If These Walls Could Talk: Al Capone’s Miami Beach Mansion on the Market for $6.8M

Are you a discerning buyer? Looking for a piece of South Florida real estate with some character?

How about 93 Palm Ave., on Palm Island (pictured)? This was Al Capone’s seasonal residence, and where the gangster died in 1947. For a mere $6.8 million, and a desire to live in a place owned by one of the most notorious criminals of all time, it can all be yours.

While the thought of Capone previously owning the place is sure to give anyone pause, the Miami Herald reports that the current owner, Henry Morrison, has only good things to say about it.

“It was a good buy,” said the 73-year old Morrison, a retired Delta pilot who has lived there for 35 years but plans to relocate to Pensacola. “The price [$56,000] was really what motivated me, rather than any historical significance.”

Morrison does admit he did a Geraldo-like hunt for ghosts when he first moved in. But the four-bedroom, stucco mansion in Miami Beach has exceeded all his expectations over the years. As for whether there’s any sign of Al, results are mixed. There are no secret passages or bloodstains or bullet holes, but there’s surely something evocative about the Spanish-style, two-story getaway.

Paul George, Professor of History at Miami-Dade College, said that Capone bought the place from the Busch family (of the brewery fame) in 1922. Al made a number of additions, most of which weren’t decor-related. In the overgrown front yard, a large wall was constructed to keep out snoopers. Directly behind stands a decrepit two-bedroom concrete gatehouse, where Capone’s thugs could oversee the scene.

Raymond Baur, 74, was a teenager when his family moved to 24 Palm Ave., the same year Capone died of complications from syphilis.

“Sometimes when I came home from school late and it was getting dark, I’d walk by and hear the sliding metal [slat] and feel the guards looking down at me,” he said. “The hair would crawl up the back of my head.”

Capone, who returned to Miami Beach after a stint in another piece of waterfront real estate — Alcatraz — wasn’t in any shape to organize hits at that point. The syphilis had ravaged his brain. Baur recounts that he had lost most of his mental acuity and posed no threat to anyone. But the mob boss still knew to watch his back. Capone slept not in the master bedroom with wife Mae, but he chose the smaller front room with a view to the street.

Al also indulged his less paranoid side, from time to time, putting in a 30-by-60 foot pool, complete with a two-bedroom pool house for his buds. By inviting Miami’s top political officials to one of his famous bashes there on February 14, 1929 — the day of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago, which virtually wiped out his Windy City bootlegging competition — Capone gave himself a solid alibi.

Despite Capone’s history, the director of the Design, Preservation and Neighborhood Planning Division for the City of Miami Beach, William Cary, has no doubt the digs will sell.

“When Morrison bought it, brokers tried to keep the owner a secret,” he says. “But now, with the popularity of shows like The Sopranos, Americans’ view of mobsters has changed. We see them as people, and have the ability to dismiss all their evil deeds.”

A valid point. But those seeking glamorous amenities that come with a pricey home like TV mobsters have may be in for a shock.

“[Morrison] is a great guy… very laid back,” Cary said. “But the place definitely needs some TLC.”

Evidently, Capone wasn’t one for remodeling. Cracking walls, circa 1922 plumbing and long-neglected hardwood floors, plus a complete lack of air conditioning, make the place a little outdated. Then again, we are talking about Miami Beach real estate here. Barbara Hagen of Majestic properties, who has the listing, thinks the place is (wait for it) …

… a steal.

“I just sold a same-size lot down the street for $5 million, with nothing on it,” she said. “This is actually a good value.”