If visions of living like Marie Antoinette dance in your head, this jaw dropping French chateau at 4850 Preston Road, designed by Richard Drummond Davis, and built by Sharif & Munir, may be your dream home. It was listed last week by Allie Beth Allman (of course!) for 14.5 million. Mon Dieu, it is flawless-and the history… ooh la la.
Built by Sharif & Munir, it was purchased by James Beckett III, founder of Beckett Media, for his bride Diane Burgdorf. Diane, you may recall, was once married to Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Diane did not see the three-story, 13,969 square-foot “gift” before James wrote the check. The lesson here is never buy a house for your bride before she has a chance to approve it, regardless of the cost. Although delighted with the gesture, Diane deemed it a bit large for her needs, but Carl and Jimmy Westcott thought it was just the right size and purchased it from the Becketts in December of 2010.
For anyone living under a rock, Carl Westcott is a Dallas mover and shaker who founded his private investment company, Westcott LLC, in 1996. Westcott has put his Midas touch on everything from real estate, consumer services and technology to energy and finance. His lovely wife, Jimmy, is a whirlwind of non-stop energy, dedication to worthy causes and a brilliant interior designer. She’s designed homes, businesses-even an airplane interior. You surely are familiar with the Westcott “kids”. Son, Chart is an attorney and former candidate for the Texas House. His sibling, Court has just wrapped a lucrative deal with Apple. Yep, movers and shakers all… and now it’s time to move again.
That’s great news for the perfect buyer because this beauty has six bedrooms, eight bathrooms, four-half bathrooms, eight living areas and everything under the sun you could possibly imagine. We can’t think of a thing that’s been overlooked. There’s a sauna, a steam room, a wine room, an exercise room, a media room … that boasts a hot pink ceiling and closets the Kardashian sisters can only dream about.
The entire home is built with exquisite materials – no detail has been overlooked, I mean this is Mickey Munir at his finest — there are even semi-precious stones in the first floor woodwork. You’d be hard pressed (pardon our pun) to find more detailed ceilings and millwork anywhere else in the state.
The location doesn’t get any better. Situated on Preston Road between Beverly Drive and Armstrong Parkway, it’s close to everything but has a wonderfully secluded feel. Nestled between the estates of Edwin Cox and Lyn & John Muse and a few doors down from Harlan Crow (underground garage!) and Gene & Jerry Jones, whoever buys this estate will be hitting the jackpot of interesting neighbors. I wonder if Harlan lets you borrow the garage for parties? Can’t you just see hanging out on the terrace with Jerry after a game, sipping a cocktail ?
