Late Vegas performer Danny Gans built French chateau in Henderson — PHOTOS
Through the majestic gates of Henderson’s Roma Hills lies an estate like no other in Southern Nevada. It is thoroughly French in design and style and definitely has that “ooh la la” factor. And it is the former home of the late Strip headliner Danny Gans, who died unexpectedly in his sleep in 2009. He appeared for many years at The Mirage before moving to the Encore.
The French country charmer sits on six lots and consists of a main house with five bedrooms, a carriage house, sports area and enough garage space for more than 20 cars.
No one knows more about the history of this home than Las Vegas luxury real estate broker Zar Zanganeh of Luxe Estates & Lifestyles, who has it listed for $5,699,999 and is the broker who sold it to the current owners, Sherrie and Jim Hale.
Gans and his family bought it in 2000 when it was halfway under construction and customized it. It took more than two years to complete.
“Julie (Gans) spent a whole year shopping in Europe picking out the finishes that were used in the house, including the limestone tile, the rooster weathervane on the roof; the French antique faucets and the butcher block in the kitchen. They were all chosen to really make it feel like a chateau,” Zanganeh said.
When her husband died, the next morning Julie Gans packed everything, went to their home in California and hasn’t been back here since.
After being contacted by family members to put it on the market, Zanganeh held off for several months until Julie Gans could come to terms with the sale. “Even though we’re not allowed to choose who our clients, are, she wanted to make sure that it went to a nice family who would love the home.”
He quietly announced through social media that he had a beautiful French chateau ready for sale “and nobody knows it’s for sale.” Then, voila, the Hales contacted him, saying they had been looking for years for a French chateau but found only Italian villa or Tuscan styles here. They were only the second party to view the property before buying it.
They were looking to buy some real estate here as an investment. “We had no intentions of moving, but we just stumbled on this,” Sherrie Hale said. “I loved it. I was ready to leave California and all the traffic, and I thought, ‘We can make this work.'”
“This house has really good energy,” Zanganeh said. “Everyone who walks in the door falls in love with it immediately. Five years ago, (Sherrie’s) eyes lit up when she saw it. It’s so refreshing, so different from everything that’s on the market right now.”
From the street it’s hard to visualize the size of the property. Roma Hills is a smaller guard-gated community south of Horizon Ridge Parkway with approximately 144 lots, all one-third of an acre or larger, adjacent to MacDonald Highlands and in front of the new Ascaya luxury home development.
The home is the opposite of the typical local modern homes, which maximize space on a tiny lot. In keeping with its European ambiance, not every room or detail of the house is “supersized.” It has more than adequate space on a very large lot. Said Zanganeh, “In the master bathroom, the sinks to most people feel small, but that’s how they are in France. It’s supposed to feel original and authentic.”
French limestone is used for the exterior facade and carried throughout the pathways around the property. The roof is slate with copper accents that have taken on a blue-green patina with age. Jasmine vines hide an iron entry gate into a shaded courtyard with a bubbling fountain. Stepping to the right of the main house is the entrance to an elaborate carriage house; and straight ahead are rolling hills of grass and landscaping so lush it looks like an overstuffed armchair you just want to sink into.
Approximately four of the six lots were designated for outdoor space, including a play area with a swing set, five-hole putting green and a combined basketball/tennis court. The grounds include mature fruit trees and grape leaf vines. The tiered pool features a water slide and several impressive waterfalls, one of which leads to a small wading pool.
The natural stone continues throughout the outdoor dining area beneath a wooden pergola and auto-controlled awnings. A boar’s head is mounted above the fireplace.
There are fireplaces in every main room, kitchen, the outdoors and most of the bedrooms, and tall French doors throughout the first floor leading to the patio, yard and entry, as well as from the master bedroom to the balcony. A pecan wood is used throughout the home, from the front door to the crown moldings and casement windows.
The carriage house’s exterior is embellished with wrought-iron lanterns and antique hardware. Its three floors are connected by a winding heavy wood staircase. The basement houses a 20-car garage, is equipped with a pool table and could be an additional party space.
This is where Gans stored his “American muscle cars,” Zanganeh said. The owners could easily entertain 100 people in the carriage house without opening the doors to the main home. There’s an additional four-car “everyday garage” attached to the main house.
The top floor, originally intended as a master suite, Gans turned into a wellness center and houses the extensive weight equipment he was known to use religiously, a massage room and a 3/4 bath. It has a three-sided view of the Strip and the property’s rolling hills.
The five-car garage across from the carriage house is where Gans housed his European classic cars including a Rolls-Royce and a classic Jaguar.
The main floor of the carriage house has a 600-bottle wine room with a small wine tasting area overlooking the backyard. It is decked out with a whimsical bistro table and two chairs with bike pedals.
In the main house, the kitchen is centered around a freestanding butcher block island in front of a commercial grade gas stove, farmhouse sink and four dishwashers. The countertop has an acid-washed leather finish on marble to take away the shine and make it look much older, and an antique tile backsplash with a silver leaf finish.
The refrigerator trim matches the rest of the cabinetry and has open shelving at the top. About half of the kitchen cabinets are open to provide easy access. The built-in appliances include a Meile coffee maker and steamer. There’s a walk-in pantry with an antique glass door, and built-in banquette seating below a bay window overlooking the patio.
It has a pass-through window to the adjacent family room, which has a wet bar with built-in dishwasher and a wood-beamed ceiling.
The main house’s guest bedroom is on the first floor, near the laundry room with three combination washer/dryers and a utility sink suitable for poodle washing.
At the top of the winding wrought-iron staircase is a study area with a love seat beneath a bay window and built-in book cabinets, perfect for reading.
A cute reading room/children’s playroom is adjacent to the study. Its ceiling has smaller wood beams and a map of the world painted on the ceiling. Faux animal heads line one wall. Down the hall are three bedrooms. Each is an individual castle, a fortress in pink or blue with the same tremendous details in the candle lights, the raised basket weave pattern on the tile, and window coverings exhibited in the rest of the home.
The master bedroom is the only room in the house to have undergone any significant change, Zanganeh said. It was originally smaller in scale and had more built-ins, as it would in Europe, as well as a smaller closet. They opened up the space and changed the orientation of the bed so it fits into a niche that provides a spectacular view of the Strip. The original two small closets were combined into one and the space in them maximized. What was a crafts room has been changed into an accessories and a vanity area. A padded fabric covers the walls and ceiling, and thick patterned carpeting softens the floors. There’s a slate-floor balcony with sitting area overlooking the pool and patio, with a view of the weather vane.
The attic was transformed into a man cave with log cabin walls, a knotty pine ceiling and a bathroom.
The original purchase and construction costs were estimated to exceed $9 million dollars, and the house was sold as furnished in 2010 for $3.75 million dollars.
The Hales are moving to Summerlin and are in escrow to purchase a house in The Ridges profiled here.