Dallas has never had a home quite like this. Casa de Ondas sits on two acres inside Crespi Estates, the gated four-home enclave carved out of the original property in Preston Hollow (created for Italian Count Pio Crespi in the 1930s). It just listed for $45 million, making it the second-most expensive home in Texas, behind only the $64 million Crespi Estate next door. But the two couldn’t be more different.
Where the 1938 Crespi Estate reads like a French chateau, Casa de Oras is a sleek, wave-roofed sculpture in limestone and glass, the first Dallas project from Cape Town firm SAOTA, built in partnership with Dallas-based Ghost Architects. The name translates to “House of Waves,” and the shape backs it up. SAOTA designed the roof around the live oak canopies on the lot, a curve that echoes the treetops above it.
The striking wave motif runs through the locally quarried Lueders limestone facade, the curved oculus window over the lily pond, and all the way to the pivot door at the entrance. Inside, the architecture is equally striking. Find a double-sided fireplace, bar with 8,000-pound marble island (hand chiseled in Italy), a wine bar and a chef’s kitchen with Miele appliances. Downstairs, an English phone booth leads to an underground speakeasy, as well as a second bar and a golf simulator with privacy glass that switches to reveal a four-car collector’s garage.
Outside, a garden path leads to a separate structure built around wellness: a sauna, full gym and a massage room, all with views of the grounds.
Perry Wisdom Barrett Narosov of Allie Beth Allman & Associates represent the listing.
