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| Hoodlum Al Capone's former home on Palm Island, Maimi Beach, FL |
MIAMI BEACH, FL -- In 1928, Miami Beach’s polite society was rocked with the news that the infamous gangster, Chicago crime boss Al Capone, had purchased a home on Palm Island, one of the city’s newest and most prestigious addresses.
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| Gangster Al Capone always enjoyed a good cigar -- between alleged crimes |
Much to the consternation of the city fathers, local organizations
and even the state governor, Capone continued to live there until his death in
1947, and his wife, Mae, held onto the house until 1952.
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| Mae Capone, Al Capone's wife |
For decades, accounts of Capone’s connection with the home and Miami Beach have been a colorful part of the city’s history.
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| Todd Michael Glaser |
However, it has recently been purchased by a developer for $10.75
million, who will likely tear it down and replace it with a two-story modern
spec home, according to
During the early development of Miami Beach, causeways - roads built on landfill and bridges - spanned the distance over Biscayne Bay from Miami to Miami Beach.
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| Jeffrey Epstein |
Developers also dredged the bay to create man-made residential islands extending off the causeways.
With only one gated entry and exit to each island and heavy police security, homes were considered to be very secure.
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| Gloria Estefan |
It was an ideal location for Capone. He bought the 1922 home at a distressed sale price of $40,000, two years after the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 that wiped out much of the city.
He then poured
$200,000 - over $3 million in 2021 dollars - to install a gatehouse, a seven-foot-high
wall, searchlights, cabana and coral rock grotto.
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| Don Johnson |
For additional security, he had guards posted
on the second floor of the cabana to protect him from anyone arriving by boat
and also at the gatehouse.
Safe and secure from
his Chicago crime rivals, it was the home where Capone was vacationing, and his
alibi, when his gang pulled off the 1929 Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.
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| Rosie O’Donnell |
Capone returned to the home after he was released from prison in 1939, and where he lived until he died in 1947.
The Capone home with
6,077 square feet, four bedrooms and a pool has been through several changes in
ownership over the years.
It is now owned by
the same South Florida developer, Todd Michael Glaser, who recently
purchased and then demolished Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion.
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| Sean Combs |
Similar to the
Epstein setting, Capone’s home is on a prime waterfront lot that Glaser plans
to tear down and replace with a modern two-story home with eight bedrooms,
eight bathrooms, a Jacuzzi, spa and sauna.
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| Shaquille O’Neal |
Still one of Florida’s most upscale neighborhoods with home prices ranging from about $20 million to over $40 million, Palm Island and its close neighbors Hibiscus Island and Star Island are accessed from MacArthur Causeway that traverses Biscayne Bay from Brickell Avenue on the Miami side to South Miami Beach.
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| Phillip Frost |
It is conveniently located for easy access to South Beach, Key Biscayne and Coconut Grove with a plethora of restaurants, upscale shopping, white-sand beaches and entertainment venues both on the mainland and Miami Beach.
Many celebrities
have also made these islands home, such as Gloria Estefan, Don Johnson,
Rosie O’Donnell, Sean Combs, Shaquille O’Neal and Phillip Frost.
Contact:
Genelle C. Brown
Content Manager, Media Division
TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
Phone: 336-459-3728
Twitter: @toptenrealestat
facebook.com/toptenrealestat
Photo
credit: EWM Realty International
Sources: TopTenRealEstateDeals.com and www.93palm.com
Video: https://youtu.be/58OR1z_qeMk
Video Credit: Sean Evans, @evvo1991 backtothemovies.com/
