800 S County Road, Palm Beach, FL 33480

Significance

The house is attributed to Addison Mizner and is reported as 1 of just 2 Venetian style residences he built in Palm Beach. Press and archival sources identify the original client as Arthur B. Claflin and place construction in 1923, while the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser record and the current listing page both show 1928, so sources differ on the year built. The Town of Palm Beach landmark list records a designation date of 22 May 1980. Following flooding from the Lake Worth Lagoon, the property underwent a multi year gut renovation and elevation project reported between 2020 and 2025. It returned to the market in December 2025 at $175,000,000 and carried a reduced asking price of $157,000,000 by September 2026.

Documented timeline

1. 1923

   Built for Arthur B. Claflin

   Press and archival sources record the house as designed by Addison Mizner for Arthur B. Claflin, a New York businessman. The county appraiser record shows 1928 instead.[1][2]

2. 1980

   Town of Palm Beach landmark designation

   The Town's landmark property list records a designation date of 22 May 1980. The document was not independently verified, so the date is carried at medium confidence.[4]

3. 2018

   Offered at $32,500,000

   The estate was publicly listed in January 2018 at an asking price of $32,500,000.[2]

4. 2020

   Sold for a recorded $24,000,000

   In January 2020 the property sold to Ann DesRuisseaux, taking title through a trust, at a recorded price of $24,000,000.[5]

5. 2020 to 2025

   Gut renovation and elevation project

   Press reports describe a multi year gut renovation and structural elevation of the house following flooding from the Lake Worth Lagoon.[3][6]

6. 2025

   Relisted at $175,000,000

   The house returned to the market on 19 December 2025 at $175,000,000, offered by Margit Brandt of Premier Estate Properties.[3][7]

7. 2026

   Asking price reduced to $157,000,000

   By September 2026 the asking price had been reduced to $157,000,000 under MLS number RX-11148150, with Margit Brandt of Premier Estate Properties as the listing agent.[6][9]

Ownership of record

Press coverage of the January 2020 transaction reports Ann DesRuisseaux as the buyer, and parcel data records the owner of record as Desruisseaux Land Trust. The seller in that transaction, and any owner before it, are not named in the sources reviewed. Current occupants are not identified; this dossier describes recorded and reported transactions only.

Current status

Listed for sale at $157,000,000 as of September 2026 (MLS RX-11148150), Margit Brandt, Premier Estate Properties.

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 1980 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.
• The parcel is lakefront and the reported renovation followed flooding from the Lake Worth Lagoon. Obtain the current FEMA flood zone determination, the base flood elevation, and any elevation certificate issued after the elevation work.
• Commission an independent condition assessment of the seawall, bulkhead, or revetment serving the lakefront frontage, and confirm ownership and maintenance responsibility for it.
• Sources differ on the year built, 1923 in architectural and press accounts against 1928 in the county record. Reconcile both against Town of Palm Beach permit history before relying on either date 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 a land trust 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.