From The Archives

Background, written by the previous owner:

My Grandmother, Helen Joy Lee of Detroit, built 1000 North Lake Otis Drive in Winter Haven in 1924. Automobile aficionados will recognize the Joy name in association with Packard Motors. Her father, Henry B. Joy, was Packard’s founding President.

My parents acquired the house in 1949, and my three brothers and I were raised there. In 2002, my mom, Mrs. Wm. H. Fuller, donated the house to the Winter Haven Hospital, and built a smaller home down the street. In 2006, the Fuller Family re-acquired the property from the hospital to expedite the cash donation we had hoped would be forthcoming sooner. Our hope is to find just the right buyer that will appreciate the quality and uniqueness of the property, and hopefully maintain it as a single-family residence.

The property is just shy of 2 acres with 288’ of rock-walled lakefront on a private 100 acre lake; a skier’s paradise, with a slalom course. It’s not unusual to see a seaplane or two on a sunny day.

The main house has a master suite, plus 5 bedrooms. Including the pool bath with shower, there are 6 and a half baths. There are 3 wood burning fireplaces, and a built-in bar by the family room. A unique feature is a breezeway separating the kitchen’s porch from the separate laundry room/workshop that adjoins the carport. Two favorite spots over the years have been the lakeside/poolside porch and dining porch.

Additionally, there is a 1/1 apartment above a 4-car garage, and the gated driveway has entrances from both the East and the West.

There have been upgrades over the years, but parts of the plumbing and the electrical systems are original, and the cost of replacement should be considered. We’ve researched available grants to maintain the historical relevance of the house, which has piqued the interest of the City of Winter Haven. Besides the Joy legacy, my dad, William Fuller, was a well-know author, writing from Lake Otis in the 50’s and 60’s.

The property and the house are well documented, with all the original correspondence between my Grandmother and her builder and architect. The attention to detail in construction was amazing, and the soundness of the house, after 80-some years, is a testament to the integrity of the original construction.