One of the most famous houses on the island, long known as “the barcode lady’s house” and later renamed Palazzo Di Mare, is going on the auction block once again.
The Regency Revival-style home at 2150 S. Highway A1A in the island’s estate section will be offered for sale by Concierge Auctions, with bidding to start on Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. and close at 5 p.m. on Feb. 15.
The house is currently listed at $60 million but there is no reserve price in the auction. When Concierge last auctioned the property in 2019, it sold for $11.48 million, the auction company said.
The house – the first major home built in what later became known as the estate section – was the creation of Sharon Nicholson, widow of William Nicholson, inventor of barcode technology and co-founder of Retail Grocery Inventory Service, now called RGIS, a leading inventory control company.
The 23,315-square-foot house sits on a 6-acre ocean-to-river lot with 205 feet of ocean frontage and 198 feet of river shoreline. There are seven bedrooms, nine full baths, two elevators, stone and hardwood floors, a 14-car underground garage, and extensive landscaped grounds, including a sweeping back lawn that would do a 5-star seaside resort proud.
Nicholson sold the house in 2016 for an undisclosed sum to a buyer who resold it a year later to island developer Ken Cooper for $7.9 million, according to county records.
Cooper renovated the dated home, giving it the light, bright look and feel of a classic Palm Beach estate, making it into a breezy dream world with expansive sea views that was both restful and wonderfully alive with architectural and design elements that range from Moorish to Art Deco.
Current owners Doug and Sharon O’Banion bought the property in 2019, shortly after selling their RV dealership in Fort Worth.
They then spent two years doing extensive additional renovations that Doug O’Banion told Vero Beach 32963 included 14 new air conditioners, a $200,000 Crestron home control system, redoing the resort-style pool and landscaping and, most notably, transforming the little-used third level observation deck into a private, 28-seat bar and dining area with the finest equipment and furnishing and the kind of views you get in heaven.
After the dramatic COVID runup in prices for luxury waterfront property in Florida and during the ongoing inrush of migration to the state, the O’Banions listed the home in February for $60 million with Cindy O’Dare and Richard Boga at ONE Sotheby’s International Realty.
O’Dare said they had a number of inquiries and showings at that price but no offers as of last week.
Details about the bidder qualification process and pre-auction escrow requirements can be found at https://www.conciergeauctions.com/auctions/2150-s-highway-a1a-vero-beach-florida.
