An opulent mansion has hit the market for $7.4 million in Terrell Hills, and its seller was once the Alamo City’s king of beers.
The four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath Spanish villa is designed to impress, with formal living and dining spaces, wainscoting panels and elaborately carved archways between rooms. A cubed tile design and a grand staircase set the stately tone as a visitor enters the residence.
The dining room has not one but two chandeliers above the table. The formal living room seems as if it was assembled not for lounging but, rather, having tea with dignitaries. A leopard skin is draped over the coffee table, adding an exotic element to the stately setting. Elsewhere in the study, more exotic game is displayed on the walls.
Lets just say this isn’t the type of place to kick back and enjoy a Budweiser. Ironically, though the, sellers of the house are Berkley V. Dawson and Bonnie Dawson.
If Berkley Dawson’s name doesn’t ring a bell, he helped build Budco Ltd., San Antonio’s wildly successful beer distributorship. He and his brother Vincent — both second-generation Anheuser-Busch distributors — are known for moving their wholesale operation to the Alamo City from Amarillo, then growing its market share from 27% to more than 60%, according to the Express-News.
They pair sold the business in 2007, although they have remained busy with local business concerns. What’s more, the newly opened city park adjacent the Hays Street Bridge bears the influential brothers’ names.
Seems like the Budweiser profits afforded Berkley Dawson a champagne lifestyle. Or a malbec, if you prefer.
The house, though built in 2009, has a wine cellar that feels like a catacombs from the Middle Ages, where guests can sip at a table surrounded by the hush of the stone cavern and extensive collection of bottles.
Upstairs, a vast bathroom and powder room with an island of vanities opens onto a balcony with sliding floor-to-ceiling French doors. A mammoth walk-in closet with custom cabinetry is nearby for dressing after bathing al fresca.
Outside a heated pool is crowned by a tiled water fixture that looks from far away like a smiling face. And with a life like this, there is much to smile about.
This home is listed by Sharon Thurmond with Phyllis Browning Co.
All photos and listing info via Realtor.com.
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