This thoroughly modern Georgia mansion was one hated by locals — now it’s listed for $40M

This statement home in Georgia is now listed for a just-as-statement sum — but its design alone wasn’t always enjoyed by locals.

On Sea Island, a contemporary structure that stands apart from the neighboring Mediterranean-style residences aims to fetch $40 million, according to the Wall Street Journal, which makes it among the most expensive in the state.

Welcome to Entelechy II, designed by the late Atlanta architect John Portman — Entelechy being the Greek concept for the realization of potential. Portman, who passed away in 2017, resided with his family in a primary home in Atlanta called Entelechy I, which the Journal notes has a stream running through it. He was known for his work including the Peachtree Center in Atlanta and the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco.

At Entelechy II — which has seven bedrooms and 8.5 bathrooms across 12,586 square feet — the exterior is primarily marked by a grid-patterned canopy perched above mighty columns and draping greenery.

While being built in the 1980s, neighbors detested the property’s look.

“They all hated it,” Portman’s daughter, Jana Portman Simmons, told the Journal. “I was like, ‘We might have to move, this is terrible.'”

That was then. Now, however, that draping greenery — jasmine, in fact — has softened the appearance. And the appearance is a true, and lovingly preserved, time capsule from the 1980s.

Listing images show a property facing the Atlantic Ocean whose grounds are embellished with brightly colored sculptures. The main entry is accessed via a pyramid-shaped staircase. There’s a courtyard with a reflecting pool; from it, those columns are visible, some of which house bathrooms, closets or stairs.

Portman purchased a 1-acre lot in 1974, but didn’t begin building until early the next decade. It was his property, not a commission from a client, which allowed him creative freedom.

“It was his opportunity to do whatever he wanted and to really express himself in a really playful way,” his daughter told the Journal.

In 2007, the family bought an adjacent property with a four-bedroom house, which they use for guests to stay.

On the inside of the main structure, listing images show skylights, massive glass exposures that look to the courtyard, a dining room surrounded by greenery and a living area under a grid-like ceiling.

“To walk through the home is an experience,” Chase Mizell, of Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty — one of the listing representatives — told the Journal. “You have this impactful floral scent from the jasmine and the sound of running water from all the fountains and water features. Then, the eye candy from the structure and form. Every sense is being played with.”

Outside, there are areas for seating, as well as a pool facing the Atlantic.

A mean reason for selling the one-of-a-kind home: The family can’t stay there. It’s held by the family’s charitable foundation; IRS restrictions dictate it can’t be used for personal means. Proceeds from the sale will go toward that foundation — with donations anticipated for art, education and health aims.

Mizell shares the listing with Susan Imhoff and Ann Harrell of DeLoach Sotheby’s International Realty.