No peeking! Sly Stallone’s Palm Beach renovation, including gates, earns approval
Architectural Commission gives a unanimous thumbs up to several projects at the lakeside estate Stallone and his wife, Jennifer, bought for $35.38 million in December.
Darrell Hofheinz
Sylvester Stallone’s plans for to renovate his new Palm Beach estate entered Round 2 Wednesday with the Architectural Commission — and when the bell rang, the “Rocky” star scored a knockout.
The board unanimously approved the renovations, including the redesign of two identical solid-wood driveway gates to enhance privacy at the estate Stallone shares with wife Jennifer on the far North End of town. In July, architectural officials had objected to the original gate design before deferring the project for restudy.
The gate project was a key part of the renovation project, attorney Timothy Hanlon, representing the Stallones, told the board at the start of the 17-minute discussion.
Additional privacy needed for Sylvester Stallone's waterfront compound
The homeowners have “already experienced several invasions of privacy and need to protect themselves against future such occurrences,” Hanlon said, although he did not name his clients or elaborate on the privacy violations.
In her remarks, Alternate Commissioner Katherine Catlin said she understood the homeowners’ need for privacy.
“I, personally, (and) on behalf of fellow Palm Beach neighbors, apologize for that breach,” Catlin said.
The board’s approval came in contrast to the meeting in July, when commissioners raised eyebrows at several of the projects the Stallones had planned for their compound at 1480 N. Lake Way, which the couple bought in December for a recorded $35.38 million, using a trust. The Palm Beach Daily News broke the news of their purchase of the Bermuda-style compound on 1½ acres with 253 feet of lakefront.
In July, the board had requested changes — and the Stallones and their design team complied.
The board is tasked with approving new architecture in the town.
Helping ease the way to Wednesday’s approval, the Stallones withdrew a request, which had proved controversial last month, to demolish a couple of columns on their living room’s loggia.
Getting approval for design changes of Sly Stallone's Palm Beach mansion
The Stallones’ architect, Tom Benedict, had told the board in July the columns obstructed the owners’ view of the Intracoastal Waterway. But at that meeting, Commissioner Jeffery Smith, himself an architect, was sharp in his objection. Removing the columns, Smith said, would make the posts on the master-bedroom terrace above the loggia appear to be “hanging in space.”
Smith had added: “The architect and engineer in my head says that's totally wrong. You should not do that.”
Whether the Stallones still wanted the columns removed caused a bit of confusion during Wednesday’s meeting, which was held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. A list of changes presented at the start of the presentation said that eliminating the columns remained in the Stallones’ plans.
But Benedict, a principal at The Benedict Bullock Group, told commissioners that the Stallones had withdrawn that request after they consulted architect Harold Smith of Smith and Moore Architects, who had been involved in the house’s construction some years back. The main house was completed in 2014.
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As far as the gates went, board members generally favored the new rectangular design over the camelback one they reviewed in July. One of the gates would replace a see-through metalwork gate in place at the south end of the estate when the Stallones bought the property. The gate allowed passersby to easily peer into the property.
The new wood gate would match the look of an existing one at the other driveway, the design of which would be adapted to close in a horizontal “peek-a-boo” element at the top, said landscape architect Dustin Mizell of Environment Design Group.
Other projects approved by the board included replacing cast-stone pool decking with limestone and enclosing a poolside loggia at the front of the house with folding glass doors. Installing a new glass front door also was given the go-ahead.
In July, Commissioner Betsy Shiverick had expressed concerns that the dark-bronze finish on the pool loggia’s doors would conflict with the white-framed windows found elsewhere on the Bermuda-style house and outbuildings. She also said she was worried the bronze finish not complement the informal Caribbean character of the architecture.
But commissioners learned Wednesday that the renovation would now include replacing all the windows and glass doors on the property with bronze-finished versions. Shiverick said she had reconsidered the color and offered no objection, as long as the frames were of high quality.
In the December real estate sale, broker Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate acted on behalf of the Stallones. Representing sellers Ronald G. and Cindy McMackin was broker Lawrence Moens of Lawrence A. Moens Associates. Moens previously owned the estate, which he completed as a residence for himself after taking deed to the property in late 2012, when construction was still in progress.
Sylvester Stallone's longtime ties with South Florida
Sylvester Stallone has longtime family ties to South Florida and once owned an estate near Coconut Grove in Miami. His acting and screenwriting career brought him Academy Award nominations for best actor and screenwriter for "Rocky" in 1977.
In 2015, Stallone reprised his character, Rocky Balboa, in “Creed,” a role that earned him a Golden Globe award and another Oscar nomination, both for best supporting actor. He also appeared in the “Rambo” and “The Expendables” film franchises in addition to his work as a film director.
On Wednesday’s meeting agenda, Jennifer Stallone, a beauty-and-cosmetics entrepreneur, was listed as the contact for the Southpaw Trust, the estate’s owner. The Stallones did not appear at the meeting.
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