Baldwin Park is a relatively recent creation in Orlando, built from scratch on the grounds of a shuttered Navy base in the mid-2000s. It was designed as a dense, urban neighborhood, but those probably aren’t adjectives one would use while walking its tree-shaded avenues and green spaces.
“When you slow down from your day-to-day and stop to notice all the natural beauty right out your front door, it’s very satisfying,” said Joseph Depriest, owner of 4400 New Broad St. in Baldwin Park, which is on the market for $3.79 million.
Albin Hubscher of Central Florida Prime Real Estate LLC has the listing.
Depriest’s 6,641-square-foot home serves as a testament to the urbanist planning idea behind Baldwin, which combines a variety of housing styles nearby.
The two-story, six-bedroom, seven-bathroom house sits over a third of an acre. Built as the official entry for the 2007 International Builders' Show by Goehring & Morgan Construction, its classical archways, stone columns and rounded tower feel at home in a country estate, far from a bustling city.
Yet the nearest cross street includes apartment buildings and rows of townhouses, and only a couple of blocks up is Baldwin’s town center, with offices, boutiques, restaurants, and a Publix grocery store.
Nature finds a way
Still, Depriest said, nature has defined living in this home. He and his wife bought the property for $1.9 million in 2013, becoming the second owners of the house, according to county records.
The home seeks to take advantage of its environment, featuring shaded patio living spaces, an outdoor fireplace, a saltwater pool and an in-ground spa.
But some of the best features are found off-property. In front of the house, New Broad Street is split by a canal, basically a retention pond turned into a natural water feature with cascading waterfalls at one end, a bridge in the middle, and a gazebo at the other.
“What we love … is the serene pond across the street with all of the beautiful birds, blue jays, cardinals, woodpeckers, hawks [and] ducks you encounter along the walking path,” Depriest said, adding that his labradoodle has always enjoyed walks in the neighborhood.
That nature can get very personal.
One time, Depriest said, a mother duck laid eggs in his garage after he left the door open too long. He said they had to wait until the eggs hatched and then transport the ducklings to the canal.
Baldwin Park real estate hasn’t quite gained the reputation of its much older, more established neighbor, Winter Park, for breaking local price records.
But Depriest thinks his neighborhood is maturing into a rival.
“New Broad Street in the last 12 years with the live oaks has turned into such a beautiful tree-lined street, matching some of the prettiest old Winter Park streets.”