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Epping Forest Yacht Club
Jacksonville
Built in 1927 by Harold Saxelbye of Marsh & Saxelbye.
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In 1926 Alfred I. DuPont and his wife, Jessie Ball DuPont, purchased 60 acres that included 3,200 feet of water front property on the widest part of the St. Johns River. Construction on the Mansion started in 1926 and was completed in less than one year. The Mansion is approximately 15,000 square feet and originally contained 25 rooms. The duPont’s commissioned Dr. Harold H. Hume, the Dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Florida, to design the garden’s layout which leads from the back of the Mansion to the St. John’s River. The property also features one of Alfred I. duPont’s original inventions, a water wheel and wheelhouse. The twenty foot diameter brass water wheel was designed to aerate the water, remove sulfur and to provide water pressure.
The Mansion features a unique mixture of Gothic, Spanish Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles. It is adorned with brick courtyards, beautifully carved pilasters for the balconies, original marble and tile floors and heavily carved oak wood doors, all of which are a part of the original estate. Each ceiling on the first floor was hand carved by European artisans which Alfred duPont brought over to help construct the mansion. Throughout the gardens one can notice the original fountains and stonework. Because Mr. DuPont loved wildlife, owls are displayed all over the gardens and the fountains contain various animals.
Return to: Florida Top 100 Building Survey
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