House of the Week: Palm Harbor Golf Course Home has Unique Backstory
This beautifully remodeled home was originally the home of ITT-Levitt CDC president Alan Smolen. It sits on a double lot in “executive row” overlooking the 2nd hole of the Palm Harbor Golf Course.
PALM COAST, FL – December 16, 2016 – GoToby.com’s House of the Week was built in 1977. It sits on a double lot in “executive row” overlooking the 2nd hole of the Palm Harbor Golf Course.
ITT-Levitt planned and developed Palm Coast beginning in the early 1970s. A Federal Trade Commission Consent Decree ordered ITT CDC (ITT Community Development Corporation) to move its headquarters from Manhatten to Palm Coast. Cynthia Court, Cole Place and Cole Court are within the Palm Coast Core Area. The homes there were built for the relocating ITT executives. Hence the nickname “executive row.” This home at 1 Cynthia Court was built for Alan Smolen, who was president of ITT CDC at the time of the relocation.
1 CYNTHIA COURT
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Beautifully remodeled in 2015, this home has an Oriental flare and includes three bedrooms, three baths and 2.909 square feet of living area.
Formal Living
LIVING ROOM
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DINING ROOM
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Casual Living
FLORIDA ROOM/LANAI – Note the wall of glass sliders that convert the Florida room into a covered lanai.
PATIO AND POOL
The kitchen features 42" cabinets, granite counter tops, large center island, double ovens, french door refrigerator, convection microwave, dishwasher, five-burner cook top and wine cooler.
KITCHEN – Note the extensive use of tile.
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Additional features of this wonderful home include:
- Circular paved driveway
- Wood burning fireplace
- Central vacuum
- Plantation shutters
- California closets
- Two hot water heaters
- Two-zoned heat pump
- New heat pump pool heater and sand filter
- Underground utilities
- Intercom
MASTER BEDROOM – With access to the lanai.
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MASTER BATH – Notice the unique double sinks. Even the shower ceiling is tiled.
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IMMACULATE GARAGE WITH WORK AND STORAGE AREAS
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The Area
The Palm Coast area, sometimes referred to as “the quiet side of Florida, features miles of beaches with abundant public access, miles of hiking and cycling trails, championship golf courses and top-rated schools. Shop and dine in nearby (just over the bridge) Palm Coast, recently recognized as one of “America’s 50 Best Cities to Live.” Palm Coast’s population recently topped 80,000. Flagler County’s population recently passed the 105,000 mark. To learn more about Flagler County, check out this link: https://www.youcaninflaglercounty.com/
Interstate 95 offers easy access to Jacksonville and Orlando airports and attractions. The nearby Flagler Executive Airport is equipped to accommodate private jet aircraft. Jet Blue recently began daily direct flights to New York City from nearby Daytona Beach Airport.
Sponsor
1 Cynthia Court is offered for $549,900 by Vicki Worrall, of Atlantic Ocean Realty.
Here's how to contact Vicki:
- Vicki Worrall – (386) 931-0887 or birdbee2003@yahoo.com
The Backstory
Palm Coast is argueably the newest city in the U.S. It was begun in the early 1970s as the country's largest master planned community. Palm Coast was not incorporated as a city until December 1999. Interestingly, the nation's oldest continuously occupied city, St. Augustine, is only a half hour drive north along scenic Route A1A.
The Palm Harbor Golf Course and surrounding homes represent the early days of Palm Coast and were referred to as the Palm Coast Core Area. The core consisted of early residents' homes, model homes and executive row. The early residents called themselves "Pioneers." 1 Cynthia Court overlooks the 2nd hole of the golf course but that was not always so. Centex bought the course in the early 2000s, planning a redesign by Jack Nicklaus Golf. The bursting of the housing bubble sank the Centex plans. The course was eventually acquired and renovated at a cost of $5M by the City of Palm Coast and today is operated as a municipal course. The renovation included a switch of the front and back nine holes. John Smolen's home was originally on the 11th hole, not the 2nd.
Smolen was the president of ITT CDC and is sometimes referred to as "the father of Palm Coast." Upon his retirement, James Gardner Sr., father of Flagler County's Property Appraiser, took over as president. Another important figure in Palm Coast's history is James Olmsbee Simonds, an Internationally known landscape architect who established the city's foundational landscaping plans and was likely responsible for the beautiful plantings along executive row.
Smolen is pictured on the left here as he signed the agreement for development of the Palm Coast Shopping Center, later known as the Palm Harbor Shopping Center. The center was recently redeveloped and renamed Island Walk.
EARLY VIEW OF PALM COAST CORE AREA
PALM COAST CORE AREA TODAY
Many thanks to Palm Coast Core Area resident and Palm Coast Pioneer George Edward Chuddy for providing historic information and photos.
Trying to remember the details of 1977
The planning of Palm Coast took place in the late 60’s and construction was well underway in the early ’70’s. If I remember correctly 35,000 lots had already been sold when I joined the company in June 1973. Construction of the C section had been completed around the golf course and the canal area west of the golf course.
Actually the major move in 1977 was from Miami where the company headquarters were located. Alan Smolen replaced Norman Young as president in 1975 and by 1977 very little other than the Marketing department was located in NY.
I don’t believe ICDC had a construction arm until after the move was made in 1977. The homes for the ITT employees were constructed by various home builders of which there were three, or four, in the ITT builder program. Red Carpet, Bratloff Construction, and Tony Iaquintos company were the primary builders.
Executive Area – Executive Row Palm Coast
@ Mr. John Gazzoli:
Understandably so, I am weak on documents about your area – Execttive Area / Executive Row. May I ask if you have any information or documents that would be useful if an Official State of Florida Historic MARKER is pursued – perhaps located be at the entrance there on Cole Place or the more public area there on Clubhouse Drive?
I have this below, if you are interested within Palm Coasts’ first Telephone Book – only 30 pages long. I will happily xerox this for you should you want it for a Wall of History or your Cole Place House Records.
Page 20
Section EDELMAN-GOLDMAN subsection -G-
*GAZZOLI, John R. (Carol)
3 Cole Pl
P.O. Box 797
445-2533
Also, I will happily xerox this titled Palm Coast/ Flagler County Street Guide, 28 pages:
Street Section
COLE PL – CORMORANT CT
Page 9, first column:
Cole Pl
3 GAZZOLI, Johne & Carol
445-2533
I also am STeward of a couple of large Poster size documents; however, because of their size they would have to be taken to a professional printer which I think costs about $ 50. Being both old and poor I can’t do this but I would be happy to let you copy them if you want.
May I now ask if perhaps you would be interested in being the Sponsor for this Historic MARKER for the Executive Homes there? If so, as Sponsor, you would be able to list the Gazzoli Family any way you choose. Should you want to see what I am referencing you can see the Palm Coast MARKERS we have on 29 Casper Drive and also at 13 Clark Lane, Palm Coast – a permanent Legacy for you/ your Family, in perpetuity. Should you want to see the Foundry Process for the manufacture of this google Seewah Studios, Foundry. It is a very interesting process to see.
The cost for you would be about $ 1,900.
If it is more convenient for you to see the above, google – Historic Marker Data base and enter ‘Palm Coast’. There you can also see the Sponsor area design and print.
I truly ‘ Thank You ‘ very much for any information or documents that you may have to share should a Historic MARKER be pursued. ‘ Thank You’ very much in any efforts to enhance Palm Coast.
As an aside, the picture above ( aerial view), are already in the Levitt Palm Coast Collection at ‘ The Smithsonian’. I am anticipating sending yet another packet to ‘ The Smithsonian ‘ this upcoming mid January 2017. If you choose to be a Sponsor, I will also submit this , if approved by the Specialists, also to ‘ The Smithsonian’.
RE: Construction Arm – perhaps you would best know if Bob De Vore or who was involved initially with putting this together.
Again, ‘ Thank You ‘ very much.