Moorings Realty Sales Office Renovations 2019

AMERICAN ICON • MCANSH PARK • UMPIRE ACADEMY • THE MOORINGS RED, WHITE & BLUE REMODEL • VICTORY GARDENS • FASHIONABLE FOURTH VOLUME XXII, NUMBER 7

JULY 2019

Citizen scientists look out for this stately emblem of America

VERO BEACH’S BALD EAGLES

A Red, Whire and Blue Renewal

| July 2019 |

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A Red, White and Blue Renewal WITH A CRISP TRANSFORMATION THE MOORINGS SALES OFFICE LOOKS SHIPSHAPE

BY MARY BETH VALLAR PHOTOGRAPHY BY PERFECT IMAGES MEDIA

The minute you step into the renovated sales office, you imagine living in this boater’s paradise.

With windows now opening the vista, the lure of the marina is mesmerizing.

W

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alking into the dazzling white-walled sales

The main goal of the renovation was to freshen, bright-

office of The Moorings, a visitor’s eye is easi-

en and declutter the main lobby, and through the joint

ly drawn to what’s behind the inviting recep-

vision and efforts of building owner Don Proctor, interior

tion counter. It’s the spectacular view, first of cruising and

designer Rod Mickley and Moorings sales broker Marsha

sport fishing yachts moored at the marina in Blunderbuss

Sherry, they have achieved it. The exclamations of “Wow!”

Bight waterway, and then to the expanse of the Indian River

from the people who remember the previous look confirm

Lagoon and Intracoastal Waterway beyond.

this every day.

If that’s not enough to give a quick read on what living

The building at 2125 Windward Way was constructed by

in The Moorings is all about, just take a look at the col-

the original Moorings Development Company around 1981.

orful blowups on display that point to the myriad ameni-

Don Proctor bought it in 1984 when he also purchased the

ties offered in this ocean-to-river golf, tennis and boating

company, and his construction firm built out the remaining

community.

communities within The Moorings.

The lifestyle of The Moorings is what’s on sale here, and

The original nautical theme of the sales office was ev-

now the office itself, following a recent renovation, reflects that

ident in the rough cedar plank walls throughout, the sail-

lifestyle in a much more polished fashion than it did before.

cloth hung with brass fittings that displayed floorplans and

“There is no other place like it in Florida.”

– DON PROCTOR

process. Sherry and her sales force, who work in the space every day, also provided input.

The result is a transformation with a look that is fresh and crisp. You might even say it’s as shipshape as the interior of the yachts just a few steps from the dock behind the office.

The team removed the sailcloth displays and encased all the rustic wood beams with smooth wood-and-nickelgap walls. They sheathed the cedar columns of the reception area and customized the cabinetry within it to increase its functionality. the generic boating and water scenes that adorned the walls.

Next, they added new floor-to-ceiling hurricane win-

The cedar, over time, naturally aged and darkened. The

dows, gave the ceiling a sleek new look and replaced the

sailcloth displays behind the reception counter actually hid

entrance floors with white porcelain tile. LED lighting was

what is probably the best feature of the waterfront building:

added and adjusted precisely to provide a warm glow. After

the view.

replacing all of the walls with nickel gap, the entire lobby

“The main thing we wanted to do,” Proctor says, “was to open up the space to provide a gorgeous view of the ma-

was painted white. Outside, they refinished the deck and removed its railing for a better view of the marina.

rina. We’re promoting what is unique about The Moorings,

Proctor felt it was important to retain the nautical feel.

with its 8½ miles of bulkheaded deep waterways. There is

Indeed, throughout the community the streets bear such

no other place like it in Florida.” And he should know —

names as Anchor Drive, Beacon Lane and Mooringline

Proctor grew up in South Florida, and today his construc-

Drive, and its complexes hold titles such as Harbour Side,

tion company has projects from the Keys to North Florida.

Spyglass and The Galleons.

Proctor, a 30-year resident of The Moorings, has worked

Mickley chose a palette of blue with red accents to add

with Rod Mickley on a number of other projects, and so

color to the bold white background. The carpet is blue,

he brought him into this endeavor at the beginning of the

occasional tables have been repainted red, and new white

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The round, rope-framed mirrors call to mind a ship’s portholes, enhancing the nautical theme.

lamps were added. New upholstered wicker furniture was accentuated with red, white and blue throw pillows. Mickley also included several round rope-framed mirrors, reminiscent of a ship’s portholes, to complete the nautical theme.

Enlarged color photos printed on metal show residents on the tennis courts and golf course, children jumping into the swimming pool at The Moorings Club, a closeup of a manatee’s adorable face rising out of the lagoon and many more 24-by-30-inch and 30-by-36-inch pictures capturing the experiences of living in the community. In addition, a flat-screen TV rolls constantly with the current listings.

The lifestyle artwork was added to the decorating scheme to showcase important features of The Moorings today. But what was retained was equally important, such as the historic artwork that dates back to the beginnings of the 50-year-old development.

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Sherry points to two framed pieces that help preserve the history of The Moorings. One, dated 1969, is an aerial photo of The Moorings at the time the entire development was platted and the lagoon was dredged in the shape of an anchor, forming the site that would become the eponymous

“The main thing we wanted to do was to open up the space to provide a gorgeous view of the marina.”

– DON PROCTOR

Four large, refurbished display cases offer an aerial view of The Moorings community.

community of luxury single-family homes.

The other is a poster of the original site plan that Sherry found tucked away in an old file. Dated 1971, it shows in-

and Southwinds. “This view of Southwinds is particularly helpful because it contains the four different areas within it: the cottages, villas, court homes and ocean houses.”

dividual home sites and lists the sales prices of the water-

The fourth model is of the entire ocean-to-river devel-

front lots. These prices provide “sticker shock” in reverse.

opment. “There is no better way to get a feeling for The

The poster also contains The Moorings’ original logo and

Moorings in its entirety,” Sherry says. “And we are constant-

drawings that illustrate the nautical names that still exist

ly updating it. For instance, we just added pickleball courts

in the community.

at the west end of our tennis courts, and so we have added

Sherry points to one particular illustration on the

model pickleball courts to the display.”

poster, that of a short-barreled, large-bored gun. “And here

Moorings residents and seasonal renters often visit the

is a blunderbuss,” she says, “which is actually a pirate’s pis-

sales office to take advantage of services such as a notary

tol, and where they got the name for the Blunderbuss Bight

public. Sherry adds, “I think many of our residents feel they

waterway that’s just outside our door.”

are part of this office. Not only do they use the services of

Sherry says all agreed that it was also important during the remodeling to keep four large display cases containing models of different areas of The Moorings. The cases were repainted blue and their brass trim was refinished.

the two notaries here, but they bring their friends in to look at the display models and the historic posters.”

The major portion of the renovation and remodeling of the office was completed last spring, with finishing touches

“These displays are a wonderful way to give a prospec-

added in the subsequent months. To show off all aspects

tive buyer an overall look at these particular developments,”

of the new look to returning residents and their friends,

Sherry says, “so we definitely wanted to keep them.” The

as well as to the Vero Beach real estate community, Sherry

models provide a bird’s-eye view of The Pointes, River Mews

is planning to hold an open house sometime in the fall. ❀

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