The Elizabeth Haines House is one of the most impressive mansions in Sebring from the Great Florida Land Boom. Haines was the widow of wealthy businessman John Locke Haines. It was one of the first homes constructed in the Sebring Heights neighborhood in 1927.

The community was platted in 1923, but mainly lots were bought by speculators who never built. Haines moved into the home in 1928 and lived there until she sold it to William Vernon Higgins, owner of the luxurious Hotel Sebring, in 1943.

The large home sits on a corner lot at the intersection of Summit Drive and Valencia. It borders Sebring Height’s version of Circle Park, about a mile north of Sebring’s downtown circle. Summit Drive gets its name because it sits on a high hill that once overlooked Lake Jackson (before other development and the growth of trees blocked the view).

It was truly a prime spot, but the community didn’t develop until much later because of its distance from downtown before the bubble burst in 1929. The Haines House was the last great home built in Sebring before the bust. It sits on a 1.4-acre lot with a guest house, unattached garage, pool, and large gazebo in the back.

It is beautiful inside, has had few alterations from the original layout, and retains a lot of the original woodwork and perhaps even some original windows. It was listed for $1.5M in 2016 but was reduced to $995K earlier this year, but it still failed to sell and was taken back off the market. So perhaps it could be yours for a bargain price!

Zillow listing: http://bit.ly/2iIL8q2

National Historic Register: http://bit.ly/2hW1QVC