TV History for Sale in Texas: The ‘Dallas’ Mansion

When the TV show “Dallas” premiered, it was was a model of innovation. The first in a soon-to-follow flood of nighttime soap operas, “Dallas” was greedy, promiscuous, raucous drama at it’s finest. The show was famous for highly effective execution of the “cliff-hanger”, and the first to successfully feature a year-long dream sequence. America was fascinated with “Dallas” for 12 years.

While exterior scenes were filmed elsewhere, much of the interior of this North Dallas home, now on the market for nearly 13 Million, was featured in the show.

TV History for Sale in Texas: The ‘Dallas’ Mansion

By Nick Caruso

A North Dallas mansion that was the set for the elegant family home of the Ewing clan on the mega-hit television series “Dallas” is for sale. Largely responsible for changing many Americans’ image of Texas from cowboys and bull-riding to mansions, beautiful women and expensive jewelry, “Dallas” became the epitome of Texas wealth and oil money. It was how millions of people spent their Friday nights when it was America’s top-rated show for much of the 1980s.

Though the series didn’t start off that way, J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman) quickly evolved into the main character as the oldest son with the most conniving ways of doing business and dealing with competitors both within and outside of the family. He was the man everyone loved to hate and by the time he was shot in the November 21, 1980 episode, most viewers hoped he was dead. “Who shot JR?” was TV’s greatest cliffhanger and the much anticipated outcome made news from TV Guide to the cover of Time magazine grabbing a record share of viewers.

While the show’s Southfork Ranch exterior is located about 25 miles north of Dallas in Parker, Texas, and used today as a tourist and conference center, many of the interior “Dallas” scenes were filmed in this home in the North Dallas Preston Hollow neighborhood. It was the one chosen out of the many luxurious mansions gracing the city to showcase a home that would be equal to an oil baron of Ewing’s stature.

New on the market, this 10,341-square-foot Georgian estate on 4.3 acres was built in 1939 and exhibits all the graciousness of the era with five bedrooms and seven baths filled with elegant details in moldings, fireplace surrounds and library paneling. Large rooms include formal living and dining, chef’s kitchen with dining area, bedroom suites with living areas, a billiards room, media room, high-speed elevator, family room and wet bar. The exterior includes an exercise building, pool, spa, tennis court, a creek-side terrace and fire pit. The home was completely rebuilt and updated in 2003. Famous neighbors include former President George W. Bush, T. Boone Pickens and Mark Cuban.

Listed for: $12.95 million