I did a double-take on this Bluffview contemporary estate originally designed by Bud Oglesby because it has undergone such a stunning transformation since I last saw it.
I was asked to consult on this property as a stager in 2005. I remember it being inspirational at the time, but it has now surpassed anything I could have imagined.
The only things still recognizable at 5411 Surrey Circle are the drive-up, principal bedroom, and kitchen. It’s had a complete transformation — complete with stunning additions — and it is worth every penny of that $24.5 million price tag because this is truly an exceptional estate.
Oglesby designed this Bluffview contemporary estate in 1972 for the pioneering plastic surgeon Mark Lemmon. Jean-Claude Saada and his wife, Beth, bought the 7,998-square-foot home in 2005. Over the next three years, they renovated and expanded it with the help of an incredibly talented dream team — architect Tom Reisenbichler, interior designer Carol Cumbie, and landscape architect Coy Talley.
Background matters here more than it does on most homes because Saada is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the commercial real estate company Cambridge Holdings, which develops, owns, and manages award-winning health-enhancing medical facilities. The concept is that thoughtfully designed buildings enable more effective care and recovery, so you can only imagine what has been put into this home. Health-conscious residential design is the new frontier, in my opinion.
Reisenbichler is the principal managing director of the architectural firm Perkins + Will. He is so far ahead of the curve it’s mind-boggling. When he designed a home for his family years ago on Orchid Lane, he put everything into it to meet the highest LEED requirements before those requirements were available for residential structures. This man defines cutting-edge.
Talley has designed the landscape architecture at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, The Lamplighter School, The Meadows Museum at SMU, Keller Town Square, and so many other civic, corporate, and residential projects it would make your head spin.
To round out the dream team, Cumbie is the Vice President of Development at Cambridge, overseeing all design phases for the company. Who better to help you with your home than someone on staff you’ve trusted for years who also spent time at Perkins +Will?
This is indeed the cream of the crop of professionals.
The initial additions included a guest suite and a five-car garage. Then, in 2010 two half-acre parcels became available next door. The Saadas did not hesitate. They increased their property to 3.25 acres and started another project.
They built the Carriage House, a two-story, 7,179-square-foot second home with a separate address — 9016 Broken Arrow Lane. The Saadas use the Carriage House as an entertainment venue and a home for Jean-Claude’s second love (after Beth, of course).
You see, he is quite the racing enthusiast. In fact, he’s a Ferrari Challenge Driver, so there is a museum-quality show garage on the upper level of the Carriage House with multiple glass doors opening to the modernist landscaped grounds. All in all, there is room for 14 cars on the estate.
There is also a living, dining, and kitchen area with powder baths and an elevator to the lower level, which houses another two-car garage, a driving simulator room, and a professional catering kitchen.
That original 7,998-square-foot home is now 15,918 square feet with five ensuite bedrooms. The attached two-story guest quarters include an entire apartment on the first floor with a living area, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Upstairs, two additional flex areas can be used for offices, an exercise room, or anything your heart desires. There is an extensive wine room, a media room, a billiards room, and a room for the piano.
“Having three acres in the heart of Dallas is like living in a park,” Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s listing agent Joan Eleazer said. “One of the advantages of this property is the owners did not replat. It’s two parcels, so the carriage house could be a completely separate home.”
But seriously, who today doesn’t want a lush, private, secure compound like this Bluffview contemporary estate? Everyone wants acreage, and this kind of property rarely comes along.
There is nothing more you need when you have an estate this beautiful with an infinity pool, tennis courts, and even a zip line down to the creek.
“This is life on another level,” Eleazer said.
Eleazer has 5411 Surrey Circle available for $24.5 million, and I’m betting the offers are pouring in.
