Oh, if these marvelous walls could speak.
For years, A-listers from across the city, state, nation, and the world have descended upon the Memorial-area home of celebrated social titans John and Becca Cason Thrash for lavish, decadent, "you had to be there" soirees.
A mainstay of society and style pages across the globe for two decades, the Thrashes have entertained the likes of former presidents, George Clooney and Vogue queen Anna Wintour at their masterpiece estate at 306 Longwoods Lane. Heads of state, celebrities, fashion icons, and captains of indsutry all have their own Thrash mansion tales.
Much like the dynamic duo, the home's style became synonymous with Houston's social scene; a mix of classic and modern. Now, the Thrashes have put their storied estate — currently listed for $19.5 million — up for auction via Jay Monroe of Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty. Serious potential bidders can tour the property (by appointment) and bid with no reserve through May 25 via Sotheby's luxury online auction portal, ConciergeAuctions.com.
Photo by Joe Bryant / Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty
This is the first time the 20,000-square-foot Memorial manse has been offered for sale. Once a modest brick midcentury, the home was slowly transformed over the years into a design and elemental wonder of granite, slate, rift-sawn oak, and what seems like a mike of glass.
It's hard to pinpoint a singular focal point of the home that evokes the designs of I.M. Pei, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, but one could argue that the shimmering, 44-foot pool — often converted into a dance floor or fashion show runway or even stage — is a star of the show.
Photo by Joe Bryant / Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty
Social superstars John and Becca Cason Thrash.
Photo by Leslie Lormann
Designed primarily for entertaining and gatherings, the three-bedroom home is sleek and expansive; here, the stone-crafted kitchen and dining room, which brings the outside in, are meant to house large parties. In keeping with its East-meets-West, modern design, the home is lush with natural, existing light, creating a sense of stately Zen.The lush greens that make up the surrounding green space also feature memorable sculptures and boast a scenic path to bayou waters — picture perfect for daytime affairs and moonlight fetes.
Photo by Joe Bryant / Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty
Doubtful that any new owner could rival the philanthropic reputation Becca Cason Thrash has cultivated. Already a legendary local fundraiser, Thrash is a revered reveler in France for her lavish Louvre parties. Consider her Louvre fundraising track record alone: Gala one, $2.3 million; gala two (starring Janet Jackson) $3.2 million; gala three (starring Diana Ross), $2.7 million, and gala four (starring Duran Duran), $3.3 million.
Veronica Bulgari, from left, Naomi Watts, Greggory Burke and Becca Cason Thrash, all in Bulgari.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Becca and John (who is CEO of Houston-based energy firm eCORP International and a former CultureMap investor) leave behind a million whispers, winks, and nods in their epic party palace.
A respectful word of advice to even the shyest of new owners: Throw a posh party, and raise a glass to the Thrashes.
Photo by Joe Bryant / Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty
Photo by Joe Bryant / Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty
