Now that Amy and Jim “Sevy” Severson’s children have left the nest, the two have set their sights on a Gulf Coast vacation home and a smaller abode in Dallas. That decision is going to mean great things for a new family, since they’ve listed the North Dallas home they built in 2001.
If the Severson name sounds familiar, it’s because the two have owned Sevy’s Grill, the restaurant named after Jim, since 1997.
That four-bedroom, three-bath home at 6550 Dykes Way is built for a family — literally. The Seversons bought the property and lived in the existing home from 1991.
“We bought our property in 1991 when the street was all original and you could walk into the Downs of Hillcrest from our end of the street,” Amy said. “It was all working class ranch houses, 1400-1600 square feet tucked into a ‘hidden’ north Dallas neighborhood bookended by newer, walled neighborhoods on Hillcrest and Preston.”
But the original home became a squeeze for the family of four, eventually.
“We loved our little city sanctuary, almost half acre at the end of a street, but we outgrew the original home by 2000,” Amy said. “We hired architects Bernbaum & Magadini — Bruce and Cindy Bernbaum were friends via Kramer Elementary. Our builder was Howard Gorman of Gorman Homes.”
That home, built with growing kids in mind, sits on a nearly half-acre lot on a quiet cul-de-sac. The layout is family friendly, with its open kitchen and den that provide views of not only playing children during dinner prep, but gorgeous views of the big backyard and pool.(more…)
4649 Saint Laurent Court in beautiful Montserrat, a luxury Fort Worth neighborhood, sold and closed today. It had been the estate of 26 year old pop star singer Selena Marie Gomez, who bought the 10,016 square foot home in November of 2015. This home is where the Grand Prairie native has been quietly spending time here in North Texas, which the star singer definitely considers home.
It took about 30 minutes or less for Sam Wyly’s 244-acre Colorado ranch to sell at auction, and when the dust settled (although one might argue three bidders can’t kick up that much dust), a familiar name in Dallas development emerged.(more…)
Joan Eleazer with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty is one pretty amazing agent. In fact, when I hear talk of Realtors going by the wayside as AVM’s and other computer-based platforms take over the selling of homes, I think of Joan. She sold Champ d’Or, once priced at $72 million, after nine years and eight agents.
And now, she just sold it again, closing this week.
If you are new to Dallas, here is a quickie primer on Champ D’Or, 1851 Turbeville Road, probably the biggest estate in North Texas, the one Curbed called…
The estate is up in Hickory Creek, just south of Denton, off of I-35. It is modeled after Vaux-le-Vicomte, a chateau on the outskirts of Paris, France.
The initial home offering was 48,000 square feet on 39 acres. Originally built by CellStar Corp. founder Alan H. Goldfield and his wife, Shirley, the estate known as Champ d’Or (or “Gold Field”) is hands down one of the grandest residences in the entire country.
I once had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Goldfield. She told me how God inspired her to build this home and keep it going post 9/11. (The doves on the foyer ceiling are Shirley’s tribute to 9/11.) The property features endless unique high end amenities including a two-story mahogany library; a conservatory mimicking Tavern of the Green in New York City; an ornate theater complete with stage, screen and and a concession stand. The home has two commercial elevators, multiple staircases, powder rooms and fireplaces; a master suite with a steam room inspired by “The Rat Pack”, hair salon, two-story Chanel-style “her” closet, two-story “his” closet, an indoor lap pool and an exercise room off the huge master bathroom with heated towel drawers.
The auction was Saturday, as we told you, and so many have asked us, did 3508 Bryn Mawr actually sell at the auction?
You bet it did. Terms are not being revealed, but you know I will find out.
Created by Emerson Residential in 2006, the rock-solid stunner has five bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, one half bath, a designer kitchen, expansive master suite, and lovely outdoor area with a covered patio and fireplace. Enough room for a small pool, and there is even a small sun room off the back yard that would be a perfect entertainment hub.
The house sold at auction on September 1, the market listing price with Allie Beth Allman’s Lillie Young a hair under $3.5 million. This home has been listed for as much as $3.9 in the past. Elite Auctions’ Market Director Southwest, Alicia Chmielewski, couldn’t give me many details other than the fact that she had two very happy home sellers!
I honestly don’t think there is another house in Dallas that demonstrates “Old Highland Park” like 4441 Belfort Place.
Even the address is stately. And the front door!
From the dramatic drive-up on one of Highland Park’s toniest streets, the home greets you with beautiful architectural detail — that fleur surrounding the oval window above the doorway. There is a second story, a New Orleans-style balcony, arches and windows. There is a tile roof. The yard is lush with rich, mature landscaping, the kind one achieves from years of careful, loving tending. Located on one of the few, rare, front-to-back lots in Highland Park, the .87 of an acre grounds are more like that of an estate you would find in Old Preston Hollow. In fact, the yard is so perfect it was once published on the cover of the New York Times Magazine.
To say the home is a showplace is an understatement. Current owners took a home built in 1940 and updated it thoughtfully, soundly, retaining the charm and architectural detailing that, try as you might, spend as you might, you cannot replicate in new home construction.
Plus there are so many wonderful eccentricities: 24 karat gold dipped ceramic tiles, Hawaiian mahogany, Frankoma tiled glass walls, onyx terrazzo, intricate mosaics and brass inlaid concrete floors. All these elements plus typical 1960s materials that made that era of architecture so great — natural stone, walnut paneling, glass glass and more glass, and bamboo.
The Dallas Round House is still considered one of the most architecturally significant homes in the city and you do not want to miss it!
Tonight, you can benefit our great friends at Preservation Dallas (for a mere $20) and see this city treasure for yourself!
This is huge news, and a big shot in the arm for our real estate market, especially at the higher luxury end.
A significant Dallas estate has sold and closed. Details are still pouring in, but sources tell me that the magnificent Preston Hollow mansion belonging to Lisa Blue Baron, a woman I cannot speak of more highly, sold Friday for just under $19 million.
You know the place: it’s the Robert A.M. Stern designed palatial estate on the southwest corner of Preston Road and Deloache in the honeypot of Preston Hollow. The home is a sprawling 15,254 square feet on 8.98 acres. We first reported that the house was on the market in May of 2014, and were likely the first to do so.
Lisa had told me that deciding to sell her beloved home, which she built with her late husband, Fred Baron, who she lost to cancer in October, 2008, was a really tough decision.
“Building it was a labor of love,” she told me. “Fred loved and appreciated architecture and good art. I rely on others for good taste.Me, I could live anywhere, even in a trailer!”
The home is beyond exquisite. Her white master bedroom remains etched in the memory cells of my brain, one of my favorite rooms of all times. And yet the home, for being so large and elegant, is one of the warmest places you could ever walk into. The home has been featured in Architectural Digest:
As Baron remembers it, they were standing among the creepers and weeds, noting the derelict vegetation, the scarcity of salvageable trees and the ample evidence that the neighborhood kids had made the place their own—more than ready to retreat, in other words—when Stern started to make his case. “Bob told us, You have just got to buy this property.'”
Lisa interviewed the city’s tip top agents when she finally decided to sell, and chose Erin Mathews at Allie Beth Allman & Associates, who has hung in there for four years now while the home has been marketed, while prices have been lowered at least twice, through a few offers, and through countless showings.
What a huge coup for Erin! The buyer was brought by Gina Cerullo of Compass, who cannot comment on the sale because of an NDA she has signed. Word on the street is that the buyer may be James Dondero.
The estate was first listed at $37.5 when it debuted. The price was lowered to $33 million in 2015, then to $24.5, evidently the magic number.
Erin Mathews’ website describes the property best. A few of my own notes: the powder rooms are definitely his and her’s, almost like powder rooms you’d find in a country club, with large dressing rooms. The home is on a private lake, and Robert A.M. Stern also designed the George W. BushPresidential Center because of this house. It is the only home he has designed in Texas, and one of the few in the world.The home was built on the estate of the Pollock family, whose home had a large swimming pool that was one of the first in Dallas. For years, the Pollock home was a vital social center for the local Jewish community. In light of that, Lisa and Fred always gave their home a tradition of loaning the house nearly every week for charitable events. It was also often loaded with national and local Democratic candidates and fundraisers. President Obama has stayed at the house. When Bill Clinton was president, he would jettison to the Baron estate directly after landing in Dallas. Photos of Bill and Hillary are all over the house! It is rumored that one time presidential candidate John Edwards also enjoyed hospitality at 5950 Deloache:
Now that Amy and Jim “Sevy” Severson’s children have left the nest, the two have set their sights on a Gulf Coast vacation home and a smaller abode in Dallas. That decision is going to mean great things for a new family, since they’ve listed the North Dallas home they built in 2001.
From Staff Reports
