An iconic mansion in Fort Worth was demolished on Thursday. The Stonegate Mansion was formerly used as a Mexican restaurant and, most recently, a wedding venue.
Millionaire T. Cullen Davis used his oil money to build the mansion in 1972 at a cost of $37 million. “I just wanted a place to party,” said Davis in a statement.
Three years after construction finished on the mansion, Cullen and his wife Priscilla separated, and a judge ruled that she could live in the home. On August 2, 1976, the judge increased Cullen’s alimony payment to Priscilla to about $23,000 a month, adjusted for inflation.
That night, an intruder wearing all black broke into the home, and Stan Farr, Priscilla’s boyfriend, was shot and killed. along with her twelve-year-old daughter, Andrea. Priscilla was also shot but survived.
She, along with eyewitnesses, accused Cullen of the murders, but he was acquitted after an infamous trial that dominated the news at that time.
Two years later, Davis was back on trial after being accused of hiring a hitman to kill Priscilla and the judge in the divorce. He was once more acquitted.
Davis says he ignores those who have doubts. “I didn’t care about that either,” he said. “They want to believe that, fine. What happened was unfortunate. History is history. Can’t change history.”
In 1985, Cullen Davis declared bankruptcy and moved out of the house. “There was always something wrong with it. Some piece of equipment or something wrong that needed to be fixed every day I’d come home,” Davis said.
The Stonegate Mansion had an interesting history that has undeniably resonated with the people of Fort Worth.
Now that the mansion has been demolished, the current owners and the City of Fort Worth are working on plans for a thirty-lot single-family development on the property.
