In early February, a 9-acre property set in the exclusive Port Royal neighborhood in Naples, Florida, landed on the market with a (very loud) bang.
The sprawling waterfront compound — known as Gordon Pointe — was listed for a whopping $295 million, a price point that instantly made it the most expensive home in U.S. history.
It was formerly home to Naples philanthropist and Federated Investors founder, John “Jack” F. Donahue and his wife Rhodora, who started amassing the land in the 1980s and built several structures to accommodate their growing family. Jack and Rhodora had 13 children together, and more than 80 grandchildren.
Following their passing (Donahue died in 2017, and his wife passed 5 years later in 2022), their heirs decided to part ways with the massive Naples estate and hired the best team in town to find them a buyer. It’s now listed for sale with Coldwell Banker Realty’s Dawn McKenna Group, in partnership with The Leighton Candler Team of Corcoran, and Rory McMullen of Savills, the London-based real estate firm.
Looking to unseat a $238 million penthouse at 220 Central Park South, Manhattan, the current record holder for the most expensive home sale in the country, Gordon Pointe has all the hallmarks of a record-breaker: an unbeatable location with over 1,600 feet of water frontage, a three-mansion compound, and enough acreage to build around 200,000 square feet of residential developments.
And the team in charge of marketing the property thought they’d give potential buyers a hand in envisioning all the possibilities Gordon Pointe has to offer. So they hired a lauded local architecture firm to visually show what the one-of-a-kind waterfront property could look like.
Architectural renderings show how the property could be transformed
Photo credit: Harrison Design / Dawn McKenna Group
Award-winning architecture firm Harrison Design recently completed renderings to show what Gordon Pointe could look like if future owners decide to raze the main structure and replace it with a 35,000-square-foot primary house on the beach.
They also included a massive, 22,000-square-foot guest house on the bay, with each of the two having its own pool.
Overall, the conceptual plans provide the option of a family compound with two expansive estates as well as a private 3-hole golf course, two gated but separate entries, a pickleball court, a beach cabana with a fully equipped summer kitchen, a separate pool, and a variety of fitness and water activity options.
Reimagining the property for its future owners
Photo credit: Harrison Design / Dawn McKenna Group
While its current layout was exactly what the Donahue family wanted, buyers with very deep pockets tend to have very specific tastes and might want to redevelop the site accordingly.
“This private, 9-acre property offers so many possibilities to the next owner. These renderings are a starting point to let the imagination run wild about the mansions, structures and amenities that could be the Gordon Pointe of the future,” notes Leighton Candler, founder of The Leighton Candler Team at Corcoran, part of the property’s sales team.
“Gordon Pointe offers all the benefits of being on a secluded island, while being just minutes away from renowned shopping and dining in the 5th Avenue region of Naples.”
What the $295M property currently looks like
Photo credit: Dawn McKenna Group / MLS
Far from your ordinary listing, Gordon Pointe is a unique private oasis located in the exclusive neighborhood of Port Royal in Naples, Florida.
The 9.04-acre lot is home to three mansions — a primary, 11,500-square-foot residence built in 1989, and two expansive guest houses — totaling 22,800 square feet of living space, with 6 bedrooms and 24 baths.
Gordon Pointe has an unmatched 1,655 feet of water frontage & a yacht basin
Photo credit: Harrison Design / Dawn McKenna Group
Surrounded by water on three sides, the Naples property has 708 feet of beachfront access with Gulf of Mexico views, 952 feet of bay views — bringing the total water frontage to an impressive 1,655 feet — and an “exclusive and extremely rare” yacht basin that measures 231 feet. There’s also a T-shaped dock for up to six boats.
“Gordon Pointe has the most impressive vessel accommodations in the city of Naples,” says David Hirshberg, manager of Galati Yacht Sales in Naples. “It’s most accurately described as a personal marina, due to its ability to safely house multiple vessels of all sizes.”
Buyer interest so far
Photo credit: Harrison Design / Dawn McKenna Group
Despite the prohibitive asking price, the sales team has received plenty of inquiries from interested parties:
“We have had considerable interest in this exceptional property, primarily from single families who plan to make this their private retreat. Some inquiries and offers have been from people who already have a significant property here in Port Royal. Others are from people with ties to the Midwest and Canada,” says Dawn McKenna, founder of Dawn McKenna Group, Coldwell Banker Realty. “We have also been fielding serious interest from abroad, including South America and Europe.”
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