Mystery buyer of $16M Houston mansion revealed

The mystery buyer of a palatial Houston mansion once owned by the eccentric heir to a famous oil fortune has been revealed.

George A. DeMontrond III, one of Houston’s largest auto dealers, bought the prominent mansion at 2115 River Oaks Boulevard in March 2022 for $16 million, a source close to the family told The Real Deal.

DeMontrond, who did not return The Real Deal’s calls for comment, bought the mansion less than a month after it was put on the market. The 21,500-square-foot home on a one-acre lot at the corner of River Oaks Boulevard and Avalon Place was once owned by the self-proclaimed Baron Enrico di Portanova — a.k.a. Baron Ricky — a Houston socialite and grandson of Hugh Roy Cullen, a storied Houston oilman and wildcatter.

Portonova and his second wife, Baroness Alessandra (née Sandy Hovas), made the house famous with decades of parties that drew celebrities from around the world. The Portanovas’ former home was also famous in this wealthy enclave because of its physical presence. River Oaks’ denizens referred to it simply as “the big white house on the corner.”

The gated Houston property and mansion underwent a $7 million renovation in 2004 and features marble floors, multiple fireplaces and a porte-cochere.

Nancy Almodovar, the Houston real estate agent who handled the sale of the property, declined to confirm to TRD if DeMontrond was the mystery buyer. The seller of the house remains anonymous. According to Harris County Appraisal District records, the previous owner is listed as the Sand Castle Corporation.

Almodovar’s Nan and Co. Properties, which is affiliated with Christie’s International Real Estate, is also handling the sale of another River Oaks mansion that hit the market in July.

In contrast to “the big white house on the corner’s” flamboyant former owners, DeMontrond is relatively low profile.

He’s rarely covered by Houston’s news outlets. If DeMonrtrond does make media appearances it’s at events covered by the Bayou City’s society pages, being quoted in auto trade publications, or in advertisements for his dealership appearing on local television.

“They really are a good family,” said the source. “Good, normal down-to-earth people.”