Château des Grotteaux To Go Under the Gavel in September
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I have to say, when I saw the news that Lakewood’s historic Château des Grotteaux was going under the gavel at Concierge Auctions in September, I was not surprised. This is a tough one for me because I have loved this house for decades.
Then it was remodeled.
The picture above is how I choose to remember this home. I say this because I unfortunately believe it will become a memory, just as so many historic homes in Dallas have become.
For those new to Dallas, and particularly Lakewood, this home carries quite the history. Builder Edwin Cox constructed the 1928 French Norman chateau as a spec home for the Pasadena neighborhood, not as a custom home for R.L Thornton (Dallas mayor from 1953 to 1961), as other media outlets have reported. That is just wrong. Thornton saw the home in a State Fair of Texas brochure and snagged it prior to completion. He was responsible for laying out the spectacular grounds.
Château des Grotteaux is French for “house of the caves.” According to local lore, it was named for the cave under the main gate’s interior patio, which supposedly went all the way to White Rock Lake and was constructed for the singular purpose of bringing liquor in during Prohibition.
In 2005, Michael Fahey bought Château des Grotteaux. After spending years on a full restoration of the grounds that included the secret garden and all the water features, Fahey listed it for $2.89 million in 2018. It remained on the market until, according to records, George and Michael Smith purchased the property in July 2020.
The new owners more than doubled the square footage and significantly altered the exterior, adding turrets for a more castle-like look. The massive addition includes a main suite, a new kitchen, an open-plan living space, two additional bedrooms, and a basement that includes a wine room and a bar area. A garage was added to the right side of the home as well. I think they tried very hard to do the alterations necessary to make a historic home more appealing to a modern family that loved the idea of living in a fairy tale home. A lot of the interior changes were, in my opinion, very successful and necessary.
Why Château des Grotteaux May Live On
While the remodel expanded and modernized the home, the historic exterior architecture was lost. It bears almost no resemblance to its roots, and that is what worries me about the viability of the home. Consulting with a preservation architect would have been prudent to at least preserve the historic facade and cohesively match any addition to it. When we consider the value of land in Lakewood, well, you do the math. It would take someone who wants to live in a fantasy castle, and those buyers are few and far between, which is an excellent reason to go to auction.
An international buyer base will finally see the home, which is the best way to market a one-of-a-kind property. Concierge Auctions is the world’s largest luxury real estate auction marketplace, so it will be seen by a global market. It will certainly be interesting to see who buys it and what they do with it.
Concierge Auctions will open bidding on Lakewood’s historic Château des Grotteaux at 6941 Gaston Ave. on September 16. However, bidders must be registered by the day before. Bidding will close September 29, and the auction will take place live in Hong Kong on September 30. In 2026, the property value was appraised at $4.3 million by the Dallas Central Appraisal District. It was last listed for $5.8 million. Bidding is expected to start around $2 million.
