2500 Gordon Drive (Naples, Florida)

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2500 Gordon Drive ( goo.gl/maps/vLU1C )

Since 1937 there have been 5 owners of this property:
1) a beer baron
2) a land developer
3) the developer's wife
4) the Collier family & associated businesses
5) a high tech entrepreneur

When 2500 Gordon Drive sold in 2007 it was the most expensive sale ever for a private residence in Naples at $40 million. The buyer was Arthur L. Allen and the seller Miles C. Collier. www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/jun/19/40_million_port_roy...

Video of 2500 Gordon drive during the 1985 demolition of the original 1937 mansion. Video includes an interview with Muriel (Lutgert) Stevenson's son, Craig Stevenson who lived in the house with his mother and step-father in the 1960's. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hizd9PIbwwA

1964 newspaper advertisement of the original 1937 mansion put up for sale by heirs to the Schiltz Brewing empire @ $300,000 imgur.com/zcOdotO

Summary:

The property was purchased in 1937 by the chairman and 2nd generation descendant of the founder of the Schlitz brewing company, at that time Schlitz was the largest beer company in the world. William B. Uihlein and his wife built a 9 bedroom Palm Beach style mansion. The property was sold in 1965 for approx. $300,000 to famed Naples developer, Raymond L Lutgert who subdivided it such that his new wife, Muriel Stevenson, owned the seaward portion including the house and Raymond owned the the portion east from the house to the road. In 1981 money manager, Miles C Collier, grandson of Barron Collier, purchased Raymond's portion for approx $900,000 including mortgages. At some point in time the Collier family also purchased Muriel's portion and consolidated ownership of the two parcels under the ownership of Miles' mother, Isabel Collier-Read of Palm Beach. The original house was demolished in 1985 and a new house (the current one) was built on the property in 1994. A local TV station (NewsWatch 9) reported at the time that consideration had been given to developing condominiums on the property; in 1988 the Collier family acquired the adjacent property (2490). In 2000 Miles Collier acquired 2500 and 2490 from his mother and in 2007 Arthur L Allen (a serial high tech entrepreneur) purchased 2500 Gordon Drive from Mr. Collier for $40 million. Mr. Collier sold 2490 Gordon in 2011 to Michael Barry for approx $20 million.

What follows is some background on the various owners:

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Arthur L Allen - Purchased in 2007 for $40 million

Arthur L Allen paid $40 million for this estate in 2007 and it seems as if it has been undergoing improvements on a constant basis ever since. It is the third house south of "White Sands" and is difficult to see from the road and also from the public beach in front of it. There are three gates, the first for deliveries, the second is the main gate and the third for staff.

Background:
Arthur Allen had retired to Naples in 1981 at age 34 after the sale of a tech company he had founded and sold for $18m. During his 5 year retirement he perfected his tennis game and made a fortune trading options with with New York options trader Victor Niederhoffer. ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Niederhoffer ). Five years later he founded ASG Software Solutions, headquartered at 1333 3rd Ave S ( goo.gl/maps/Li6nv ). With offices worldwide, ASG is an enterprise software, cloud and professional services provider ( www.asg.com ). Annual revenue at ASG is approaching $1 billion; growing primarily through acquisition the company has 80 offices worldwide and more than 1,300 employees. Arthur Allen owns 100% of the company and travels the world utilizing his fleet of GulfStream jets parked just down the road at Naples airport (KAPF www.flynaples.com/ )

Politics:
Arthur Allen Email: CEO Of ASG Software Solutions Asks Workers To Vote For Mitt Romney
www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/14/arthur-allen-romney-e...

Philanthropy:
ARTHUR AND CAROLE ALLEN PRIVATE FOUNDATION
www.taxexemptworld.com/organization.asp?tn=1654162

Arthur Allen Tennis Center
www.allentenniscenter.com/

Allen Shares LLC
www.corporationwiki.com/graphs/roamer.aspx?id=16155799

More on Arthur Allen and ASG

‘Because God Ordained It’
www.review.net/section/detail/Because-God-Ordained-It/

'We have our eyes set on $1 billion by 2010"
www.naplesnews.com/news/2006/may/03/larger_20th_asg_nap...

ENTREPRENEURS TO WATCH
www.businessobserverfl.com/section/detail/TO-WATCH-Lee-...

Naples software provider pays $211M for Mobius
Mass layoff at Mobius Mgmt. Systems Inc.
www.topix.com/forum/city/rye-brook-ny/T467SCNO9DHB8LF7O


Allen's former homes in Naples:
1680 Gulf Shore Blvd S ( goo.gl/maps/wblDr ) purchased for less than $1m in 1981 and sold for $11m in 2009
450 Yucca Rd in Naples ( goo.gl/maps/xZWOy ) purchased for $4m in 2004 and sold for almost the same price in 2013


Aircraft:
Arthur Allen travels in style in his Gulfstream G-550 jet and a fleet of smaller Gulfstream jets ( www.allenshares.com )

ALA Services LLC Aircraft: GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE GV-SP (G550) n860AA

flightaware.com/resources/registration/N860AA

www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/small/461/461001.j...

video of plane
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E2-CEN_nlY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1WLDJZyCqQ

Arthur Allen's Gulfstream Jet Receives Multiple Lightning Strikes With No Ill Effect... the second worst lightning strike that Gulfstream had seen on one of their airplanes.

www.forbes.com/sites/businessaviation/2012/08/16/gulfst...

------------------

Collier Family purchased 2500 Gordon Drive in 1981 for $900,000 +

Miles C Collier and related companies, family etc, purchased the land east from the house to the road in 1981 for $900,000 incl outstanding mortgages from a trust controlled by Raymond Lugtert. At some point the Collier family acquired the seaward portion of the property from Lutgert's ex wife Muriel including the original 1937 house, which Collier had demolished in 1985. A new house was built in 1994 - That house and property were sold in 2007 for $40 million.

Miles Collier is the grandson of Barron Collier who is the namesake of Collier County. If you are interested in Naples and its history the following many links will provide insights into its "first family". Suffice to say Grandfather Collier who made his money in advertising purchased 1.3 million acres of southwest Florida in the early 1900s including what is now Collier County. They are a storied family with a passion for automobiles, racing, real estate and the environment. Like with many dynasties succession can be complex but in this case it was a flip of the coin in 1981 when two sides of the family decided to go their own ways. One branch formed the "Barron Collier Companies" and the other branch (Miles Collier) "Collier Enterprises" a major investment by Miles included PCM (Private Capital Management, co-founded with investment guru Bruce Sherman). PCM was sold to Legg Mason for $1.4 Billion in 2001.

One of the more unique aspects of billionaire Miles Collier is his passion for automobiles including a museum that houses his private collection. The museum, located in Naples is NOT open to the public and ranks among the most valuable private collections of cars in the world. ( goo.gl/maps/TWUJl ). Both his father and uncle were race car drivers and raced at Le Mans and on the Grand Prix circuit in the 1940s.


Biography and Family history:

Miles C. Collier, a retired business executive, is a practicing artist, investor, philanthropist, and a noted authority on vintage automobiles. He is the founder of the Revs Institute for Automotive Research in Naples as well as the founding supporter of the Stanford-Revs initiative. For the last ten years, Mr. Collier has conducted a biennial symposium on Connoisseurship and the Collectible Automobile that brings together automobile collectors and faculty from around the world to discuss critical issues in collecting and preserving important historic automobiles. Mr. Collier’s interest in art was nurtured at Yale University where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Painting. However, family business intervened. With an MBA from Columbia University, he went to work. In 1995, when his business career culminated after 25 years as Managing Partner of Collier Enterprises, he made the decision to make painting his next career. In 1996, he entered the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, where he studied for three years with the noted Graham Nickson. Today, he paints professionally. His special interest is in issues relating to visual perception. His interest in education and philanthropy is concentrated in the post-secondary arena. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Eckerd College, a small private liberal arts college with a national reputation.

www.pebblebeachconcours.net/pages/about-people-judges/

Isabel Collier-Read's Palm Beach estate (Miles' mother and former owner of 2500 Gordon)
www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/1901288/print

Miles Collier Automobile Museum (CH Motor Cars - closed to the public)
chmotorcars.com/index.jsp

www.pbase.com/9146gt/factory_9146gt_race_cars_sn9140432...

www.356fog.com/Collier2009.html

A Lifetime of Automobilia Finds a New Home
wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/a-lifetime-of-autom...

Museum Brochure (PDF)
www.revsinstitute.org/REVSMuseumBrochure.pdf

NYT article on the car museum
wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/a-lifetime-of-autom...

Sam Collier age 34 (Miles uncle) Killed driving a Ferrari 166 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix September 1950
select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10A1EFC395E15...

www.deepthrottle.com/History/ardent.shtml

ww.sportscarmarket.com/component/comprofiler/userprofil...

estate planning for car collectors
www.raymondjames.com/heacockfinancial/files%5CHeacocksu...

www.importgenius.com/importers/c-h-motorcars-llc

www.sportscarmarket.com/my-scm/userprofile/90

www.naplesnews.com/news/2012/jan/15/new-institute-partn...

Collier Porche Collection (PDF)
www.lsrpca.com/linked_docs/pnaut/articles/09%2002-Colli...

First Ferrari imported to U.S.
beforeitsnews.com/motor-junkies/2013/09/first-ferrari-i...

Collier acquires Bugatti Royale automobile and rest of Briggs Cunningham's collection of exotic cars
news.google.com/newspapers?id=W6ZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=r0ANAAA...

chiefexecutive.net/miles-collier

www.jetsetmag.com/categories/real-estate/barron-collier...

www2.fiu.edu/~glades/reclaim/bios/collier.htm

www.collierenterprises.com/index.php?page=history

The Collier Story Naples News 1976 (see link on this page)
www.barroncollier.com/Default.aspx?id=14

www2.fiu.edu/~glades/reclaim/bios/collier.htm

www.forbes.com/forbes/1998/1012/6208362a.html

Note: The following link is to a very large PDF file that documents the history of Naples Florida

homes.ottcommunications.com/~dsonder/On%20The%20Go/NAPL...


Miles Collier Business links:
www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Naples/the-collier-foun...
www.corporationwiki.com/graphs/roamer.aspx?id=18445819
www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Naples/prv-investments-...
www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9731339.htm

Private Capital Management
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=apQPpb_...

What would granddad think of this? Miles Collier, as in Collier County,
www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-10709788.html

PCM sold
hotel-online.com/News/PR2002_2nd/May02_BSherman.html

PCM 2001 financial statements
irsolutions2.snl.com/ShowFile.aspx?Output=HTML&KeyFile=...

A candid interview with Bruce Sherman
www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/mar/28/retiring-finance-gu...


Politics:
www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Miles_Collier

"Revere America": Another Conduit for a Super-Wealthy Family to Influence Elections
www.prwatch.org/news/2011/04/10548/revere-america-anoth...

influenceexplorer.com/individual/parker-collier/6a2a5d1...

Philanthropy :
Miles C. Collier announced his plan to donate $25-million
www.sptimes.com/2006/05/20/Southpinellas/Gift_to_Eckerd...

revs.stanford.edu/about/people

www.motorsport.com/general/news/miles-collier-named-rec...
www.eckerd.edu/commencement/13/remarks/collier.php

Miles Collier's new home in Naples:
www.zillow.com/homedetails/211-1st-Ave-N-Naples-FL-3410...
goo.gl/maps/ZEIta

Aircraft:
flightaware.com/live/flight/N229CE
www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/large/013/013405.j...
Naples Citation LLC

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Raymond L Lutgert / Muriel Lutgert (Steveson) - Purchased 2500 Gordon Dr. in 1965 for $300,000 - Sold 1981

The property was purchased in 1965 by Raymond L Lutgert and Muriel Lutgert (Stevenson) and subsequently subdivided such that Raymond owned the portion of the property between the house and east to the road and Muriel owned the house and the seaward portion of the property.
www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/jun/21/naples_home_sold_40m_has_storied_history/
www.leagle.com/decision/19761449338So2d1111_11252
scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=490051972520488798...
www.newspapers.com/newspage/22395907/
news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19701202&id=bKl...
goo.gl/IFe6dK

The Lutgert Company continues to be one of the largest developers in South Florida: Lutgert developed the Park Shore area of Naples. Today Lutgert is a diversified company and an important part of the economy of South West Florida. Lutgert and his wife divorced the mid seventies and in 1981 Lutgert sold his portion of the property to a company controlled by Miles C Collier and at some point in time the Muriel Stevenson (Lutgert) sold her portion to the Collier family.

www.lutgert.com
Raymond L Lutgert obit goo.gl/XkgNnH
Raymond Lutegert Tribute
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BtzS_Anheo

----------------------------

William B. Uihlein/ Melitta Uihlein - Purchased 1937 for ? - Sold 1963

An early owner of the estate at 2500 Gordon Drive was the late William B Uilhein (d. 1953) and his wife Melitta (d. 1970) of Milwaukee. The villa they built had 9 bedrooms, 12 baths, a 5-car garage, a guest house and servants' quarters and was surrounded by almost 5 acres of gardens leading to a gate house at the road. He was Chairman of the Schlitz Brewing company. His father Alfred E. served as president of Schlitz and was one of six who took over the company after the death of Jos.A Schlitz. Uilhein was an honorary mayor of Naples and one of a number of wealthy Wisconsinites that settled here, including members of the Pabst family during the early to mid-20th century. Uilhein purchased 2500 Gordon Drive in 1937 and it stayed in the family until 1963 when it was transferred to a Wisconsin company that put it up for sale for $300,000 imgur.com/zcOdotO.

In the first half of the 20th century, Schlitz was the largest beer company in the world.

www.slahs.org/uihlein/family_history1.htm

americanurbex.com/wordpress/

History of the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co.
www.slahs.org/schlitz/index.htm
www.slahs.org/schlitz/history4.htm
www.slahs.org/schlitz/history5.htm