Metro Kansas City’s most expensive listing is so ambitious, it could be designated as an amusement water park. This isn’t your average home. This isn’t your average waterpark either.
The massive 17,755-square-foot estate looks like it was designed for an Esther Williams aqua-musical film. All that’s missing from this luxury real estate compound are swings and synchronized mermaids (for Millennials who don’t get that reference, picture Michael Phelps as DC Comic’s Aquaman).
The one-of-a-kind $11.8 million wonderland estate, nicknamed The Spirit of Avalon, is action packed with lush, expansive grounds, luxury amenities, quirky treasures, and thrilling aquatic gizmos that have to be experienced to believe—including fountains, cascading waterfalls, grottos, pop-up holes, even underground scuba diving tunnels.
Located in Northwest Johnson County, The Spirit of Avalon’s owner, Lyn Shaw, built the house with her late husband, Dennis Langley, an energy executive and scuba diving enthusiast who also served as a speechwriter for then-Senator and current presidential candidate Joe Biden. The couple dove all-in with this entertaining property.
The eccentric estate comprises a main home, detached four-car heated garage and carriage house, and another “generator garage.” Lush exteriors are beautified by 18 acres of trees, gardens, water features, statues, and wildlife. There’s a gym, tennis court, and grounds are also paved with miles of walking and golf-cart paths.
The main residence offers amenity-loaded interiors, including natural rock-inspired living and entertaining spaces, light-filled great rooms, multiple commercial-grade kitchens (with butler’s pantry), wine cellar, wet bars, two-story office, turreted library, conference rooms, and a recreation billiards room with a projection-screen media center.
But it’s the aqua mansion’s water park-style perks that steal the show. One water feature flows under a breezeway room that connects the main house to the library—visible through transparent glass viewing panels on the floor.
The largest grotto boasts a 30-foot outdoor waterfall, heated swimming pool, sauna, and an entertainment wet bar. Scuba diving tunnels lead to a 30-foot-deep outdoor freshwater pond stocked with exotic fish, statues, faux fossils amid a hot tub, sauna, steam room, wet bar and convenient exterior bath and shower room.
Water features drain to the mega pond via a large pump system that recirculates water back up to the elevated bog ponds—keeping the main pond crystal clear. Scuba enthusiasts will appreciate the equipment room, and indoor tunnel access to the concrete-bottom pond, ledges, other tunnels, pop-up holes and sunken treasures.
Inspired by contemporary European mansions, The Spirit of Avalon’s extraordinary artistic touches feature imported antique elements—hand-carved dragon doors, a pulpit from Salem, Massachusetts, and dazzling stained glass windows, appliances and lantern chandeliers. Salem witch trials, Game of Thrones or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea? Take your pick. One grotto even pays homage to the Wizard of Oz monkeys.
Its panoramic library turret is reportedly the highest point in Johnson County. The home also showcases geometric rooms and ceilings, rich woods, and sculptures throughout.
The primary residence was constructed in 1993 while the exotic library addition was added in 2002. The grotto was built over a three-year span, starting in 2000. Expansive heated terraces, verandas, patios, gas fireplaces, fire pits, and torches warm and illuminate the home in a soothing night glow, flanked by outdoor kitchen spaces.
The main floor master suite boasts a steam shower, sauna, Whirlpool tub, huge walk-in closet, laundry room, and a private office/sitting area. There are also three upper-level bedrooms, three lower-level walkout bedrooms as well as seven full bathrooms, and seven half bathrooms.
The finished attic is designed with playroom areas. The 2,288-square-foot detached garage includes a carriage house with one bedroom, one bathroom and a kitchen—ideal as an official office or “property command center.”
The estate is secured by an electronic security gate, and an alarm system with cameras and lightning rods. The 825-square-foot generator garage has a half bath, server room and natural gas that can power the entire property during emergencies. This literally cool listing is from Gary Hosack and Katie Casey of Crown Realty (a Leverage member brokerage).
