174 Via Del Lago, Palm Beach, FL 33480

Significance

Southwood is a documented Marion Sims Wyeth commission, built in 1934 for Dr. John A. Vietor and his wife Eleanor Woodward Vietor, a Jell-O heiress, at a reported cost of $190,000. The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach describes the house as Tropical Colonial, combining Monterey and Southern Colonial detailing on a U shaped plan. The Town of Palm Beach designated it a landmark in 1990. The house was listed at $64,900,000 in December 2020 and sold on 26 March 2021 at $57,000,000. The Preservation Foundation record and the county appraiser record agree on the 1934 construction date.

Documented timeline

1. 1934

   Built for the Vietor family

   The house was built for Dr. John A. Vietor and Eleanor Woodward Vietor to a design by Marion Sims Wyeth, at a reported construction cost of $190,000.[1]

2. 1990

   Town of Palm Beach landmark designation

   The Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach records a Town landmark designation in 1990. The sources reviewed do not give the month or day.[1]

3. 2020

   Listed at $64,900,000

   The house was listed on 16 December 2020 at $64,900,000 by Christian Angle of Christian Angle Real Estate. A secondary aggregator reports the seller as an interest tied to Beatrice Tollman and the Red Carnation Hotel group, which is not confirmed by a primary press source.[3][4]

4. 2021

   Sold for $57,000,000

   The sale closed on 26 March 2021 at $57,000,000. The buyer was represented by Suzanne Frisbie.[4][5]

5. 2026

   No active public listing found

   Parcel data records the owner of record as 174 VDL Investment LLC. Listing portals reviewed in September 2026 show the property as not currently for sale, and no active relisting was located.[5][6]

Ownership of record

Parcel data records the owner of record after the 2021 sale as 174 VDL Investment LLC, with a registered address at 222 Lakeview Avenue, Suite 1500, West Palm Beach. A secondary aggregator reports the seller in that transaction as an interest tied to Beatrice Tollman and the Red Carnation Hotel group; that attribution is not confirmed by a primary press source and is carried here at medium confidence. The buyer was represented by Suzanne Frisbie and is not otherwise named in the sources reviewed. Current occupants are not identified; this dossier describes recorded and reported transactions only.

Current status

Sold 26 March 2021 for $57,000,000; no active public listing found as of September 2026.

Buyer diligence

• Exterior alteration, addition, and demolition at a designated landmark are subject to review by the Town of Palm Beach Landmarks Preservation Commission. Confirm the scope of that review, and any conditions attached to the 1990 designation, with the Town before underwriting a renovation.
• The Town of Palm Beach administers an ad valorem tax exemption for qualifying rehabilitation of landmarked property. Whether this house and a specific scope of work qualify is a question for the Town; confirm eligibility, application timing, and procedure directly with it.
• Obtain the current FEMA flood zone determination, the base flood elevation, and any existing elevation certificate for the parcel before pricing insurance or a renovation.
• If the parcel carries lake or ocean frontage, commission an independent condition assessment of the seawall or bulkhead and confirm ownership and maintenance responsibility for it.
• The Preservation Foundation record and the county appraiser record agree on a 1934 construction date. Confirm it against Town of Palm Beach permit history before relying on it for insurance, code, or renovation analysis.
• The parcel control number shown here comes from a third party mirror of county appraiser data. Confirm it, and the legal description, directly with the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser.

What the record cannot show

• Beneficial owners behind trusts and limited liability companies. A recorded grantee such as 174 VDL Investment LLC names the vehicle, not the individuals behind it.
• Condition and renovation cost. Neither the deed nor the appraiser's record reports the quality of the work performed or what it cost.
• Unrecorded off market negotiations. Offers, withdrawn contracts, and private terms leave no public trace.
• Interior alterations that did not require a permit. Work of that kind does not appear in Town permit history.