Retired race car driver lists Evergreen mansion for $25M

After pulling it from the market during the pandemic, retired race car driver Richard Berry listed his custom-designed Evergreen mansion for $24.8 million this week.

After Berry bought 24503 Chris Drive in 1998 for $895,000, he built a 10,000-square-foot shop for his cars.

Then he spent more than $30 million to build the mansion, known as Thunder Ridge, which was finished in 2004, with assistance from Boulder-based KGA Studio Architects to Denver-based Sprung Construction.

“The architect camped up here for five days to get the feng shui of the property,” said Berry, who put his stamp on his home with everything from a Playboy mansion-inspired pool with waterfall and grotto to a world-class movie theater.

He also expanded the original space for his cars to a 27,411-square-foot hangar-style space that includes a car wash and professional-grade mechanic’s equipment.

Listing agent Sean Endsley with LIV Sotheby’s said the home’s new owner could convert the climate-controlled hangar space into an art gallery, sports complex, or equestrian barn.

The 22,864-square-foot mansion includes seven bedrooms and 16 bathrooms on 1.25 acres. The home’s primary suite, which includes a steam shower and massive walk-in closet, occupies the entire second floor.

Other highlights include:

• A professional-grade elevator;
• Laundry rooms on each of the home’s three levels;
• A kitchen with a double island;
• An in-home beauty salon;
• A dog grooming room with a shower and a dryer big enough for a Great Dane;
• A world-class movie theater with a 200-inch screen and D-Box Emersion motion seats.

Berry, an investor and car enthusiast, was a driver, sponsor and team owner in the American Le Mans series from 2002 to 2009. His grandfather, Loren Murphy Berry, was known as “Mr. Yellow Pages” for inventing the telephone book and founding the L. M. Berry & Company. The company was sold to BellSouth Corp. in 1986.

When he moved into the home in 2004, Berry’s family, including 7-year-old triplets, lived there with him, but now they’re grown, and it’s too much house for one person.

He first listed the mansion for nearly $20 million in December 2019 before pulling it off the market in November 2020.

Berry plans to stay in the Denver area but “downsize” to something in the 7,000-square-foot range.