A 10,000-square-foot home with a beach view in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL property is listed at $25.5 million, with proceeds benefitting a brain cancer foundation.
The home is a Spanish Colonial style oceanfront home 30′ above the ocean with 2.87 acres of land. Nestled in native oak trees and foliage, homeowners can enjoy maximized privacy.
Just a couple of the features of the home include a Spanish terra cotta tile roof, Spanish tile and teak floors, mahogany exterior windows, custom made wrought iron chandeliers with a total of five bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms.
A special feature includes a ground basement room with an adjacent underground wine cellar.
But, what makes this house even more special is the family who has called this ‘home’ for over 30 years.
Rick Sontag and his late wife, Susan, purchased the land on Ponte Vedra Boulevard in 1992 with the dream of creating a home that would host events and build a sense of community. But just two-and-a-half months before that dream could take shape, Susan suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with a terminal form of brain cancer.
A decade later, Sontag sold his aviation company, Unison, to General Electric, securing the financial resources to make a difference in the fight against the disease that had forever changed his wife and their children’s lives.
The proceeds from the sale helped establish The Sontag Foundation, now one of North America’s largest private funders of brain tumor research.
Two decades after launching the foundation, Susan passed away after battling brain cancer for 28 years. Now, left alone in a house far too large for one person, Sontag is determined to further the foundation’s mission.
“I want to make a difference in the fight against this disease and its impact on people,” he told the Business Journal. “This home, which my wife envisioned, can help support the foundation’s work and provide hope for others facing the same struggle.”
Typically, when someone sells a multi-million-dollar home, the proceeds go toward buying another luxury property. But as Michelle Floyd, the Realtor representing Sontag, explains, this sale is different.
“You’re not just buying a stunning, oceanfront home. The proceeds are going directly toward supporting cancer research,” Floyd said. “I think anyone who purchases this property would take pride in knowing their investment is making a real impact.”
In an unprecedented move, Sontag has already donated the home to the foundation, which will serve as the seller. Rather than wait for the house to sell after his death, Sontag chose to list it now so he can personally highlight the home’s unique features.
The home was initially listed for $37 million, which included two additional oceanfront lots on either side of the property. While the listing now includes only the house, the additional lots are still available for purchase.
Though no offers have been made yet, Floyd reported strong interest in the property, which is situated in a thriving luxury real estate market in Northeast Florida.
At a sale price of $25.5 million, the proceeds would increase the Sontag Foundation’s endowment by more than 10%, enabling it to fund more brain tumor research and expand its support of the Brain Tumor Network. The network, a sister organization, connects patients with nurses and social workers who help them navigate treatment options and clinical trials at no cost.
“I’ve let go of the idea of accumulating more wealth for myself,” Sontag said. “My purpose now is to help others, and I do that through my foundation and by supporting patients across North America.”
The home, designed by Hansen Architects of Savannah, Georgia, and built by local contractor Dana B. Kenyon Company, was crafted with that mission in mind. From the mahogany library cabinets made by a Jacksonville Beach carpenter, to the balcony decks overlooking the ocean, to the 17th-century dining room table purchased in London, the property at 1185 Ponte Vedra Blvd. is like no other — and its sale will be equally unique.
