HOMES OF THE TREASURE COAST
The stately covered entrance keeps people dry in heavy rain, while the deck above is a great location for a cocktail gathering.
The Hammock is Melynda and Rufus Wakeman’s
30
>>
private Caribbean resort-style estate with panoramic
views of downtown Stuart and the Roosevelt
Bridge.
Built on 2.2 acres in Rio 10 years ago, the 15,000-squarefoot
home is surrounded by mature, lush tropical landscaping
and a stunning pool you might see in Costa Rica.
Several hammocks offer different views of the property, an
oak hammock itself.
The Wakemans moved a few houses down from where
they were raising their three children when he realized
they couldn’t play in busy Alice Street. “I bought two lots,
increased the size of mine and sold the other one,” said
Wakeman, a conservationist and record-chasing fisherman
who has fished all over the world.
“I grew up in Palm Beach, so I want boats in my driveway
and I don’t want to live in a gated community,” said Rufus,
a direct descendant of John Deere, the blacksmith, inventor
and manufacturer of agriculture and farming equipment. “I
probably overbuilt for the neighborhood, but oh well.
“This is a great space. We had to move so the kids could
play football and volleyball. They had their own private
Idaho. This is a nice, flat piece of land. Our pool is spectacular.
It is not a square pond. There is a little more maintenance
and upkeep, but that is the price you pay for recreating
a tropical paradise.”
The undulating pool has a grotto with a waterfall, slide,
swim-up bar, diving platform and an island that you walk
the plank over water to sit in a hammock.
Melynda loves her dog Cricket while Rufus tends to Balboa, or Bo. The
two dogs have full run of the Wakeman estate.