Cooley and his wife recently bought a slate of historically and architecturally significant homes in Highland Park.
Cooley and his wife recently bought a slate of historically and architecturally significant homes in Highland Park.
Cooley and his wife recently bought a slate of historically and architecturally significant homes in Highland Park.
DALLAS — North Texans are familiar with car dealership magnate Clay Cooley and his familiar commercial jingle “shop me first, shop me last, either way, come see Clay.” Clay and Lisa Cooley have been doing some shopping of their own – for real estate, public records show.
Cooley and his wife, Lisa Cooley, recently bought a slate of historically and architecturally significant homes in the prestigious Highland Park enclave, including one on Armstrong Parkway affectionately known as the “mushroom house.”
The Dallas native opened his first car lot at I-35E and Trinity Mills in 1998, followed by his first new car franchise, Clay Cooley Isuzu, which opened in 2001. This was followed quickly by several others, including Daewoo, Hyundai and Buick-GMC.
Now, Clay Cooley Automotive Group has more than 10 dealerships across Dallas-Fort Worth with total sales of $750 million in 2015.
These days, it appears the Cooleys have been using his buying power to get into real estate.
Cooley bought the “mushroom house” in the 4200 block of Armstrong Parkway and another in the 4200 block of Bordeaux Avenue nearby, according to Dallas County Appraisal District records.
The “mushroom house,” a 5,576-square-foot home near the corner of Armstrong Parkway and Preston Road built in 1997, is known for its rounded, copper roof and dome-shaped windows. It’s unclear what the Cooleys paid for it, but DCAD records put the home’s value at $8.55 million.
Real estate agent Doug Newby reported on his website that the home was designed by architect Tom Workman.
The 8,183-square-foot Tudor-style home on Bordeaux Avenue that Cooley bought nearby was originally built in 1928 and designed by noted Dallas architect Hal Thomson.
It’s unclear how much Cooley paid for this home, too, but DCAD records put its value at $8.44 million.
The purchases have raised concerns among historic preservationists, especially after the 112-year-old former Cox mansion at the corner of Preston Road and Beverly Drive in Highland Park sold to billionaire banker Andy Beal in 2021 was demolished late last year.
That home, a 1912 Italian Renaissance-style mansion, was designed by Hubbell & Greene Architects, known for designing the Neiman Marcus building and the Arts District Mansion, formerly known as the Belo Mansion.
In recent years, Preservation Park Cities has sought to turn the tide of demolishing historic homes in Highland Park and University Park to make way for new ones by compiling a list of the ‘top 100’ most historically and architecturally significant homes in the Park Cities.
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