Weatherford a Sleepy Suburb? Au Contraire, It’s the New Hot Spot

I ran into a colleague interior designer extrordinaire Barry Williams at a funeral I attended last week.

“I’ve been thinking about you lately,” he said.
“Oh, how so?”I replied
“I’ve been spending a lot of time on I-30. I’ve got a job in Weatherford,” empathizing with my D/FW commutes.
“Oh, yeah. There’s a lot going on out there I’ve heard, ” I added.

Indeed. One week later, out of curiosity, I did some investigating and found several eye-popping multi-million dollar listings.

Even though there isn’t much empty space between Fort Worth and Weatherford these days, it may not be strictly accurate to refer to Weatherford as a “suburb.” Both towns were founded within ten years of one another, and though only 30,000 people call Weatherford home, locals are rather proud of their distinct history. And recently abundant, affordable land and better public schools have begun to draw people to this Parker County Seat.

The estate that captured my imagination, at 3380 Westridge Drive, is a whopping 11,071 square foot compound, with a 1,300 square foot guest house, six bedrooms, and nine bathrooms, on 5 to 21 acres —you decide — that rivals the scale and grandeur of any spread in Mira Vista or Montserrat in Fort Worth.

The entrance vestibule boldly announces the main themes of the residence. Unapologetically Italophilic, the exterior, like the interior, is constructed of premium materials. The listing agent informs me that even the garage’s base molding is marble. Beautiful rustic stone clads the edifice with pavers of stone and terra cotta that have a patina belying their recent installation in 2006.

The living room floats under a groin vault-supported dome. Instead of falling for the usual pratfalls of duplication, the homeowners engaged painter Gregory Arth to do fanciful decorative painting, which is charmingly whimsical.

The romance of a dining room fireplace. The listing doesn’t give a fireplace number but it’s at least four by my count.

The house is chock-full of extras. Multiple living areas, media room, offices, and this splendid two-story library.

And then this lovely descent into a 5,000-bottle wine cellar and tasting room.

All of the six bedrooms are ample, even super-sized as is the principal suite. Interior doors throughout are antiques from La Puerta. Custom tiles throughout are Walker Zanger or Ann Sacks.

I know a million-dollar pool when I see one, and I’m seeing one. Bracketed by handsome Tuscan columns, the construction recalls, in a modest way, Hadrian’s villa at Tivoli. The terminus is left open, evoking Italian ruins and allowing uninterrupted western sunset views.

Hidden in the sylvan acreage are four covered parking spaces.

Amber Sustala of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Real Estate has listed 3380 Westridge Drive with 21 acres for $5.595 million.