One of the St. Johns County’s most opulent homes is now under contract, with proceeds from the sale going to brain cancer research.
The oceanfront estate at 1185 Ponte Vedra Boulevard, currently listed at $18 million, drew national attention not only for its grandeur, but for its purpose: all monies from the sale will benefit the Sontag Foundation, a world-renowned nonprofit focused on brain cancer research.
Originally priced at $25.5 million, the Mediterranean-style home was donated to the foundation by its longtime owner, entrepreneur Rick Sontag, in honor of his late wife, Susan Sontag, who battled brain cancer for nearly three decades.
“Rick gifted the home to the foundation, and the foundation is selling it. So the proceeds will go toward their research,” Sotheby’s broker Michelle Floyd, who represents the property, previously told The Citizen.
The home sits on nearly three acres with 320 feet of ocean frontage, perched about 30 feet above sea level, offering rare elevation and privacy on a stretch known for luxury real estate.
Designed by Hanson Architects and built in 1994 by Dana Kenyon, the 8-bedroom estate features soaring ceilings, a 16-by-30-foot skylit atrium, and a wine cellar, among other amenities.
Rick and Susan Sontag built the home the same year she was diagnosed. In 2002, after selling his Jacksonville-based aerospace firm Unison, the couple founded the Sontag Foundation, which has since become one of the largest private funders of brain tumor research in the world.
“There’s nothing else like it in Northeast Florida,” she said. “It has a long, winding driveway surrounded by what feels like a jungle. You don’t even realize you’re in Ponte Vedra until the bluff opens up to the ocean.”
