David Porter had a vested interest in what happened to the 20-acre property adjacent to his Ladue home. The land also has local significance as the former estate of car dealership mogul Johnny Londoff and his family. So when it was slated to be divided into multiple lots for new construction, Porter and his wife Angie decided to buy the land themselves and renovate the home.
“We wanted to create a buffer for our acreage, accumulate additional pasture space and preserve a piece of history,” Porter says. “It was a substantial investment, but the house had great bones and is a neat building architecturally.” Porter is used to starting from scratch. The entrepreneur and his wife invented and developed the FURminator dog brush, and he is working on collapsible sports sunglasses called Popticals. But for the home project, Porter acquired the help of builder Jeff Monroe of CIC Corp. and architect Dick Busch. “Jeff built my house and is just a beautiful craftsman,” he says. “He is the master behind all of this. Dick Busch put together all of the final drawings and is a great visual guy. This is a labor of love for all of us.”
After designing plans and getting feedback from real estate firms, construction began to transform the home to its former glory as a Southern Colonial manse. “It was kind of a trainwreck inside,” Porter says. “We didn’t gut everything because there were tons of great features we wanted to keep, like the fabulous millwork and beautiful entrance staircase that makes you feel like you’re in Gone with the Wind.” Other things had to go, like the wallpaper covering every room and flooring that wasn’t level.
“We raised ceilings, enclosed the breezeway and added another grand stairwell that leads to the lower level, which changed the whole flow of the house,” Porter says. “We revamped the entire downstairs, adding a media room with stadium seating, workout room and big entertainment area.” He says they often asked themselves what they would want in the nearly 8,300 square feet when making decisions, even though the renovated home was meant for another buyer. Amenities like a big master suite and completely renovated bathrooms, kitchen and hearth room topped the list.
The home sits on a 3.7-acre lot, which includes a pool, pool house, formal terraced gardens and tennis court. One of the best things is its privacy, Porter notes. “We have tons of wildlife and lots of woods surrounding us.” Thanks to Porter, it will stay that way.
listing price | $3,925,000
listing agent | stephanie oliver of dielmann sotheby’s international realty
photos: Tom Chlebowski
