Palatial ‘Greater Than Gatsby’ Estate Returns to Market With a $17 Million Price Increase—Regaining Crown as Dallas’ Most Expensive Home

A one-of-a-kind Dallas estate has returned to the market for the third time in less than two years—complete with an array of new amenities and a $17 million increase from its most recent listing price.

The property, which was originally built by Italian Count Pio Crespi in 1938, has quickly regained its place as Dallas’ most expensive home after making a grand return to the market on Feb. 26 with an asking price of $64 million, having last been offered at “just” $47 million.

But that additional $17 million isn’t for nothing.

Since the 10-bedroom, 12.5-bathroom estate, which has been hailed as being “greater than Gatsby,” was last made available to buy, it has undergone an expansion that saw three more lots added to the property—which now totals 15.69 acres.

Pogir Pogir, who is co-listing the palatial estate with Diane Duvall, both of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, explains that the addition of the adjacent lots ensures all the more privacy for a future owner.

“We raised the price to include those three lots and to give the new owners the opportunity to decide what to do with them,” says Pogir. “My gut feeling is that they will keep them.”

The French Chateau-style estate was first listed for sale in 2023 at $60 million, before the price was lowered to $47 million one year later.

The palatial estate awed the international upper crust when Crespi recruited Swiss architect Maurice Fatio, noted for creating the grand manors of the 1920s and ’30s in Palm Beach, FL, to build a luxurious estate unlike anything anyone had ever seen in Dallas.

Craftsmen were hired to create every detail, from the gleaming marble flooring to the intricate millwork, balustrades, and even the hinges and vent covers.

“You could not reproduce the quality of the craftsmanship, provenance, and culture today,” says Pogir. “It’s a living piece of art.”

The mansion features extravagant details like a grand ballroom, an art deco bar, wine rooms, a conservatory, and an 1820s library purchased in France and shipped to the United States.

The estate attracted dignitaries and icons such as the likes of Coco Chanel and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, as well as the most powerful Texas political figures.

Eventually, Tom Hicks, former owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team, purchased the 27,092-square-foot Crespi Estate and then embarked on a grand-scale renovation.

Pogir recounts how Hicks reopened the Indiana limestone quarry that had originally provided the limestone for the mansion. It would provide the limestone for Hicks’ expansion and updates.

Among the updates are a 3,000-square-foot primary suite with a clubby closet with a fireplace, a media room, a safe room, and an elevator.

Additions included two more grand structures: a 4,800-square-foot entertainment pavilion with a 19-seat home theater, as well as an elegant 3,300-square-foot guesthouse.

The current owners added a fully equipped gym with cryotherapy, a massage room, steam room, and sensory-deprivation float tank.

But it’s the expansive grounds that really take your breath away, according to Pogir.

“Diane and I spent hours walking the acreage,” he says. They strolled along the paths, trails, creeks, hills, and trees.

The manicured grounds include a swimming pool and spa area, tennis and bocce courts, a greenhouse, and a heliport.

“The genius loci, or ‘spirit of the land,’ is so special. Many people say that once you pass through the gates, you can’t believe you’re still in Dallas. They feel transported,” Pogir says.

Pogir, an architect from South Africa who has represented luxury properties in Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Miami, notes that the modern glass, boxy mansions on much smaller lots in those areas can’t hold a candle to this historic estate.

He believes that even an international clientele with the most refined tastes will be interested.

“It’s truly greater than Gatsby,” he says.