4787 Apalachee StreetJacksonville, FL 32210Sale Price: $2,600,000

This lovely home is private,hidden from Ortega Blvd. It sits very high above the water on .87/acre on the wide St. Johns River. Featuring a rare expansive panorama of Jacksonville's downtown skyline, the location is unique and beautiful. After merging riverfront land with a piece of Los Cedros, Leland Burpee developed the Apalachee cul-de-sac & the land. He and his wife had the home built 32-33 years ago. Days are picturesque and lively in this incredible location with nesting bald eagles, great blue herons, ospreys, the Ortega barred owls and the little singing birds all over the yard - not to mention the water life. The unreal sunrises and sunsets are ever-present while the City's twinkling skyline makes this home a fascinating location in Jacksonville. (click more) Large flowing areas throughout the home promotes a sense of grandeur. The backyard is suited for tenting and has hosted 400 people yet at the same time, the home is intimate and designed for family life. With an approximate 6144 SF inside, 2 oversized garages for 3 cars & about 10-12 additional spaces for guests in the paver parking area out front, parking is thoughtful and works really well for parties and guests - or high-schoolers wanting to fish and swim. The double mahogany front doors welcome you into a large entrance hall with an approximate 25 foot ceiling. An antique iron candelabra out of a Scottish castle is the centerpiece. The tall Pella window bank above the front doors feels majestic. It brings sunlight & moonlight into the room for spectacular plays of light all hours of the day and night. The wrought iron work on the staircase and grounds was hand forged by a local iron artist. The living room is designed for entertaining and is approximately 1000 SF with 11 ft ceilings. It features beamed mahogany ceilings and a grand fireplace enhanced by an antique gothic mantle and custom made glass and iron doors. 2 sets of glass doors lead to the river terrace & 3 sets of mahogany pocket doors lead into adjacent rooms, It is a magnificent formal living room which flows beautifully into the dining room also with an 11 ft ceiling. The dining room table seats 12 with all the leaves in place and looks onto a private courtyard of greenery lit at night with accent lighting for a special touch. Dinners flow from the dining room to the living room to the bar spilling onto the river terrace for the wonderful breezes and dynamic colorful downtown view. (All downstairs moudlings and baseboards are mahogany.) The kitchen is open and large and is the perfect place to cook with the river as your backdrop. The custom designed cabinets are lacquered for a surface that lasts 'a lifetime'. The butler's pantry displays your glassware. Cooking in this room offers miles of counter space with room for your kids to sit at the breakfast counter to do homework. The lovely TV room off the kitchen has an approximate 13 1/2 ft ceiling and is a great place to hang out. The views from these rooms are spectacular. The formal bar is a great place for the piano player in the family to bring everyone together. A couple of notable musicians have played this piano and signed autographs in this very bar! Lots of great parties happened in this home...a tradition to maintain! The custom crafted south African mahogany library or 'den' works great as a place to read or listen to music. It is currently the prettiest office in Jacksonville with the pool, the knot garden and the river view. There are 3 spacious bedrooms upstairs all with large walk-in closets. 2 bedrooms share a very large bathroom designed with white marble tile, brass fixtures, a jetted tub and a large shower. Kids love to hang out with you in the bathroom's bay window as you get ready for work. There is an elevator to carry you and your luggage up & down if you don't want to use the stairs. The elevator is a very helpful way to remain in the home forever when the time comes you can't do the stairs. One of these bedrooms has a glass door to the upstairs covered terrace. The reading area outside the 2 bedrooms overlooks a private courtyard below with windows that flood the room with sunlight. The third bedroom is lovely and also has a glass door out onto the upstairs terrace. It has a private bath featuring white marble tiles. There is access to a large storage room space from this room. The extra huge downstairs bedroom has a private dressing room and full bath also with white marble tile and Brunschwig & Fils designer wallpaper. It can fit two queen sized beds. It is a private room, tucked away and very peaceful. Closets are abundant in this well planned home. There is a nice laundry room with side by side machines and numerous cabinets. This utility area off the door to the garages has another walk-in closet plus other storage closets. Outside in the garage there are 2 large closets and additional space for storage. The garages are extra deep and wide and are measured to be about 1060 SF. The roof barrel clay tile, each tile handmade in Venezuela. The tiles are rated to last 100 years. There is a small metal roof that was installed in 2019 when the TV room off the kitchen was renovated. The gorgeous barrel tile roof adds interest and character to the design. The home is high & dry and Irma proved it. Leland was involved with developing Pace Island and The Plantation At Ponte Vedra so he made sure the house sat well above flood levels. The incredible sturdiness of the construction proved mighty when the home didn't move when Irma hit the house with insanely strong winds at 3 am. The wide, unobstructed view of downtown is not often found in Jacksonville thanks to the greenery of the Los Cedros lawn next door. There are no docks obstructing your view towards downtown. Come discover this very special peaceful home in a unique location. Plan to spend time walking around the grounds because the landscaping is gorgeous. The garden outside the office was designed as a traditional English knot garden. Welcome to a fascinatiing and beautiful home in Ortega Terrace built with character and strength and adored by many. The Burpees have loved this home for 33 years and welcome you, the new family who we hope will love it for another 33+ years. Congratulations!