A Dallas Mega Mansion

Since we aren't doing the Wednesday Hodgepodge this week, I thought I would treat you to a most fascinating local story.

The well-known and often repeated saying, "Everything is bigger in Texas" certainly holds true in this case.

Source

Opulence is one of those 'bigger' things and nowhere is that more visible than in the Park Cities part of Dallas. Highland Park and University Park are two of the most monied enclaves of Dallas. Volk Estates, the neighborhood in University Park where this house is being built, is among the wealthiest of the wealthy.

Cindy Thompson, Vice President of Thompson Petroleum Corp and a real estate investor with multimillion-dollar properties across the world — decided to build a home that had all the elements she wanted.  Her Dream House!  However, Cindy and her husband have decided to not live here after all.  In order to take advantage of the real estate boom in Dallas, it is now on the market for $43 million.

The flooring in this massive foyer, is black and white panda marble, with mirrored veined marble on the double floating staircase.  The flooring beyond the foyer in the great room is bamboo backed with cork for walking comfort.

The home is built on a double lot, 1.8 acres, part of which was a property that once belonged to her grandparents. The family also owns the property across the street where Cindy grew up.

In order to get exactly the house she wanted, Cindy has been very hands-on in every decision, and can you imagine the decisions that had to be made.  She said that she incorporated design elements from other luxury homes she owns all over the country, or was inspired by.  Taking bits and pieces of her favorite aspects of these homes, she put them all together into this 23,688 square-foot mega mansion.

By the way, one of these homes happens to be one of the largest homes in Aspen, CO, that she purchased for $22 million while we were all hunkered down in 2020.  The home sold for $44 million in 2013, so she got a real bargain.  To help make the payment though, she sold a smaller home she owned in Florida for $11 million.

The exterior of the house is swathed in limestone imported from Bulgaria— the same kind the Greeks are using to renovate the Parthenon, according to Cindy’s husband, Stephen Hill.  The density of these stones are said to weigh 10,650 pounds per square inch.

The two-story, single piece columns outside the front door are eighteen feet tall, the second tallest of any U.S. residence.  The others are said to be hiding on a mansion in Missouri.

The home has six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, each the size of a hand-ball court.

For example, this spa shower has leathered red tempest stone floors and polished red tempest walls.

The entrance into the master suite features these double doors and surround from India with mother-of-pearl inlay.  Doors from India are used in other areas of the house as well.

The primary bathroom features a shower made entirely of turquoise-colored amazonite. 

This is a close-up of the rose-gold fixtures featured throughout the house.

It also has rose-quartz countertops and floor details.

The main kitchen, which is open to the great room, has bright blue stone countertops and backsplash (called azul macaubus) and cabinets with a unique texture.  It also features two islands.

The home  library has African mahogany-lined walls and bookshelves and an amethyst fireplace surround.  On the front side of the library, there’s a designated reading room that is one of the octagonal spaces you see when looking at the front of the home.  When asked if they like to read, Stephen replied, "Only if it's digital."

Perhaps one of the most lavish extravagances is the subterranean garage that can, reportedly, comfortably fit eighteen Chevy Suburbans.  Also in this massive basement area there is a wellness and exercise area, a theater, a catering kitchen, space for seven electric car stations, a bonus room or safe room, and an enormous room for wine storage.  The Thompsons did admit to not being wine collectors. 

Cindy fell in love with the famous outdoor staircase in Venice’s Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, when she visited Italy and wanted one just like it in her dreamhouse.

The house is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022.  Wouldn't you love a tour of this home once it is furnished?

At this point, there have been no offers, and some of the realtors are skeptical as to whether it will sell.  Since the Thompsons would only be spending 20 - 30 percent of their time here, they probably won't mind waiting for the just-right buyer.

Information for this post came from articles in Texas Monthly magazine and The Dallas Morning News.