| Business & Outdoors DESTIN HARBOR PLACE |
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| In the center of Destin, at
the widest point of its bustling harbor, stands one of the newest and
most architecturally unique buildings in town: Destin Harbor
Place. This exclusive waterfront condominium is a perfect example
of classic art deco design and the realization of a dream-come-true for
Montgomery lawyer turned reluctant developer, Richard Jordan. "I don't profess to be a developer," explained Jordan. "But, after coming to Destin beaches for years, I finally noticed the beauty of the harbor on a crisp day in the fall of 1993 and decided that's where I wanted to live. I liked the idea of living in the center of activity so I could walk or go by boat to many of Destin's restaurants, shops and attractions." As fate would have it, Jordan noticed a for sale sign on a harbor front lot and the rest is history. Jordan purchased the lot for $435,000 from a lady in Arkansas who had bought it in 1964 for $25,000. "So, now I had this property but had never done any developing," said Jordan. "I had no idea what I was getting into." Jordan soon teamed up with architect Victor Bowman of Seaside, with whom he had worked as a partner in the Henderson Park Inn. "Vic Bowman and Carolyn Pendleton deserve all of the credit for the design of the building. I just told them I wanted something architecturally unique," added Jordan. "The last thing I was expecting was an art deco building." Jordan's first impression was that the building "looked like a spaceship," and proceeded to query his friends about the concept. "I remembered what Lee Iocca said in his book that a good salesman never asks a customer if he likes his new car, he asks how his friends like his new car," said Jordan. "My friends loved it, so I loved it." "I was committed. I had an architect, the plans, had paid for the land, but I didn't feel comfortable developing anything," said Jordan. Not familiar with Destin developers, Jordan started looking around for a partner to handle the development and settled on Frank Flautt who had worked on the Hilton, the Summit, Beach Side Villas and the Tides and was anxious to work on Harbor Place. Flautt brought in Bob Earwood of Memphis as a consulting engineer. "Because of Frank and Bob's ongoing business relationship with McCrory of Birmingham, we were able to contract with them for the construction," said Jordan. "The addition of Bob, Frank and McCrory has made the project much better than I could have ever done alone." |
Although the project has taken five years to complete, Jordan feels
there's a blessing to delay as the public has been able to absorb the
sticker shock from what upscale Destin condominiums cost in
today's market. Jordan's philosophy was to build, complete, then sell. Consequently, there was no advertising or marketing done on Destin Harbor Place. The only pre-sales were to friends and investors who were willing to pay for their units up front. Of the twelve custom-designed residences in the building, only five remain available. Prices for two bedroom units vary from $399,000 for a 1315 square foot unfurnished unit to $629,000 for a 2007 square foot furnished unit. Only one three bedroom unit is available for $540,000. Destin Harbor Place features views galore. Each unit has at least one spacious balcony of up to 40 feet and specially designed panoramic windows allowing views of Destin's working harbor. Views of the Gulf are possible from the unique rooftop terrace. A private boat dock is mounted on pre-stressed concrete pilings driven 35 feet into the ground. Boat slips come with electricity, water, phone and cable. Three boat slips are available for purchase for $40,000-$50,000. Each unit has a private boat locker in the basement for boating equipment which is equipped with fire protection sprinklers and electrical power. "One real feature for those people who are concerned with the environment," said Jordan, "No water leaves the premises. There is no runoff. All water is collected on the roof and piped down through the building into an infiltration system and is maintained underneath the property. It does not go into the harbor, does not go into the street." Other features of this new concrete and steel waterfront complex include a heated harborside swimming pool, garages for some units, trellised covered parking for 30 vehicles, lush landscaping, elevators, a state-of-the-art multi-purpose room. In addition, the use of glass block, polished aluminum doors and fiberoptic lighting enhance the street appeal of the building. Angela Parkhurst is a real estate agent with Anchors Resorts Realty in Destin and specializes in the sale of condos and beach property. She can be reached at (850) 585-3993 or emailed at Ang4Destin@aol.com. She can be visited on the internet at Angela4Destin.com. |