Palm Beach Heiress’ ‘Iconic’ 6-Story Penthouse Tower Is Listed for $37.9 Million—6 Months After Her Death at Age 103

One of Palm Beach’s most storied and recognizable buildings has come on the market for $37.9 million, six months after its longtime owner and local celebrity died.

A six-story, mixed-use tower, 9 Via Parigi belonged to socialite and heiress Mimi Galloway Duncan, serving as her primary residence for decades until her April 17 passing at the age of 103.

Now, the "landmark" property—which soars above the surrounding buildings, offering incomparable views of the water—has come on the market for the first time in more than five decades, becoming one of the most expensive estates to hit the market this month, according to Realtor.com®.

The sale encompasses a ground-floor retail space and two-car garage, along with three separate apartments on the upper floors, as well as the two-level penthouse where Duncan lived for nearly half her life.

Nestled in the Via Parigi shopping district—a picturesque, tree-lined stretch in Midtown Palm Beach—the tower, which was designed by architect Addison Mizner, sits just steps from the island’s iconic Worth Avenue.

The property overlooks the Everglades Club, of which Duncan was a member for 54 years, according to her obituary, which describes her as an "avid tennis player."

Raised in Memphis, TN, Duncan lived a long life that bridged art, culture, and society. She was the daughter of opera singer Miriam Mooney Galloway and businessman Robert E. Galloway, who made his fortune through the family business, the Galloway Coal Mining Co.

On her mother's side, Duncan was descended from C.P.J. Mooney, the influential editor of The Commercial Appeal, one of the South’s leading newspapers. Under Mooney’s leadership, the paper gained national acclaim, including a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting on the Ku Klux Klan.

Following in part in her grandfather’s footsteps, Duncan began her own career at the paper, writing the society column “Penelope’s Peeps,” which her obituary described as “resolutely polite” and widely read by Memphis society.

Due to her early immersion in music and the arts, Duncan remained a lifelong patron of the arts in both Memphis and later in Palm Beach.

According to her obituary, she contributed to civic and creative causes, and even dined with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, a meeting that was attributed to Duncan's "characteristically far-flung friendships and extensive knowledge of 20th century British history."

"A proud alumna of Sweet Briar College, Duncan loved literature and history and, as any one who met her also knows, was herself a gifted storyteller," it said.

"Before becoming a full-time homemaker, she worked at the Commercial Appeal, penning the paper’s Penelope’s Peeps column, a resolutely polite, yet lively, section of society news. Not surprisingly, for a writer who was the daughter of a musician, both her children and many of her grandchildren would gravitate towards careers in writing or music."

In the early 1970s, she relocated to Palm Beach with her second husband, James Russell Duncan, majority owner of the Steego Corp., a national manufacturing company.

Together, the couple became deeply woven into the fabric of Palm Beach society, blending old and new money in one of America’s most exclusive communities.

The duo resided in the two-story penthouse atop the tower, which boasts three bedrooms, three bathrooms, multiple fireplaces, and two balconies.

Below that, a second apartment includes "one bedroom, two full baths, den, and Juliette balcony," while the third offers "one bedroom, one bath, oversized living and dining room, and balcony."

Today, their Mizner-designed tower serves as a living testament to the couple's lasting impact on local society, while shining as a beacon of Palm Beach’s architectural heritage.

Because it is one of the few taller buildings in Midtown, the Via Parigi tower has long been celebrated for both its Mediterranean Revival look and the prominent residents who have called it home.

Constructed by Mizner in 1924, the building reflects the signature style that transformed Palm Beach: stucco walls, wrought-iron detailing, romantic arches, and terra-cotta accents. Mizner drew inspiration from Spain and Latin America, turning the island’s modest wooden cottages into luxurious, ornate structures that still define the town’s aesthetic today.

From the penthouse, residents can take in sweeping views of the Everglades Club, another Mizner masterpiece and a long-standing social centre for Palm Beach society. Views from the tower also stretch to the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. 

The retail space on the ground floor is fully equipped with storage, utility rooms, and a formal entry.