Tour boats near Clearwater Beach, Florida, used to point out a gray house as the home of the “old hold-out lady,” according to WTSP. The house is still there, even though condo towers now surround it.
The two-story cottage at 887 S. Gulfview Blvd. was built in 1963 and is the only single-family house left at the end of Clearwater Point, according to Creative Loafing Tampa. Locals call it the Gray House, the Holdout House, and Fort Akert.
The holdout was Mary Ackert, one of the home’s original owners. She refused many offers from developers who wanted to tear it down, per WTSP. She said the house meant too much to her.
One tour-boat script claimed that, as condo construction began, workers “accidentally” cut her power lines and a bulldozer “accidentally” broke her water main, Creative Loafing Tampa reported. The paper noted that those claims come from the tour script.
In 1979, she sold it for $133,200, but not to a developer. Joe Mannion, a former WFLA News anchor, and his partner Elizabeth bought it after convincing Ackert they were not developers, per Creative Loafing Tampa.
Ackert asked the Mannions not to sell for two years. Their attorney said such a promise would not hold up in court, according to the paper. The couple lived in the house, and both have since died. The Mannion estate still owned it in early 2025.
The home was listed in fall 2023 for $6,999,000, according to Tampa Bay Business & Wealth. It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, 2,604 square feet, and a wraparound porch, per WTSP. Price cuts followed, Creative Loafing Tampa reported.
It has now sold for nearly $3 million, according to E-A-A, citing Realtor.com. The buyer was JRP Property Group LLC, in an off-market sale after renovations. Hurricane Helene damaged the house, and the owners put more than $400,000 into repairs and upgrades, per the outlet.
Local lore said the original deed limited the land to single-family use. Public records show it is zoned for commercial development, E-A-A reported.
Holdouts have a long history. A Seattle woman turned down $1 million for her house in 2006, and an Atlantic City boardinghouse owner refused the same amount.
Hence then, the article about in 1979 mary ackert sold her clearwater beach holdout cottage for 133 200 rather than to developers it just sold again for nearly 3 million was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( In 1979, Mary Ackert sold her Clearwater Beach holdout cottage for $133,200 rather than to developers; it just sold again for nearly $3 million )
Also on site :