What a fabulous history. Welcome to Bonaventure, the first and most exclusive high rise north of 635.
If you want the whole history, you can read this fabulous write-up from the Candy of Candy’s Dirt, but I’ll do my best to hit the highlights here.
Back in the 1980s there was a power couple named Ray and Clare Stern. They were fitness buffs of the Jack LaLanne era. (You know him, the sold juicers and wore belted rompers.)
These two started the first co-ed gym in San Francisco back in the day. It was also the first gym to host childcare so Mom and Dad could get their reps in.
Well, they moved to Dallas and started several fitness clubs – one with three racquetball courts so impressive that Elvis Presley flew in late one evening to take a look – then they set their sights on real estate.
They built the Bonaventure, then called Claremont, on 7.2 acres and it was top of the line. Jogging trails, an indoor and outdoor pool, and on-site concierge to rival anything you’ll find on Turtle Creek. No surprise, they placed a heavy emphasis on the gym and loaded it up with all the equipment you could think of and topped it off with walls of mirrors and chandeliers.
To this day, the Bonaventure boasts “grounds and landscaping that rival the Dallas Botanical Gardens.” I’m sure they mean the Arboretum, but there you go.
All of that to say, that one of the spectacular units in now available. It was originally two units that were combined into one and it’s SPACIOUS. At over 3,370 square feet with two bedrooms, Dave Perry-Miller’s Frada Sandler said, you can’t even imagine the closets. The living room is huge, the kitchen and bathrooms updated and, of course, there’s an impressive bar as well.
This home has seen its fair share of swanky cocktail parties. Sandler said the Bonaventure has been home to a Ladies Vodka Club and back in the day there was a happy hour almost nightly.
It’s always been a tight knit group that lives in this incredible building and as the residents age, the younger generation is moving in to take up the effortless life of a full-service building.
The staff at Bonaventure attend to everything – bringing up groceries, parking cars and much, much more. They go above and beyond for their residents and even though COVID put a halt on some of the gatherings, they’re getting back in the social swing of things. Sandler said she was recently on site and heard the food trucks were a huge success. THEY ORGANIZE EVENTS.
Located in the heart of North Dallas, the Bonaventure is a total gem. It’s like a hidden secret in the heart of the city.
If you’re interested in easy living, take a look at 5200 Keller Springs Road, #1017. It’s listed at $799,000 and thoroughly top of the line. The current furnishings skew traditional, but it’s really a blank canvas. Bring your transitional or modern self and make this one your own.
