car garage. The motor court accommodates parking for eight additional cars.
Upstairs, two guest-bedroom suites open to the balcony fronting the home, while the main bedroom overlooks the pool, patio and gardens.
“Our bedroom is massive with a vaulted ceiling. It has a sitting room, walk-in closets and two marble bathrooms,” Justin says. The home also has two laundry areas, one on each level.
House is on the corner of one of Palm Beach’s prominent “sea streets”
The property is on one of Palm Beach’s famous “sea streets” — the others being adjacent Seaview and Seabreeze avenues — in one of the oldest platted neighborhoods in town.
Two blocks north of Royal Palm Way, Seaspray Avenue’s in-town location charmed the Besikofs, including its proximity to Palm Beach Public School and Palm Beach Day Academy.
“It’s incredible. Kids can walk to school. It’s as safe as it can be for a family,” he says. “You are immediately off the middle (Royal Park) Bridge on a charming historic street, near the Lake Trail, The Breakers, Worth Avenue and the beach.”
He adds: ”You may not even need a car.”