The colossal 64,000-acre Texas ranch of the late oil tycoon and financier T. Boone Pickens—a swath of the Lone Star State more than twice the size of San Francisco—has now sold in its entirety.
On Wednesday, the larger western portion of the Mesa Vista Ranch, some 85 miles northeast of Amarillo, sold to Bill Kent, the owner of The Kent Companies, which operates a chain of convenience stores, diners and cafes.
“We have been in discussions with Bill Kent on the property for approximately three months,” said Jay Rosser who worked with Pickens for nearly 25 years—the last 15 as the vice president of public affairs for his firm, BP Capital, as well as his chief of staff. “He was impressed by the ranch from the very beginning and has retained the current workforce there.”
Mr. Kent, who couldn’t be reached for comment, headed a group of investors in the deal, according to Bloomberg, which first reported Wednesday’s sale, and noted that cattle rancher Travis Chester bought the smaller eastern portion of the ranch in September.
“When all is said and done, proceeds from the two transactions were within about 10% of the $170 million asking price,” Mr. Rosser told Mansion Global over email.
“The 36,000 acres that were sold on Wednesday included virtually every improvement on the ranch,” he added.
That includes tha main lodge, which boasts more than 25,000 square feet of interior space; a Lake House with a front door that was originally attached to the home of Hollywood icon Bing Crosby; a 6,000-square-foot family house; a two-story gate house; a pub with a game room; a single-story gun room for storing hunting gear; and a chapel.
There’s also an airport and hangar on the western edge of the ranch, as well as a kennel and veterinary lab.
Monte Lyons, managing director at Hall and Hall, had the listing. He declined to comment on the deal.
“Having been there more than 100 times over the years, I can attest to the care and money that Boone invested in every aspect of the property,” Mr. Rosser said. “It’s magnificent in what you see, and what you don’t see, no overhead power lines, for example.”
Though there are amenities galore for the ranch’s human residents, it pampers its wild ones, too.
In an effort to enhance wildlife on the property, Pickens adopted a number of conservation practices across the ranch, supporting antelope, quail, turkey, pheasant and aoudad—or Barbary sheep—Mansion Global previously reported.
Article Source: Mansion Global
