Largest House in Arizona

A home is more than just a place to live, it can also be a symbol of wealth, success, and prestige. Arizona is home to many luxury homes with multimillion-dollar price tags. Have you ever wondered: what is the largest home in Arizona?

There are many superlatives that can be used to describe a home: most expensive home sold, most luxurious home. For this article I am talking purely about size: what is the largest square footage private residence in Arizona?

To answer this question, we must distinguish between completed homes and under construction homes.

1. Walker McCune Mansion

Paradise Valley, Arizona is a wealthy enclave located within the Phoenix metro area. Although small in size at 15.4 square miles (39.8 km2.), it is very affluent with a median home price of $2.5 million. But even among these luxury properties, the McCune Mansion stands out from the rest.

The largest private home in Arizona is the 52,000 square foot Walker McCune Mansion, located at 6112 N Paradise View Drive in Paradise Valley. At 52,000 square feet, the McCune Mansion is the largest completed single-family home in Arizona.

The McCune Mansion in Paradise Valley has 52,000 square feet of living space on 3 levels.

 

Walker McCune was the grandson of the founder of Standard Oil Company, and the beneficiary of a significant trust fund. Between 1960 and 1965, McCune spent about $5.4 million (equivalent to $49.2 million in 2022) building the palatial home on Sugarloaf Mountain. However, he went through a bitter divorce with his wife and never lived in the home. He died in 1971 at the age of 68.

The house was purchased in 1986 by businessman and investor Gordon Hall. Hall spent $1 million renovating the home, but spent his time between this property and another home in Mesa. Hall was arrested by Federal agents in 1997 for fraud and racketeering charges. In 2015, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for running a tax scam and a ponzi scheme.

The house changed hands once again in 1992 when it was purchased by Geordie Hormel, heir to the Hormel Foods company. Geordie lived in the 3-bedroom guest house and allowed his friends and family to stay in the main house. Geordie was soft spoken, humble, and an accomplished musician who founded The Village Recording Studio in Los Angeles and composed music for many popular television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. He lived in the home until his death in 2006 at the age of 77.

The home is still owned by the family. It has been listed for sale in 2006, 2010, 2013, 2015, and 2016 with the last listing being removed in 2018 after failing to find the right buyer. The house has every amenity imaginable including 14 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms, 5 kitchens, 3 levels of living space, and a 10-car garage. It remains to be seen if the home will be listed again someday in the future.

 

2. Silverleaf Mansion

Before the Great Recession and the subprime mortgage lending crisis of 2007, the real estate market was a giant bubble about to burst. One example of this mania is the Silverleaf Mansion, which began construction in 2006.

Artist rendering of the 100,000 sq. ft. Hope Mansion at Silverleaf in North Scottsdale. The home was sold unfinished to Michael Matzek in 2014.

A technology entrepreneur named Jason Hope announced plans to build a mega mansion totaling 100,000 square feet. Hope founded a mobile technology company called Jawa.

In December 2010, Hope threw a massive Christmas party at a completed part of the house. Approximately 400 guests were invited to the event, which included a performance from rapper Ludacris and guests from several TV shows including Snooki from Jersey Shore and "Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul. The party cost a reported $500,000 according to the website Gawker.

Construction was halted in 2011 after Hope's company Jawa faced a lawsuit over a text-messaging scheme that was alleged to have cost cellphone users millions of dollars. Although Hope settled the suits in 2012, construction did not resume.

The partially-built home was sold in 2014 to Idaho developer Michael Matzek, who announced plans to complete the home. Since that time, I have not been able to find any reports or accounts of the home being completed.

3. Cave Creek Mansion "Blue Sky Preserve"

Cave Creek, Arizona is a small town with a population of around 5,000 people. It is located on the north east edge of the greater Phoenix area. In 2016, the website Sonoran News ran a story about a construction project in Cave Creek with the name "Blue Sky Preserve."

The project is on a large 230-acre parcel of land, leading to speculation that it would be developed as a resort or perhaps a subdivision of new homes.

This Cave Creek mansion will be the largest private residence in Arizona at 60,000 sq. ft. upon its completion. Photo by: 12 News.

In 2020, the Arizona Republic ran a story about the project, calling it the "Cave Creek Massive Mystery Compound." A reporter discovered that the project is actually a 60,000 square foot private residence, which has been under construction for more than a year.

The owner of Blue Sky Preserve is unknown, but aerial photos from 12 News show a lavish main house with 4 artificial lakes on the property.

When complete, this house on Grapevine Road in Cave Creek will capture the title of Largest House in Arizona.