George Strait's sprawling home in San Antonio's "Dominion" is up for sale, although the asking price isn't publicly known. (Reuters)
Country music superstar George Strait rose to stardom on his stoic cowboy charm and for stripping songs down to a few string instruments and vocals in the age of 1980s pop country.
Known for being as intently restrained in person as he is on stage, Mr. Strait is now selling his longtime home, a 12.2-acre adobe estate in San Antonio, Texas — but he’s not disclosing the price publicly. He declined to comment for this story.
“He doesn’t want to flaunt what he has,” said listing agent Tamara Strait of Sotheby’s International Realty, who also happens to be Strait’s daughter-in-law.
“He doesn’t like to be in the limelight, that’s why we weren’t advertising it as his house,” she added.
But in the Lone Star State, where his sold-out concerts set North American attendance records, news that the “King of Country” was selling his home was bound to trickle out, including information that was inaccurate. Ms. Strait said she’s gotten calls from interested buyers citing erroneously reported prices, including the home’s property tax value of $3.9 million. It’s more “like three times that,” she said.
The country singer, who Taylor Swift once opened for, bought the plot in The Dominion Country Club in the mid-1990s and set to work interviewing potential architects, according to the listing agent. The Straits eventually chose Bill Tull, a sculptor-turned-architect responsible for some impressive adobe homes in Arizona.
Tull, who died in 2000, and his team moved to San Antonio for two years to build Mr. Strait’s nearly 8,000-square-foot mansion. It sits on a hill in The Dominion with expansive views over the city and Texas Hill Country.
The designer, whose style is recognizable by its blend of Moorish- and Pueblo-influences, built Strait a three-bedroom main house and detached guest casita made from 100-percent imported adobe. Tull incorporated 14 hand-sculpted fireplaces, including one in each bedroom, and designed custom-stained glass windows tucked around the house.
“This home truly is one-of-a-kind and can never be recreated,” Ms. Strait said.
Raw wooden beams as thick as tree trunks cut through the ceilings and subtle details evoke the Southwest. There are tribal motifs embossed on the refrigerator and etchings around the arched doorways and fireplaces.
Tull also designed a custom copper bar top and window shutters made from saguaro cactus.
The home has a paved terrace with a hot tub and infinity pool overlooking San Antonio, an exercise room, wine cellar, basketball court and separate one-bedroom guest house, according to the listing.
The listing photos of expansive, unfurnished interiors reveal that the country music legend has already moved out. Ms. Strait declined to comment on why the family is selling the home.
“They are so attached to the entire house,” Ms. Strait said. “It holds a very special place in their hearts.”