The Champ d'Or estate is a

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French Baroque French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

residential building located in

Hickory Creek, Texas Hickory Creek is a town in Denton County, Texas, United States, located north of downtown Dallas. The population of Hickory Creek has grown from 219 at its incorporation in 1963 to 4,718 at the 2020 census. It is also one of the four communiti ...

. Inspired by

Vaux-le-Vicomte The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte () or simply Vaux-le-Vicomte is a Baroque French château located in Maincy, near Melun, southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. Built between 1658 and 1661 ...

near Paris, France. The building situated at 1851 Turbeville Road, in Denton County, Champ d'Or—literally, "Field of Gold," from the surname of Alan and Shirley Goldfield, who built the house in 2002s

17th century The 17th century lasted from January 1, 1601 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCI), to December 31, 1700 (MDCC). It falls into the early modern period of Europe and in that continent (whose impact on the world was increasing) was characterized ...

architecture and design. Champ d'Or was one of the more unusual architectural works in North Texas, featured not only in countless news articles, most notably being ''

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'', but also gaining notoriety through its appearance in at least one book on French architecture and interior design. Champ d'Or's dominance of the Hickory Creek landscape has made the place of a tourist attraction. The estate has been re branded as "The Olana" and is now a wedding venue under Walters Wedding Estates.

The building

Champ d'Or took five years to plan and construct, using materials from all over the nation. The estate includes the mansion, an adjacent one-and-a-half-acre lake, formal gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming area, a tennis court, a tennis house and two small and symmetrical guard buildings. The sprawling house features a dome with a ceiling height of ; a ballroom with

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

-style mirrors; a garden room with windows which descend electronically, opening to a veranda which seats 450 for dinner; a two-story Chanel-styled closet in the master; a theater; a bowling alley, and a racquetball court.

Controversy

Because of its size, soaring price tag (The home has been listed for sale multiple times, with prices ranging between 27.5 million and 60 million}, and what critics see as a gaudy interior, Champ d'Or has been depicted as one of the region's most glaring displays of wealth-driven foppery. In April 2009,

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named the property "The Biggest Little Teardown in Texas", scathingly writing:

In the distance, you’ll see something so huge and so incongruous in its French-baroque-meets-Plano-McMansion mashup that it seems more hallucination than house.

The chateau's ornate design, including marble floors, gold plated elevator, and hand-carved spiral staircase did not appeal to prospective buyers for several years. The house passed from listing agent to listing agent, from 2003 to 2009, with no serious offers.

History

In April 2012, Champ d'Or Estate sold to the highest bidder through a luxury real estate auction by Concierge Auctions, a national luxury real estate auction firm. Following 433 auction inquiries, over 500 showings and over 10,000 website visitors, the estate, named Champ d'Or, which translates to "Field of Gold", was sold in cooperation with listing agent Joan Eleazer of Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International Realty and the buyer's agent, Clay Stapp.

Notes

References

External links

Images of Champ d'Or
with

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Champ D'or Estate Houses in Denton County, Texas Castles in the United States Châteauesque architecture in the United States Houses completed in 2002