Hilton Home In Seacrest Beach - Paradise By The Sea

I wish i could remember the architect. I saw a web page about it years ago and can't find it again. I'm going to have to do some digging.

I think it is dyson, go to www.ArthurDyson.com

Thanks! Click on residences and it's the first one. Fascinating photos and description.

Nestled amid the sand dunes on the Gulf of Mexico at Panama City, Florida, the Hilton residence contains 9,500 square feet of living space. Primary rooms are suspended on concrete pods at various levels within a greenhouse structure of coral-tinted reflective glazing. One interior stairway encircles a glass-enclosed elevator, while another winds around fully grown native palms. The top lacuna of an exterior two-level saltwater swimming pool fountains into the lower basin, then enters the interior by flowing beneath the edge of a glazed wall. Tiered roof wings sweep upward, forming a series of clerestories that shield the open floor plan from excessive sun exposure while presenting unobstructed views of the oceanfront during daytime and allowing stargazing at night. Remote-controlled fabric panels placed strategically over the glazing provide additional solar protection.

Interior spaces flow freely without walls or partitions, while scale and volume are tempered through the placement of palms and other tropical flora. Level changes rhythmically establish area separations and maximize direct ocean views. The varying colors and textures of terraces, walls, planters, and pools avoid sharp definitions of boundary, integrating the the interior and exterior of the home into a sense of contained movement. The gestures of the form join harmoniously with the surrounding swell of seabird, ocean waves, and sand dunes that embrace an exceptional building site. Everything set forward for the program by the clients indicated a desire for fluidity. All the exterior benefits of the site, such as sea breezes and ocean sunsets, are integrated into the residence to establish a refuge from the hectic pace of a busy business life and create a soothing place to relax, read, and write.

Ok, today I am making a formal offer of $500,000 for the house

It's obvious that the Architect spent enormous amounts of time insuring the design blends well with the existing architectural heritage. Would it not be a better design if it blended so well with its' surroundings that it was hardly noticed? Maybe if it was painted solid white it would mesh well Alys Beach.

Maybe they could paint it with camo paint.

It's obvious that the Architect spent enormous amounts of time insuring the design blends well with the existing architectural heritage. Would it not be a better design if it blended so well with its' surroundings that it was hardly noticed? Maybe if it was painted solid white it would mesh well Alys Beach.

Well - some like to be different. And besides, the whole area is different. What heritage do you speak of?

Perhaps they meant architectural integrity? No, wait.. :wink:

That is seriously one ugly house..there is no where you could build it that it would compliment the landscape.

That is seriously one ugly house..there is no where you could build it that it would compliment the landscape.

Oh, I dunno about that. I think it looks really avante garde .... for a concrete plant.

Still, I'd see the prior offer and raise it by 10K.

It seems to cause reaction. It seems you either like it or not.

On second thought..it would look totally hot on the moon! :laughing1

I like it in concept. Love modern architecture in general, and I think they're doing some neat things with it. But I think it really needs to be on a 5-10 acre parcel with the right kind of landscaping/vegetation, including some bigger trees/shrubbery that makes the whole project seem more in scale.

I'm indifferent to Charlie's house, but I think if we found such a thing 100 years from now, buried under the sea, divers would come from all over just to see it, and it would draw even more curiosity.

If it is finished by then?

One of my favorite architects and one of the most important of the 20th century was Le Corbusier who saw buildings as "machines for living". To me it looks like something he would do in this day. First time I saw it, I thought they used Le Corbusiers chapel at Ronchamps as their inspiration (hope my photo uploaded). Put it somewhere in France and maybe it would be complement the landscape. It does break all rules regarding "blending in" but wasn't that the purpose? Has anyone else heard that stimulus for the house was because they wouldn't let him put up anymore highrises along 30A? Also heard that Michael Jordan used to own the house next to it and fought it tooth and nail. Can anybody confirm any of this. I have great views of both homes and just curious if any of it is true.

Yes, it messes up our "feel" but it also should increase our property values. If it has half the light detail of Ronchamps and not just the form, it should be quite a masterpiece. Vive innovation, I guess.

One of my favorite architects and one of the most important of the 20th century was Le Corbusier who saw buildings as "machines for living". To me it looks like something he would do in this day. First time I saw it, I thought they used Le Corbusiers chapel at Ronchamps as their inspiration (hope my photo uploaded). Put it somewhere in France and maybe it would be complement the landscape. It does break all rules regarding "blending in" but wasn't that the purpose? Has anyone else heard that stimulus for the house was because they wouldn't let him put up anymore highrises along 30A? Also heard that Michael Jordan used to own the house next to it and fought it tooth and nail. Can anybody confirm any of this. I have great views of both homes and just curious if any of it is true.

Yes, it messes up our "feel" but it also should increase our property values. If it has half the light detail of Ronchamps and not just the form, it should be quite a masterpiece. Vive innovation, I guess.

Michael is not true.

Hey kurt,

Did michael ever own it? Heard it in several places. Also did Steven Tyler get the idea house in Watersound. When you took the tour the driver was going on about the 4 celebs that bid on it with Tyler at 12 mil

Hey kurt,

Did michael ever own it? Heard it in several places. Also did Steven Tyler get the idea house in Watersound. When you took the tour the driver was going on about the 4 celebs that bid on it with Tyler at 12 mil

Is there a 30-A tour that we don't know about? I guess if the group on the tour bus doesn't know, the driver can say just about anything.

You've got that right. You had to park back away from the idea house and a little old lady drove a minibus or tram or something. She went on and on about all the stars that have been bidding on it. Personally, I wasn't impressed with the house. Beachfront with no balconies directly facing the water exept for first floor as I remember. Pretty decorating though. Now you can drive all the way back through the subdivision

Looks like Phase I of the Jetson's Subdivison--goes nicely with the Flintstones Water Park in Cypress Breeze don'tyathink?

This is an article about our new SoWal neighbor, Charlie Hilton:


Hotelier and local at loggerheads over lighting issue

BY ANTHONY CORMIER FLORIDA FREEDOM NEWS

PANAMA CITY BEACH ? A professor calls it the ?height of arrogance,? the embodiment of development?s continuing clash with nature. But will his students draw a line in the sand?
Nick Macahan, a sociology professor at Ivy Tech Community College, is urging students to boycott three beachfront properties during Spring Break in response to a long-running battle between a hotel magnate and conservationists over lights, laws and baby sea turtles.
The great turtle debate has been simmering since November, when Bay County officials hedged against a new light ordinance. The issue reignited, at least in some part, with the announcement this week of a campaign to keep spring breakers out of hotels owned by one of the Panhandle?s most powerful men.
Charlie Hilton has long argued against a countywide ordinance to slash ?light pollution,? or the nonnatural light that lures disoriented turtles away from the gulf, and has repeatedly asked officials to relocate nests rather than force hoteliers to turn off beachside lights. ?That, to me, is just the height of arrogance,? Macahan said in a phone interview on Tuesday. ?I find it appalling that this particular hotel owner cannot adjust his lighting. When I first heard about it, I absolutely could not believe it.?
Hilton?s three beachfront hotels ? a Holiday Inn SunSpree, Day?s Inn and Ramada Inn ? are not in the area currently regulated by a pilot project launched in May 2003 that restricts light for five miles of unincorporated beach between Panama City Beach?s western border and the Walton County line.
However, as a businessman and multimillionaire who looms large over local politics, Hilton has worn a target labeling him antienvironment and anti-turtle, two tags he bristles against. Hilton said Tuesday the boycott is less about the environment and more about ?shutting us down.?
?That?s what they want to do,? Hilton said. ?They have always said that the turtles have a right to exist, but what they don?t consider is man?s right to exist. ? They can do what they want, they can boycott us, but what they don?t realize is that we are trying to do everything we can to make the situation right.?
The issue might be raised again in mid-2006, when a light survey is due back to the Bay County Tourist Development Council. The study is expected to tally light pollution and ?urban glow? effects across the county and could play a vital role in a reconfigured ordinance.
The survey, undertaken to meet permitting requirements for a beach renourishment project, must be done by May 15. County commissioners likely will take another look at the lighting ordinance once the study is in hand.
The pilot program has been lauded by conservationists, who point to a steady decline in disorientation among the loggerheads that nest along Panhandle shores between May and October. In fact, proponents say the program has been so successful that it should be expanded across the county.
Currently, only Mexico Beach and the west-end beaches have restrictions on specific light. But according to Kennard Watson, director of Turtle Watch, disorientation has dropped 24 percent in the past three years.
Bay County code enforcement officials estimate that 90 percent of homeowners and hoteliers in the pilot program?s zone have complied with the lighting regulations.
Turtle Watch, a St. Andrew Bay group under contract with Bay County to monitor nesting and female turtle tracks, found that three of 21 nests saw successful births last year - 170 turtles in all. The nests were largely overwhelmed by hurricanes, a natural phenomenon that ?turtles have been dealing with for millennia,? Watson said.
While a relatively small number emerges from the Panhandle every year, scientists say these turtles are distinct genetically in comparison to the larger South Florida populations. For Kennard, an expansion to the light ordinance should be based on disorientation - perhaps the most significant long-term threat the species faces.
?I think there is a very vocal minority of people who have held up the expansion of the ordinance,? Watson said Tuesday. ?The majority of people have been supportive. I think this small pilot program has proven to skeptics that implementing lighting laws protects sea turtles.?
Lorna Patrick, a Panama City-based biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the lighting issue is directly tied to tourist and guest safety at beachfront hotels. Hoteliers, she acknowledged, are stuck between a rock and a hard place: How do they keep the lights on for guests, while turning them down for turtles?
?What does a property owner do when they?re stuck in the middle of conflicting laws about turtles and people?? asked Julie Hilton, Charlie?s daughter and vice president of Paradise Found Resorts & Hotels. ?There are some conflicting laws for guest safety. People have only begun to realize this. We?ve always been more than willing to work with (conservationists), but it?s very, very frustrating to deal with these conflicting laws.?
Patrick, and others, seek a solution. It starts with a broader ordinance, and cooperation between business and nature.
Said Patrick: ?It can work in Panama City Beach, and it?s our intent for (the ordinance) to cover all of Panama City Beach.?

Has Charlie actually moved into his big concrete house?

Last I heard, there is still a good 2 years of construction left.

Thanks CCK!

thought I'd regenerate the Hilton thread -
rumors always abound as to the ownership, cost, etc. Today, someone stopped in my office asking directions to what she was certain was Tom Clancy's $60,000,000 home!
That's what the sales folks at a time-share presentation told her.