Larry House residence
The Larry House residence 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 terraced lawn is ornamented with large urns and a fountain, encircled by a violin-shaped drive inspired by the approach to Andrew Jackson's "Hermitage" estate near Nashville, Tennessee.
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 is currently on the market, listed at $13.9 million in February 2014, down from a $17.9 million asking price in July 2011. It went back to auction on October 31, 2015, bringing a high $4 million bid. By February 2016 it was back on the market with an asking price of $9.9 million.
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
External links
- Larry House residence on zillow.com
- Larry House residence at decaroauctions.com