‘Landmark’ Palm Beach Penthouse of Heiress Fame Hits Market For $38M

Towering above its Palm Beach neighbors with a host of inspiring views of the coast, a recently listed South Florida estate looks like it was plucked from the portfolio of a European royal. And while its vine-crept, Mediterranean shell is charming, its decadently designed interior makes its facades positively modest by comparison.

The landmark listing has remained off the market for decades, serving as the home of Palm Beach socialite and coal-mining heiress Mimi Galloway Duncan, who died in April at the age of 103 after living in South Florida for 54 years. Listed at $37.9 million, her home ranked eighth on Realtor.com’s list of most expensive estates on sale this week in the U.S.

But, unlike other estates on the list, this one comes with six floors of mixed-use space, including retail space on the ground floor, a two-story penthouse apartment, three separate additional apartments, and a two-car garage. Listing agent Christian Angle describes the estate as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The structure is the creation of Addison Mizner, one of the most renowned architects of the 1920s, whose handiwork can be seen across South Florida. But the interior’s Technicolor elegance appears to mirror the life of its eccentric former owner.

The Galloway name represents a major force in the Memphis community. Duncan’s paternal grandfather established the Galloway Mining Company and the Memphis Zoo. Her mother’s family was perhaps equally as prominent. Her mother, Miriam Mooney Galloway, was an international opera singer, while her grandfather, C.P.J. Mooney, was a renowned editor of the Commercial Appeal, Memphis’ established daily newspaper. Mooney famously won what’s considered the South’s first Pulitzer Prize in 1923 for editorials speaking out against the Ku Klux Klan, according to the outlet.

Before becoming a home-maker and Palm Beach socialite, Duncan followed in the steps of her grandfather at the Commercial Appeal, writing a social column called Penelope’s Peeps. After a brief first marriage, Duncan married her longtime husband, Russell Duncan, whom she met in what can only be described as a Roman meet-cute. The made-for-film meeting is detailed in her obituary.

“During a post-divorce visit to post-war Italy, where her father had been appointed Ambassador to Trieste (then a disputed territory), she met Russell Duncan, who was working in Rome on the Marshall Plan, and helped Mimi and her sister Hope get a taxi on the Via Veneto in the rain. They were married in Tucson, Russell’s hometown, two years later,” according to the obituary.

The couple moved around the country several times until they settled in Palm Beach half a century ago, eventually purchasing a 9,900-square-foot estate in the Mediterranean-inspired town.

A veritable red carpet of brickwork and walls lushly lined with violet blooms create a storybook entrance to the lofty home. An ornate sign reading “Via Parigi,” or Paris Street in Italian, encapsulates the convergence of European influences seen throughout the estate.

The penthouse apartment includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms, fireplaces, two balconies, a den, and coastal views. Of the three additional units, one has three bedrooms and two bathrooms; another offers one bedroom, two bathrooms, a den, and a Juliette balcony; and the third features one bedroom, one bathroom, spacious living and dining areas, and a balcony.