A towering four-story penthouse once owned by tech founder Darwin Deason is back on the Dallas market with a $17.5 million price tag. The vertical estate tops the boutique 8181 Douglas condominium tower near the Dallas North Tollway, serving up expansive views toward Highland Park. Deason, who died in December 2025, spent years assembling and customizing the residence to his specifications.
What’s in the penthouse
According to the Realtor.com listing, the four-level unit spans about 14,250 square feet and is offered at $17,500,000. It includes five bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and seven half baths. The spread features multiple living and dining areas, several kitchens, a private gym, wine rooms, a rooftop terrace with a spa hot tub, and private internal elevators. Monthly HOA fees shown on the listing reflect the scale of building services and amenities that come with the unit.
Agent’s take and design
“His vision for it when he first started building it was that he loved his yacht, and being on his yacht,” listing agent Jeffrey Lester said, describing the inspiration behind the layout. Lester told reporters that the top three floors were configured as a private, four-story residence with tasting rooms, bars, and an exercise suite, according to Dallas News.
Owner and backstory
Deason founded Affiliated Computer Services in 1988 and built it into a Fortune 500 outsourcing company, The Dallas Morning News obituary notes. Xerox agreed to buy ACS in late 2009 and completed the roughly $6.4 billion transaction in 2010, according to contemporary reporting by the Los Angeles Times. A prominent SMU donor and political contributor, Deason died on Dec. 2, 2025, at age 85.
Where it sits in Texas’ market
The listing ranked among the priciest in Texas in late May, appearing on a Houston Association of Realtors roundup of top statewide listings for the April 30–May 27 period, The Dallas Morning News reports. That list also featured several Highland Park and Preston Hollow properties with asking prices clustered between about $10 million and $15 million. The inclusion of an ultraluxury penthouse alongside those estates highlights how the upper tier of the Dallas market is split between sprawling mansions and scarce high-rise offerings.
For buyers who prefer vertical privacy to a ground-level compound, the penthouse is pitched as a turnkey “lock-and-leave” setup with extensive services and amenities. Listing agent Jeffrey Lester of Compass is marketing the property; interested readers can check the public listing for photos and a full breakdown of features.
