Rebuilt house on Palm Beach estate formerly owned by Lilly Pulitzer lists at $54.9 million

Asking $54.9 million, Joan Granlund is selling the house she rebuilt and expanded on the 1.3-acre Palm Beach estate that for many years was the home of the late fashion designer known to the world as Lilly Pulitzer.

Granlund, who was once married to energy billionaire William “Bill” Koch of Palm Beach, carried out an extensive remodeling project at the property at 710 S. County Road in the Estate Section.

Granlund bought the property for a recorded $8.2 million in December 2013 from the estate of the fashion icon, whose married name was Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau and who had built the original compound in 1983 with her late husband, Enrique Rousseau.

Although Granlund had originally planned to merely remodel the property, work crews discovered that much of the house was unsalvageable once the work began in earnest, Palm Beach architect Mark Marsh told the Palm Beach Daily News in 2015.

As a result, the house required a much more extensive renovation, with the majority of the work qualifying as new construction. But Marsh said much of the footprint of the Rousseaus’ famous compound — where the couple often hosted poolside parties and served dinner in an open-air slat house designed for growing orchids — would remain intact.

The original renovation plans approved in 2014 by the Architectural Commission included a new two-story garage wing, a new swimming pool and a new clay tennis court.

Lilly Pulitzer Five things you probably didn't know about this Palm Beach fashion icon

Today, the estate — with a total of four bedrooms — includes the main residence and two guesthouses. The modified Georgian-style architecture with West Indies influences features a white exterior, awning-style window shutters and a rooftop cupola that brings natural light into the foyer.

Broker Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate has the listing, which went active on Dec. 21 in the multiple listing service.

Eight streets south of Worth Avenue, the estate has 200 feet of frontage facing South County Road and an unusually high elevation of 16 feet. Novelist James Patterson's oceanfront home at 710 S. Ocean Boulevard stands immediately to the east.

Angle’s sales listing describes Granlund’s estate as a “sunny and bright” with “stunning detailing throughout.” The grounds are “immaculate” and lushly landscaped and feature a circular driveway with a motor court, separate service parking and a two-car garage.

FROM THE 2014 ARCHIVES: Palm Beach Architectural Commission OKs makeover of former Lilly Pulitzer estate

Inside, the living room has hardwood flooring, high ceilings and French doors, the listing said.

The dining room walls are decorated with lattice-work details, and the well-equipped kitchen has an expansive work island and a breakfast area with a garden view.

The remodeled tennis house has terrazzo floors, a living-and-dining area and a kitchenette.

Granlund owns her estate through a trust in her name, property records show. She has the house designated as her primary home in the latest Palm Beach County tax rolls.

Granlund divorced Koch in the mid-1990s and is the mother of their son, Wyatt.

Koch, who twice remarried, founded Oxbow Group, an energy-development holding company, as well as Oxbridge Academy, a private school near West Palm Beach. He once worked for his family’s business, Koch Industries, which eventually was run by his late twin brother, David Koch, and his brother Charles Koch. Bill Koch achieved fame when he skippered the sailboat that won the America’s Cup competition in 1992.

When the property on South County Road sold in December 2013, Brown Harris Stevens real estate agents Liza and Peter McKim Pulitzer were the listing agents for the estate of their mother. Agent Nancy Mendel of Sotheby's International Realty represented Granlund.

Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau, who was widowed in 1993, died at 81 in 2013.

The Rousseaus built their custom house as part of a nine-bedroom compound designed for indoor-outdoor living amid densely landscaped gardens that the fashion icon often described as “a jungle.”

FROM THE 2013 ARCHIVES: Palm Beach style icon Lilly Pulitzer dies at 81

Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau had a home on the island since she arrived in 1950 with her first husband, the late publishing heir Peter Pulitzer Jr. Her fashion empire traces its roots to the early 1960s, when she designed her own tropically patterned shifts in bright colors. They soon became a must-have among the society set.

She operated her eponymous company until 1984, and the brand was relaunched in 1993. In 2010, it was acquired by Oxford Industries, to whom she served as an adviser until shortly before she died. Among its stores, the company has a Lilly Pulitzer boutique on Worth Avenue.

FROM THE ARCHIVES Bill Koch shares leadership, success strategies at gathering inPalm Beach

dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com

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This story was updated from a previous version. This is a developing story. Check back for any updates. 

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Darrell Hofheinz is a USA TODAY Network of Florida journalist who writes about Palm Beach real estate in his weekly “Beyond the Hedges” column. He welcomes tips about real estate news on the island. Email dhofheinz@pbdailynews.com, call 561-820-3831 or tweet @PBDN_Hofheinz.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Home on Lilly Pulitzer's former estate listed for $54.9M in Palm Beach