When Landon Smith first saw his client’s contents for the sale he was being consulted for, he panicked: This was no routine estate sale.
He had never seen so many designer shoes in one person’s home, some never worn. The contents he was being contracted to sell would require an unusually large space — as large as, say, the Hall of State at Fair Park.
Which meant the sale had to take place in Preston Hollow, the only neighborhood in Dallas where the homes are as big as the Hall of State.
Wait until you see the shoes …
As he drove the streets, one stunner caught his eye: 10001 Gaywood.
The home is on a corner, stately, imposing, a red-bricked, big-shouldered (or shoulder-padded) specimen of 1984, the year it was built. The home perfectly matched the designer shoe collection he was charged with clearing out — Prada, Louboutin, Versace, Gucci, and Fendi. There were even some shades of both Alexis and Krystal Carrington — remember Dynasty? — in the closetfuls of clothing he perused.
And so, Landon, owner of ELS Estate Sales, approached the home’s agent, Ryan Streiff of Dave Perry-Miller Real Estate. Smith, one of the city’s top estate liquidators, convinced Streiff that the merchandise would coordinate with the home and maybe even help sell it.
And after a preliminary tour of 10001 Gaywood, I can vouch: The inventory coordinates with the home, from the black lamb fur cape/coat dress (it is a sexy dress/coat deal that unzips to a dress, complete with a modesty cape, all in black lamb. This dress would have been positively flaunted by Alexis Carrington as she shed it to try and win her husband back.) Or the slinky glitter cocktail dresses, about 70. Or the lace and glitter and rhinestone shoes and belt buckles: your regular Rhinestone Cowboy on Gaywood Lane.
Designer Handbags That Will Blow Your Mind And Save Your Pocketbook
They fill an entire dining room as well as the circumference of the 28-by-18-foot master bedroom:
- Chloe
- Gucci
- YSL
- Dior
- Prada
- Jimmy Choo
- Stuart Weitzman
- Louis Vuitton
- Sesto Meucci
- Ferragamo
- Christian Louboutin (the red soles!)
One pair of Louboutins have Swarovski Crystals on them. There is jewelry from Tiffany. Furs, minks, wraps, and throws. Fur hats. Furniture by George Cameron Nash, fine china, seasonal holiday china, pots and cookware, and shoes.
Boots, booties, heels, pumps, open-toed, red-soled, cowboy boots.
(I’m told a replica of Melania Trump’s favorite Louboutin basic pump is in the mix.)
Agents and friends are welcome to a private, champagne-sipping preview at the property tonight from 5 to 7 p.m.
The Estate: Oak Floor Replicated to Match The Palace of Versailles
The home is a total movie set for Dynasty. In fact, the re-make should be filmed here. It is solid and built like a fortress: pier-and-beam construction with steel. The custom-built one-story home was designed by an owner-engineer with steel beams and reinforcements. The ’80s was really the last decade of homes built to truly last, and the ceilings soared as tall as our Farah Fawcett ‘dos. The lot and property are mind-boggling — it’s a 280-foot-wide lot in the prestigious Mayflower Estates neighborhood of Old Preston Hollow.
Construction of the almost 8,000-square-foot home took multiple years because it was built by a petroleum engineer as his personal home. William Howard Bowie was the Chief Petroleum Engineer at Hunt Oil Company and upon retirement, went into real estate.
The multi-year construction includes quarter-sawn oak floors replicated to match the Palace of Versailles and a huge great room with 744 square feet of stunning parquet, designed by French Brown floors. The slate roof tiles were from the same lot as the Anatole Hotel when it was built for the 1984 Republican Convention by Trammel Crow. There are no grade changes in the house, which has huge rooms, and high ceilings. Because they had no children, William and his wife, Betty, literally designed the home for easy renovation.
Walk up a broad, impressive brick walkway to the enormous solid wood double doors. You could move a Mack truck inside easily. The small vestibule gives way to a commanding great room with soaring ceilings, recessed lighting, and chandeliers. There is a large wet bar and lounge area for cocktails, a 19-by-17-foot dining room, and a handsome study. Excuse the handbags, this is where they have found a welcoming, temporary sales spot.
The kitchen opens to a circular breakfast area that overlooks the beautiful rear grounds and pool, as does the adjacent warm family room with incredibly detailed shelves and intricate molding said to have cost $100,000 alone in the ’80s.
On the opposite side of the house, The incredible 26-by-18-foot master features dual bathrooms, each with commodes and bidets, and massive walk-in closets. The lady’s bath has a large sitting area for makeup application … again I can see Krystle and Alexis Carrington both sitting there, throwing fake eyelashes at one another.
Three more generously proportioned (and all en suite) bedrooms all have walk-in closets with built-ins. There is even a second living area on the eastern wing, with an attached full bath, and accessible from the broad front circular driveway. This could be a fifth bedroom, guest or game room, or even the perfect caretaker’s suite because of private access.
A Garage Fit For a Party
Here is an indication of how lavishly built this home was in its day: the garage floor is tiled — yes, tiled — and completely wrapped in raised paneling in a pickled wood pretty enough to be in a living area. And get this, ready? THE BACKS OF THE GARAGE DOORS ARE ALSO PANELED!
This means you could have a party in the garage. I’ll bet it’s even climate controlled.
To be clear, 10001 Gaywood needs a little help, just as any 38-year-old home (or person) might need. The plastics on this one are an easy fix, and far preferable to building anew, though that’s always a possibility, of course, on this expansive lot in one of the city’s most chic neighborhoods. I don’t say this often, but this home, with building costs so high, is a perfect makeover candidate. Floors have been re-done, walls could use some refreshing (though I hear fabric-padded walls are making a comeback, truly) and I’d certainly re-configure and condition the kitchen and baths.
But to be sure, this house has the bones of a dinosaur and withstood an EF3 tornado without so much as a nick. Originally priced at $4.195 million, the estate at 10001 Gaywood has been reduced to $3.995 million.
The ELS Estate sale takes place on Thursday, July 14, at 1 p.m. sharp at 10001 Gaywood Road, and runs through Sunday.
