The historic home of a former Texas governor is on the market with a price tag of nearly $9 million.
Built in the late 1950s, the landmark estate in Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood once belonged to John B. Connally Jr., the 39th governor of Texas and 61st U.S. treasury secretary. The home at 2411 River Oaks Blvd. is listed for $8.99 million.
The five-bedroom property sits on a more than half-acre gated lot and is almost 8,500 square feet. Prominent features include its asymmetrical facade, the white stucco walls and multiple roof sections.
The home’s entryway and gallery give way to reception spaces that offer parklike views of the separate southern lawn and northern pool terrace. The study and home office have private bathrooms.
The primary suite features a marble bath and designated dressing rooms. The house also has four guest suites and an upstairs game room with access to an outdoor terrace.
Other notable elements include a poolside fitness center with a full bath and ground-level staff accommodations with their own private, exterior entry.
The home has eight full baths and one partial bathroom.
Of course, the property didn’t always look like this. The Texas Historical Commission’s plaque outside the home offers a brief history.
Houston architect Ernest L. Shult designed the mid-century modern home for himself. Connally and his wife, Nellie, moved into the house in 1969. They sold the property in 1984.
Over the years, the home had a series of alterations, including a two-story addition on the north side.
Connally served as Texas governor from 1963 to 1969. He was in the presidential limousine when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Connally was seriously wounded during the shooting.
A longtime Democrat, he’d go on to serve as U.S. treasury secretary from 1971 to 1972 under the Nixon administration. He ran for president in 1980 but withdrew following the first Republican primaries. Connally died in 1993 at the age of 76.
