When Anthony and Lori Henegar first moved into their North Arlington dwelling six years ago, they knew they were going to be afforded quite the view – even when they weren’t standing at a window. When your home anchors 2.5 lushly landscaped acres and spans more than 10,000 square feet, pretty much everywhere you look can be awe-inspiring.
“We immediately fell in love with the amazing architecture and the scenic view,” says Lori, a stay-at-home mom, community service volunteer and proud graduate of Texas A&M University. She and Anthony, a local dentist, share the modern mansion full-time with 16-year-old daughter Mason, who attends The Oakridge School, and part-time with 19-year-old daughter Drue, whenever she returns to the nest during breaks at the University of Texas.
As for the architecture Lori noted, it encompasses many noteworthy features, including four bedrooms and six and one half baths spread over two stories, rock/stone and stucco construction, three fireplaces, a gourmet kitchen that is open to two main living areas and living areas galore.
The home showcases an impressive media room, a fitness studio, two built-in refrigerators in the aforementioned kitchen, a Viking gas cooktop, quartz countertops, a climate controlled wine cellar, and a five-car garage.
The master suite is sanctuary-like with expansive custom closets, dual vanities, an oversized walk-in-shower, a sitting area, and a fireplace. The outdoor living area features an outdoor kitchen, fireplace, cascading pool with spa, a lap pool, an outdoor steam shower, and a water pond.
And the vista Lori referenced earlier? Well, the pictures accompanying this story are a several-thousand-word testament to her keen observation skills. Wherever you look, you’ll likely enjoy what you see.
But that’s just the house proper. Lori says she and Anthony are also fortunate to be able to live in a unique, extremely friendly neighborhood. “The area around us is heavily treed, which is beautiful,” she says. “And it has a diverse offering of many different styles of architecture. You are not going to see all Austin stone or any two homes that look alike, which is nice.”
The neighbors, she says, are “fantastic,” the kind of caring people who are very watchful over each other’s properties. “Several of our close friends live nearby,” she says, “and we can easily walk down the street to a party.”
The Henegars entertain quite a bit, and Lori says she is grateful for the home’s ability to accommodate visiting groups, small and large. “It has been so convenient to have a well-appointed gourmet kitchen open to the two other main living areas in the house,” she says. “Also, our circle drive is ideal for high-volume attendance at our home because it makes it easy for the valet to move traffic.”
Following an evening of entertaining – or just after a long day (“There’s been a few of those lately!” Lori says) – she likes to retreat to her favorite room in the house: the master bedroom. “It’s nice to pour a glass of wine and crawl in bed and have such a lovely view of the sunset,” she says. “I get made fun of in my house because I go to bed early, but that is when the sky is streaked with spectacular orange and pink hues. It gets even more beautiful as it gets darker outside.”
While the Henegars were enamored with the house “as it was” when they purchased it, they’ve definitely given it personal family flavor over the past half decade. “We received the house ‘stripped,’ so yes, we did a massive amount of replacement and renovation that took up to a year to complete,” she says. “We had fun picking out all new Viking appliances for our kitchen and added the Viking vent-a-hood. We built a new outdoor kitchen with a DSC grill and DSC stainless cabinets. We also raised the floor in our theater room and created a step down that we had covered in absolute black granite that created a border around our red theater chairs that looks really cool. Then we did some fun step lighting that really makes it feel like you are in a theater.”
Visitors no doubt appreciate those touches – and there are plenty of visitors to “Henegar Manor.” Lori says she and Anthony welcome any charity organization to their home but have had the most opportunity hosting Boys and Girls Clubs of Arlington special events.
“We had a fun casino party one year when my oldest daughter, Drue, was involved in Cinderella Ball,” she says. “I think we have had a couple of Arlington Today magazine events, as well.”
Lori says she hopes and tries to be a gracious host and is thankful that her home is a place to help her in that endeavor.
“I think what I truly love best is how well this solid, vast, magnificent home has housed and nurtured our family and friends that come to visit,” she says. “I think Contemporary can come across a little cold if not executed properly, but the rich, jewel tones in our glass installation and many colors in our home really play well against all the stainless steel and concrete. People feel welcome and comfortable in our home and know they can go into our wine room, take any bottle out, and jump on the couch if they want to.”
