Lush landscape, relaxed feel

When a mid-century house at 220 Onondaga Ave., right behind Kevin and Minnie Pulitzer McCluskeys home, came up for sale in 2008, the couple bought it, thinking that it would be an ideal home for Minnies mother, once she had sold her own house.

But the late Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau, who died in April 2013, never lived on Onondaga Avenue, having remained in her longtime home at 710 S. County Road, which sold last December.

The house behind the McCluskeys would have been a fine fit for her, Minnie said.

It was in great shape, as it had already been renovated before we bought it, Minnie said. All we needed to do was repaint some of the rooms and change some of the landscaping, making it even more lush.

Thats about it. We even kept the patio furniture because it was lovely. All we had to do was recover it.

With 2,872 square feet of living space, inside and out, the mid-block house has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. It stands a few lots west of the point where North Ocean Boulevard makes its final curve to accommodate the beachfront estates on the northern tip of the island.

Moms property was so big, and this place would have been perfect. She was so excited, and since our property backs up to it, we could have opened the yards up and combined them. My son, Jack, could have done a cannonball in the pool right next to her every day.

That plan, though, was not to be. So the McCluskeys have listed the house for sale at $2.4 million with Brown Harris Stevens, where Minnie is a real estate agent.

Its priced to sell, she said. Its great. We are a little prejudiced, of course.

A circular driveway leads to the clean-lined, one-story stucco home, painted a pale terra-cotta color with white trim. A wall of Art Deco-style glass blocks by the front door greets visitors. There are built-in shelves in the entry.

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Lush landscape, relaxed feel