On a quiet stretch of Old St. Augustine Road outside Tallahassee, a 100-acre Florida estate has spent decades avoiding the usual fate of large parcels near a growing city. Retired Navy captain Albert Gallatin Neal bought the land in 1960, dug its ponds and planted more than 4,000 trees. After his death, developers repeatedly approached his widow, Margaret, but she turned them down. She wanted the property to stay in family hands or with people who wanted to keep the acreage intact. In 2003, she found the right buyers in David and René Hanselman, who raised their four children here.
The grounds begin to distinguish the property before you even reach the custom residence. Spring-fed ponds stocked with bass, a cypress duck pond, wooded acreage for deer and wild bobwhite quail, orchards, gardens, and a swimming pool spread across the grounds. There’s also a full-size baseball field, complete with lights and a batting cage.
That personal connection extends to the 6,000-square-foot house. René designed the molding, doors, and cabinetry with architect Ken Pieper, working from more than 20 pages of custom millwork plans. The front door, created with stained-glass artist Karen Pritzel, features a large tree motif. A nine-foot magnolia chandelier hangs in the foyer, while original artwork by Paul Tamanian was commissioned specifically for the house.
