A gated River Oaks mansion once owned by an Italian baron and his wife, famous for hosting some of Houston's wildest celebrity parties, is back on the market for $21.9 million. The 21,500-square-foot estate at 2115 River Oaks Blvd. includes an indoor pool, seven bedrooms and sprawling entertaining spaces, and currently ranks as the most expensive listing in the Houston area on HAR.com.
In a statement, listing agent Nancy Almodovar said she was excited to list the home for a second time, called the mansion a special part of Houston's history and said she plans to help the next owner create their own memories there, KHOU 11 reported. Almodovar works for Nan & Company Properties. The home was built in 1968 and was later owned by Baron Ricky di Portanova, an Italian heir to an oil fortune, and his wife Baroness Alessandra di Portanova, formerly known as Sandra Hovas.
A Natatorium Built for Showstopping Parties
The mansion's defining feature is its 12,000-square-foot glass-enclosed natatorium, which alone accounts for more than half of the home's total square footage. The climate-controlled space features a saltwater pool, with a chandelier hanging over the enclosed pool. The di Portanovas built the pavilion, which became a setting for lavish parties.
That ambition paid off in spectacular fashion. During one of the estate's famous gatherings, actor Sir Roger Moore arrived by helicopter while models in catsuits rappelled down the mansion's exterior walls under klieg lights, CultureMap Houston reported. The mansion hosted extravagant parties attended by celebrities and dignitaries for years, cementing its reputation across Texas as a true entertaining showpiece.
An Oil Fortune Rooted in Texas History
Baron Ricky di Portanova arrived in Houston from Rome in the early 1960s to claim his inheritance as the grandson of oil wildcatter Hugh Roy Cullen, known in Texas history as the “King of the Wildcatters.” He later won a legal settlement; the amount was never disclosed, and before the settlement he received a $5,000 monthly pension, according to the Houston Chronicle. Baron Ricky di Portanova died of throat cancer in February 2000, and Baroness Alessandra died of brain cancer less than two months later that April, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Following the couple's deaths, the estate passed through two subsequent owners, and architect and designer JD Bartell led a $7 million renovation between 2002 and 2004 that updated the structure while retaining its Neoclassical features, according to a press release distributed by PR Newswire. The home hit the market in 2021 with a $16 million asking price and sold in March 2022 for an undisclosed price; the sale was eventually traced to Houston auto dealership executive George A. DeMontrond III, while Sand Castle Corporation was the previous owner, as reported by The Real Deal.
Benchmark Pricing in a Resilient Luxury Market
The gated estate sits on a 43,973-square-foot lot at the corner of River Oaks Boulevard and Avalon Place within the River Oaks Country Club Estate subdivision, near River Oaks Elementary School, according to the Houston Business Journal. The home was listed for $16 million before its March 2022 sale.
Hoodline previously reported on River Oaks' priciest sale earlier this year, and also covered attorney Tony Buzbee's $16 million purchase next door as he builds out a compound along the same stretch of River Oaks Boulevard.
