An Estate Worth Crowing About
Many houses in Dallas can boast dignified guests, but not all can claim visitors such as a former queen of Thailand and Margaret Thatcher.
Those are just two names on a long list of distinguished callers to the Trammell Crow estate on Preston Road, which is on the market for the first time in more than 50 years.
“This house dictates how the world will perceive you,” realtor Allie Beth Allman said.
Only three families have owned the opulent estate, which was built in 1912 and encompasses nearly 10,000 square feet on a six-acre plot. The five-bedroom mansion, complete with a guesthouse, is listed for nearly $59.4 million.
Of course the house itself is noteworthy, but Allman feels the land on the estate is the true gem.
“It’s the deepest of any of those lots on Preston Road,” she said. “It’s just magnificent.”
The estate backs up to Turtle Creek, and it is estimated there are 240 trees on the property that are more than 12 inches in diameter. One in particular, which has a canopy of 140 feet across, is marked with a plaque that reads “Dallas Metroplex Champion Live Oak.” Lucy Crow Billingsley remembers playing in it as a child.
“It was a great climbing tree, and I’m a tomboy, so I climbed it,” she said. “One day my mom was hollering at me and my dad came out behind her. They had quite a discussion on what her daughter should be doing.”
In addition to climbing trees, Billingsley remembers being able to see the Christmas lights on Armstrong Parkway from her bedroom window and peeking in at her parents’ parties for guests from around the globe, such as her mother’s luncheon for the queen of Thailand.
“There were just lots of rich experiences,” she said. “I was just lucky to be a child getting to be an observer at the banquet.”
