Former Grand Opera Chairman David Treitel lists his Grove house for $4.45 million
David Treitel, the former chairman of Florida Grand Opera’s Board of Directors, and his wife Carla D’Andre are ready to say arrivederci to their Italian provincial house in Coconut Grove for $4.45 million.
Treitel listed the 6,552square-foot, two-story Estate Botanica in December. Built in 1931, Estate
Botanica has six bedrooms and five bathrooms. The house has a home office, pool, a onebedroom, one-bathroom guesthouse and twocar garage. It is walking distance from Ransom Everglades School, the all-girls Carrollton School of Sacred Heart and the
Barnacle Historic State Park.
The senior vice president of Fort Lauderdale-based Zephyrus Aviation Capital, Treitel joined the Florida Grand Opera in 2013 as a board member. He later led the board of directors for two years starting in 2015.
Treitel wants to sell now given the influx of out-ofstate buyers, said Judy Zeder, Realtor-associate at the Jills Zeder Group. Zeder and her son, brokerassociate Nathan Zeder, are representing Treitel. “Even though there is a pandemic, there is a huge influx of buyers from the Northeast and California. It’s perfect timing.”
Zeder has a handful of tours lined up for the coming days. All prospective buyers are coming from New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and San Francisco and searching for a primary residence.
“These buyers want period homes, something built between 1925 and 1940,” Zeder said. “A lot of those homes have high ceilings and are able to catch cross breezes.”
Treitel purchased Estate Botanica in 2010 for $1.6 million. Treitel and D’Andre hired architect Ira Giller — son of the “Godfather of MiMo” architect Norman Giller — to renovate the house in 2012. Some original features remain, including the staircase and doorknobs. Zeder declined to disclose how much renovations cost.
Estate Botanica is listed for $679 per square foot, 14% higher than the most comparable listing. The 6,532-square-foot house at 3822 Leafy Way is listed for $3.8 million, or $582 per square foot.
Since D’Andre is a horseback rider, the couple are looking across Florida for a ranch to call home. Other South Florida sellers are looking for a lifestyle change since the pandemic, including Don Peebles and Michael Horvitz.
South Florida sellers are met with high demand. Buyers are relocating from across the country, especially the Northeast. The decline in inventory is leading to rising prices.