Trammell Crow heir buys $20M University Park mansion

Trammell Crow’s granddaughter has some new digs. 

Sumner Billingsley and her husband, Scott Tolbert, purchased an estate in Dallas’ prestigious University Park neighborhood, deed records show. 

The 14,000-square-foot abode at 6920 Vassar Avenue was listed for $20.5 million, or $1,464 per square foot, last summer, the Dallas Morning News reported. It was the most expensive home to hit the market in Texas in June 2023, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. 

While the sale price was not disclosed, the property was valued at $17 million this year by the Dallas Central Appraisal District. 

The listing agent was Allie Beth Allman & Associates’ Erin Mathews. 

The six-bedroom, 10-bathroom home was built in 1959 and restored in 2012 by architecture firm Spitzmiller & Norris. The firm is also behind the Blackberry Farm resort in the foothills of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. 

The mansion features one-of-a-kind details like a mantle and an antique fireplace that belonged to newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, the Dallas Morning News reported. It also includes custom-carved limestone walls and floors imported from historic European estates. 

The home sits on almost an acre in Volk Estates, one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods. The grounds feature rose gardens and a nine-hole putting green, the listing said. 

This estate falls into the category of “ultra-luxury” real estate, which comprises residential sales priced at $10 million or above. Transactions of ultra-luxury homes in Dallas-Fort Worth have increased in the last few years, according to data from Compass. 

In 2020, there were five sales in this category, totaling $56 million. In 2023, there were eight sales, totalling $104 million. These estates are typically located in high-end neighborhoods like the Park Cities and Preston Hollow, luxury brokers said.

Billingsley got her start in real estate at the firm her mogul grandfather founded, Trammell Crow Company, where she worked in development and acquisitions. She joined Billingsley Company in 2014, a firm her parents Lucy and Henry founded in 1978. She is now a partner, overseeing the firm’s nearly 9,000-unit multifamily portfolio.  

Billingsley Company is a Dallas-based firm that specializes in developing office, multifamily, retail and industrial properties.  

Legendary Dallas developer Trammell Crow founded Trammell Crow Company and is known for landmarks like Dallas Market Center. CBRE acquired the firm in 2006, and Crow died in 2009 at the age of 94. 

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