Larry House residence

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Aerial view of the Larry House residence

The Larry House residence, also called Chateau Montagel or "The Guitar House", is a 15-bedroom, 22-bath residence at 7 Montagel Way in the Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club. It was built in 1997 for MedPartners CEO Larry House for a reported $26 million. The property tops the list of most expensive residences in the Birmingham area.

The 37,135 square-foot main house was designed by architect Bill Sheppard in a "French Chateau" style with limestone and stucco on the exterior walls and a hipped slate roof topped with a domed cupola. Specific inspirations included the "Elizabethan Baroque" style used for the Imperial Winter Palace in St Petersburg, Russia. Sheppard left the project during design and most of the detailing was completed by John-Bryan Hopkins.

The entrance foyer features a frescoed ceiling with a massive crystal chandelier. Some of the detailed trim work was designed by IFACS. The house is equipped with a commercial elevator, a 25-seat theater, limestone and maple flooring, and a 12-cubicle home office. The house has two master suites, each covering over 3,500 square feet. A basement wine cellar has a capacity of 2,000 bottles.

The terraced lawn is ornamented with large urns and a fountain, and encircled by a guitar-shaped drive (inspired by the approach to Andrew Jackson's "Hermitage"). Besides the main house, the 27-acre property includes a guest house, a swimming pool with two cabanas connected by a curving arcade, a 6-stall barn with additional living quarters, a riding ring, and four fenced pastures.

The house, which was assessed by Shelby County at $11.8 million, sold at auction in 2003 for just under $4 million. It was put back on the market in July 2011 with an asking price of $17.9 million, which was reduced to $13.9 million by February 2014. It went back to auction on October 31, 2015, bringing a high $4 million bid, but the winner was unable to close. By February 2016 it was back on the market with an asking price of $9.9 million. On October 26, 2016 it went back on the auction block with a reserve of $4 million to no avail. The house was sold to Medical Cloud Computing LLC in 2017 for $4.8 million. The note was transferred to that company's founder, Robert Gold, in April 2020 for the same value.

References

  • "Alabama's most expensive homes: Details and photos that will make you say 'wow'." (July 17, 2011) The Birmingham News
  • Walsh, Alex (February 20, 2014) "Shelby County mansion now largest home on the market in America." The Birmingham News
  • Archibald, John (February 21, 2014) "Want to know more about the $14 million House house?" The Birmingham News (reprint of article first published April 4, 2003)
  • Edgemon, Erin (October 31, 2015) "Alabama's largest house sells at auction: See what it sold for." The Birmingham News
  • Steere, Tim (October 6, 2016) "Birmingham's most expensive mansion to be auctioned again." Birmingham Business Journal
  • Poe, Kelly (June 29, 2017) "Alabama's largest mansion sells for $4.8 million." The Birmingham News

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