The story
- Pool
Built by Henry Ford’s great grandson as his private estate, this extraordinary 67-acre property offers a rare combination of history, privacy, natural beauty, and self-sufficient country living just minutes from Alachua and Gainesville. A gated, lamp-lined drive winds beneath rows of producing pecan trees before arriving at the nearly 6,700-square-foot main residence, surrounded by creeks, ponds, mature woods, and sweeping views in nearly every direction. Inside, the six-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath main home is defined by remarkable scale and craftsmanship, with rare heart-of-pine floors, generous living spaces, a billiards room, bonus room, and walls of windows framing the landscape beyond. The main living room overlooks a waterfall and picturesque swimming pond, while four expansive screened porches create nearly 2,000 additional square feet of outdoor living space. The nearly 1,200-square-foot primary suite feels like a private residence of its own. Three sets of French doors open to a porch overlooking the swimming pond, while a fireplace and sitting area create an intimate retreat. Two enormous custom closets lead to an equally impressive bath with dual water closets, mahogany and marble vanities, and a matching mahogany and marble soaking tub positioned to capture extraordinary views across the creek, pond, and pecan orchard. At the heart of the home, the kitchen pairs custom cherry cabinetry with a Wolf gas range, Sub-Zero refrigeration, warming drawer, two wine chillers, dual sinks, a large island, walk-in pantry, and dedicated coffee bar. Across the swimming pond, a roughly 650-square-foot pool house and expansive decks create another exceptional destination on the property—ideal as a gym, private office, guest retreat, or transformed into a spectacular indoor/outdoor entertaining space. Continue across the bridge and through the trees to discover a secluded two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath guest house with its own two-stall barn. Elsewhere, an oversized climate-controlled garage, large air-conditioned bunker, and more than 5,000 square feet of covered pole barns provide exceptional space for vehicles, equipment, storage, horses, and recreational toys. The land itself is every bit as compelling as the residences. Acres of producing pecan trees provide agricultural property tax exemptions, while two natural creeks, a stocked fishing pond, open pasture, wooded acreage, and abundant wildlife create a setting that feels worlds away. Extensive solar, buried propane, a multi-thousand-gallon water tank, generator, fuel storage, and a working windmill and pump provide the infrastructure for an almost entirely self-sufficient lifestyle. In total, the estate offers eight bedrooms, seven full and two half baths across multiple structures, with extraordinary flexibility for multigenerational living, guests, recreation, equestrian use, or simply disappearing into your own private piece of Florida. All of this, just 7 minutes from downtown Alachua and approximately 10 minutes from I-75—a legacy estate with a story, scale, and sense of place that would be nearly impossible to recreate today.
