The estate once shared by singer Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez in Long Island caught my eye when I was looking at The Top 10 Real Estate News, a weekly email from TopTenRealEstateDeals.com that features many celebrity house listings.
I was about to hit the delete button when I noticed that one of the highlighted mega-mansions happens to be located in the heart of Central Austin — the Malcolm and Margaret Badger Reed Estate at 2407 Harris Blvd.
The 1929 Mediterranean Revival style house — designed by the famous Dallas architect Hal Thompson — sits on five acres just off Windsor Road in the elegant Pemberton Heights neighborhood.
Eric Moreland and Diane Humphreys of Moreland Properties, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, are the listing agents.
It’s now one of the most expensive properties on the market locally at $19.5 million. Marble floors, limestone walls and stained glass are evident throughout. The current owners expansively renovated the house in 2004.
One of the showstopping features of the majestic estate is an exact scale replica of the Belvedere pavilion at Versailles, France. It overlooks a world-class Koi pond.
“As an Austinite, I am especially honored to be involved in finding a new owner for this piece of the city’s history,” Eric Moreland said on the property’s website.
Here’s a look at other the home’s other details: 8 bedrooms, 9 full bathrooms, 6 half bathrooms, 6-car garage, guest house, gatehouse, and a pool.
By the way, the former Marc Anthony-Jennifer Lopez home, by comparison, is a 10,084-square-foot compound, selling for a modest $12 million.