An entrepreneur who founded one of the largest online marketplaces for trading card games in 2008 before selling it to eBay about 14 years later is the new owner of a multimillion-dollar Winter Park estate.
County property records show that Chedy Hampson bought the 7,916-square-foot mansion — with five bedrooms and nine bathrooms (five full and four half) — on Alabama Drive in late February for $5.4 million. He was represented by Mick Night of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.
Hampson, a native of Syracuse, New York, is founder and former CEO of TCGplayer, which he sold to eBay for $295 million in August 2022.
TCGplayer, short for Trading Card Game player, grew in 2008 from a web design company founded in 1998 by Hampson and Ray Moore, of Baldwinsville, New York. The two men were both avid gaming card players who met at a Magic: The Gathering tournament in Syracuse.
Hampson told GrowthSpotter on Wednesday that during visits to Winter Park last year, he and his girlfriend — who were already thinking about moving — explored the community and “fell in love with it very quickly.”
He said they moved to the city from a smaller house (about 5,000 square feet) in the town of Skaneateles, about 12 miles west of Syracuse in the Finger Lakes area of New York. He said the home has a solid build with lots of great features, with ample space to host visiting friends and family.
“We’re just delighted. It’s just such a magical area,” Hampson said. “Almost every home is different from its neighbors, people seem to be fans of great landscaping, and it’s a nice touristy area.”
An aerial view of the Winter Park estate shows the lush landscaping that surrounds the .72 acre corner lot. Behind the house is a private covered boat dock on Lake Maitland while across the street it the historic Kraft Azalea Garden. (Image provided by Rachel Peters)
The sellers were Anthony and Sonja Nicholson, well-known philanthropists and namesakes of the UCF Nicholson School of Communication and Nicholson Field House.
The Italian Neoclassical mansion, built in 1996 across from Lake Maitland, was the result of a collaboration by Winter Park’s award-winning homebuilder, Charles Clayton Construction, and interior designer, Marc-Michaels.
Rachel Peters, the listing agent and a Realtor with The Agency of Orlando, called the confluence of the two firms unique.
“It’s extremely custom, is the way that I would describe it, and the quality of construction, because of it being built by Charles Clayton, means block from the bottom to the top,” Peters said. “And then on the outside, from the decorating aspect, it’s just magnificent.
“There are so many design details that carry throughout the entire home.”
The house on a .72 acre-lot near the historic Kraft Azalea Garden, a 5-acre public park shaded by enormous cypress trees that’s home to a great egret rookery and an exedra stone arc monument perfect for weddings. It’s a short walk through the park to the home’s private covered boat dock with lift.
The house surrounds a private courtyard with heated pool and spa, covered dining area, grill, wood-burning fireplace and multiple terraces. A detached pool house doubles as a catering suite. (Image provided by Rachel Peters)
Visitors to the estate are welcomed by a lush, manicured landscape with two towering palm trees framing the front of the two-story house with a coquina limestone facade.
Once inside, the view from the grand foyer runs straight through the living room to the patio. Marble floors are found throughout along with carpet in bedrooms. There are Venetian plaster walls, crown molding and various ceiling styles including coffered, groin and tray.
“In the whole house the ceilings are so impressive,” Peters said. “Some of them are literally hand-gold foiled and silver foiled.”
The arched pass-through (one of many in the house) to the living room features two pairs of solid marble, floor-to-ceiling columns with elaborate capitals adorned with acanthus leaves and scrolls. The focal point of the room is arguably the double-sided marble fireplace that connects to the formal dining room (with chandelier) on the other side.
“Both of those fireplaces were imported from Paris,” she said. “One was in a chateau and the other in a castle.”
The private dock with boathouse and lift on Lake Maitland is just a short walk through the historic Kraft Azalea Garden, which is located across the street from the estate. (Image provided by Rachel Peters)
The gourmet kitchen (with connecting dinette) built for entertaining boasts a large island that comfortably seats six below two chandeliers. It has expansive stone countertops and wood cabinetry (some with glass doors) as well as premium appliances, including a Viking gas range with double oven below a restaurant-grade exhaust hood. Other features include a large built-in refrigerator, two built-in ovens, a trash compactor, dishwasher and pantry.
Also on the first floor are the entertainment room, library with bar and primary bedroom suite — each with their own chandelier.
The main bedroom has dual ensuite bathrooms — one with soaking tub and shower, the other with a steam shower. It features dual walk-in closets — the primary a two-story wardrobe with staircase to an upper level where there’s also a small office.
Upstairs are three bedrooms, all with walk-in closets. One has an ensuite bathroom, while the others share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom. A loft directly above the foyer functions as a multipurpose area, complete with French doors that open to a balcony overlooking the forecourt.
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The backyard features a private courtyard with travertine floors, heated gunite pool and spa (with two lion statues to keep watch), a covered dining area, a grill, a wood-burning fireplace and multiple terraces. The detached pool house with a half bathroom doubles as a catering suite with a prep sink, refrigerator and plenty of storage.
“The house is basically built around its own private courtyard,” Peters said. “The courtyard is something that is just your own oasis.”
At the rear of the courtyard is the fifth bedroom — located in a 550-square-foot detached guesthouse with full bathroom (soaking tub and shower), a kitchenette and a private porch. The estate has garage space for up to four vehicles and a charging station for electric vehicles.
But despite all the wonderful features of the home beneath its barrel roof, Peters said it’s nighttime when the estate really shines: “It has all that gorgeous landscape lighting. At night it’s just stunning.”
Brian Bell can be reached at bbell@orlandosentinel.com. Have a tip about Central Florida development? Email Newsroom@GrowthSpotter.com. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.