Historic Lake County mansion to open for tours
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS — Over wine and cheese, members of the Howey-inthe-Hills Garden & Civic Club listened as the new owner of the Howey mansion discussed the historic property’s rehabilitation.
“It’s just incredible that this family has taken on this huge monumental chore of restoring this,” said Martha MacFarlane, 59, who was invited as a club member to attend an exclusive tour of the mansion, which had been vacant for nearly a decade and fallen into disrepair.
Brothers Brad and Clay Cowherd of Orlando closed on the six-bedroom Mediterranean-style mansion in July for $630,000. Speaking to garden club members during their Dec. 10 visit, Brad Cowherd announced that they plan to open the mansion, which was built in 1925 by the town’s founder, early next year as a wedding venue and for tours. Already, the Howey mansion has landed a dozen wedding bookings.
“Once we become a wedding venue and tours get stable, then we can start adding in other lines,” he said. “We can start getting memberships so people can come on the grounds, called ‘soul care,’ for some reflective time.”
Cowherd — who owns Infusion Tea cafe, the Doghouse restaurant and Soda Fountain ice-cream shop in Orlando — said plans also call for starting a bed-andbreakfast at the mansion probably by the end of 2018.
The brothers have spent at least $500,000 in materials and expert craftsmen to restore the Gatsby-esque mansion, which had languished the past several years. Bushy vines shrouded portions of the mansion, giving it a shabby appearance.
The signature clay tile roof had been stained by moss and mildew. The wall in the master bedroom had been chipped away by vandals trying to find a backdoor into a safe implanted there.
The work has included redoing wooden floors, replacing windows, removing rust and cleaning the roof. Most of the mansion has been furnished with ornate furniture.
“They’re not just throwing in any old antiques,” McFarlane said. “They’re having someone search for period-appropriate furnishings.”
Despite strong interest in the mansion from Central Florida and beyond, Cowherd has given locals who have helplessly watched the town’s treasure decay for years exclusive sneak peeks of the renovated home.
The 7,188-square-foot house off State Road 19 has taken on a new glow reminiscent of its old Florida grandeur. A cast-iron balustrade leads up to the second floor by way of a circular stair case in the foyer. A semi-circle of stained glass laden with geometric shapes frames a door made from pecky cypress.
Its original owner, William J. Howey, twice ran unsuccessfully for Florida governor. A citrus magnate who founded the small Lake County town of Howey-inthe-Hills, he once hosted the New York Civic Opera in an event that drew a reported 15,000 people on the property. He died in 1938. His widow, Mary Grace Hastings, lived there until she died in 1981.
The mansion, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was sold in 1984 to Chicago heiress Marvel Zona.
She lost it in 2008 after being unable to make monthly payments.