On the market in Palm Beach: Priced at $29M, updated 1920s home retains sense of history

Christine Davis
·6 min read

When the 1926-era Palm Beach house known as Villa Vera Maria at 137 El Vedado Road was designated a Palm Beach landmark in 1990, a report prepared for the Landmarks Preservation Commission contained a nugget that captured the essence of the property in the Estate Section.

The report made note of the “fanciful Mediterranean Revival house” with “vigorous massing, a lavish use of arcading and, in general, a great deal of convincing picturesqueness.”

The home’s owners at the time of the designation were — and still are — retired businessman Jacques Cohen and his wife, Francoise. They purchased the ocean-block property in April 1987 and embarked on a historically sensitive renovation and restoration project. Because the house is landmarked, many of its exterior walls are protected from significant alteration unless the project is approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

“We modernized it but kept its character,” says Jacques Cohen, who co-founded Prestige Cosmetics Co.

The Cohens maintain another residence in St. Helena, California, and have made plans to find a smaller home in Palm Beach. As such, their five-bedroom, 6½-bath home and guesthouse — with a combined 7,402 square feet of living space, inside and out — is on the market. William Raveis South Florida agents Jack Elkins and Shirley Wyner have co-listed the property for $29 million.

Running a cosmetics company is how Jacques made his living, but his knowledge of beauty is far more than skin deep, especially when it comes to architecture.

Villa Vera Maria seemed instantly familiar to him when he first encountered it, he says. He grew up in the same kind of architectural environment in Casablanca, Morocco, where his family’s home was built around a courtyard similar to the one at Villa Vera Maria.

The layout of the landmarked house at 137 El Vedado Road pivots around the tiled entrance courtyard, which has an arched loggia opposite the main entrance gate. Doorways in the loggia lead to the foyer and stair hall. The house is listed for sale at $29 million.
The layout of the landmarked house at 137 El Vedado Road pivots around the tiled entrance courtyard, which has an arched loggia opposite the main entrance gate. Doorways in the loggia lead to the foyer and stair hall. The house is listed for sale at $29 million.

His family later moved to Canada and he attended college in Montreal, studying engineering.

“With all the work we’ve done, this is an easy house to maintain,” he says. “I’m not a handyman, but I can do things. But here, there is nothing to do.”

He still marvels at the home’s indoor-outdoor aesthetic: “This is a quintessential Palm Beach house, built to live outside while you are still living inside,” he notes. “It has unique architecture. It is all open.”

Moving from room to room often means stepping out to connecting open-air corridors, he explains.

“They are covered obviously — and we love that kind of environment,”  he says.

Front courtyard provides access to several parts of the Palm Beach house

The house stands on the northeast corner of South County Road and El Vedado Road, the third home from the beach.

El Vedado Road has long been considered one of the town’s top-tier addresses, along with the other two neighboring “El” streets — El Brillo Way and El Bravo Way. Dotted with historic and stately homes, El Vedado stretches between the Atlantic Ocean and a secluded lagoon on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Among their improvements, the Cohens redid the plumbing and electrical systems; installed air-conditioning; fitted the windows and doors with impact-resistant glass; modernized the bathrooms; and combined small rooms to make larger areas.

During their renovation, the Cohens combined the kitchen and dining room to create a state-of-the-art kitchen area suited for intimate gatherings and grand-scale entertaining. A contemporary-style dining table is at the far end. “We modernized (the house), but kept its character,” says Jacques Cohen.
During their renovation, the Cohens combined the kitchen and dining room to create a state-of-the-art kitchen area suited for intimate gatherings and grand-scale entertaining. A contemporary-style dining table is at the far end. “We modernized (the house), but kept its character,” says Jacques Cohen.

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The main house has a generalized H-shaped floor plan. A scrolled metal gate leads visitors into the front open-air courtyard, where a door opens directly into the living room to the west. On the north side of the courtyard is a covered loggia, with doorways that lead to the foyer and stair hall. On the east side of the “H” are the kitchen and dining room, and north of the living room are a study and guest bedroom suite.

“The (front) courtyard is really special. It has the original tile imported from Cuba, and all the gates are original. In the courtyard, there’s a (wall-mounted) wheel, with six (clock-style) ‘hands’ connected to different-sized bells. You turn the wheel and the bells ring — that’s our entrance bell,” he says.

In the courtyard’s covered area, a rectangle of architectural floor tile is signed in Arabic, he adds.

A revolving metal wheel with bells – the house’s “doorbell” – is mounted on the courtyard wall by the entrance gate.
A revolving metal wheel with bells – the house’s “doorbell” – is mounted on the courtyard wall by the entrance gate.

Second floor features covered cloister with a terrace and an open-air tower room

Central to the second floor’s layout is a covered cloister that opens to a terrace. There, a stairway leads up to an open-air tower “room” where columns support the roof beams.

“In the tower, it’s very peaceful  and you have a nice view of the pool,” Jacques says.

The main bedroom suite is in the east wing on the second floor, and two bedroom suites are in the west wing.

The guest house and porte-cochere are separate from the main residence.

The grotto-like swimming pool is surrounded by stone steps. The statue at the left was on the property when the Cohens bought the landmarked estate in 1987.
The grotto-like swimming pool is surrounded by stone steps. The statue at the left was on the property when the Cohens bought the landmarked estate in 1987.

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In the main home’s living room, original features include the high coffered ceiling with pecky-cypress beams; the working fireplace with its carved mantelpiece; and the original marble-tile flooring.

Leading to the west gardens, an arched door in the living room is framed with carved embellishments.

Another original door, which opens to the foyer, also is noteworthy, says Jacques.

“It’s amazing, an old hand-painted church door from Venice. I wish I could take it with me,” he says.

In the foyer itself, a massive pecky-cypress arched door leads to the first-floor bedroom and pool area, and the main staircase features the original Cuban tile.

Cohens installed a contemporary-style kitchen during their renovation

During their renovation, the Cohens combined the original dining room and kitchen.

“There used to be a wall between them. Now it’s an open, flowing space. We like (a) pure and clean (look) without clutter,” he explains. “We put in the ceramic tile floor, modern cabinetry, new counters and lighting.”

The space has a working fireplace with a carved marble mantel. French doors open to the courtyard.

In the main bedroom suite, more French doors open to a Juliet-style balcony with a treetop view. The Cohens installed limestone flooring in the bathrooms and bedroom and carved out space for closets.

They also completely rebuilt the guesthouse, which can double as staff quarters. With pecky-cypress ceilings, it has a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen.

The second-floor cloister looks out to a broad terrace that doubles as a sundeck. “When its windy, we put a lounge chair on the sundeck, and you don’t get the wind — you get the sun,” says homeowner Jacques Cohen.
The second-floor cloister looks out to a broad terrace that doubles as a sundeck. “When its windy, we put a lounge chair on the sundeck, and you don’t get the wind — you get the sun,” says homeowner Jacques Cohen.

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The lot, which measures about seven-tenths of an acre, is extensively landscaped.

“A previous owner was a horticulturalist, and he planted some interesting trees. We just cleaned everything up, maintained the grounds and added the pool,” Jacques says.

The statues around the pool are original to the house, as are the fountains.

From the driveway, a paved walkway leads to a set of stairs and a door that opens directly into the living room.
From the driveway, a paved walkway leads to a set of stairs and a door that opens directly into the living room.

Parting with their home will be difficult, he says.

“I am so used to this house — it’s going to be very hard to move out of here. We’ve lived in this house for 35 years. That’s a testimony to how much we love it.”

He adds: “We are the fourth family living in this house, so everyone stayed around 25 years on average.”

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To see more photos of 137 El Vedado Road in Palm Beach, click on the photo gallery at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach homes: 1920s landmark with courtyard layout lists at $29M