Billionaire spends 15 years building ‘Versailles’ cliffside mansion – and lists for $108 million

Nestled on the cliffs of La Jolla Bay, Darwin Deason’s mansion is not your typical California beach retreat. Locally called the “Sand Castle”, the estate is an architectural wonder reminiscent of Versailles, perched high above the Pacific.

Now, according to agents Brett Dickinson and Ross Clark of Compass, it’s poised to break records as it goes on the market for $108 million.

If the luxury property sells for the asking price, it would obliterate San Diego County’s current real estate record, set earlier this year when billionaire Egon Durban dropped $44 million on a Del Mar oceanfront property.

The Deason Sandcastle boasts nearly 13,000 square feet of property, with intricate stone columns, expansive balconies and its own private elevated beach.

Inside, it’s a complete ode to old-world Europe, with extravagant mosaics, marble floors and rooms that shine with bold gold accents. The inn is modeled after Le Petit Trianon in Versailles. Deason, who founded Affiliated Computer Services and sold it to Xerox for more than $6 billion in 2009, acquired Sandcastle and a neighboring parcel for $26 million that same year.

Although based in Dallas, Texas, where he is a prominent Republican donor, he uses the La Jolla estate as a vacation getaway.

Originally built in 2005 by San Diego developer Doug Manchester, the residence offered Deason exactly what he was looking for – sweeping views in three directions.

But for the billionaire, this was not enough. He stripped the house down to the bones and rebuilt it, adding the Versailles-inspired inn.

His vision? A fusion of French elegance and the iconic Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, a place he has long admired. To make the interiors match his grand vision, he hired master designer Timothy Corrigan, whose clientele includes Hollywood elites and royalty.

The complex spans 0.8 acres and includes 10 bedrooms.

The large living room in the main house features elaborate coffered ceilings and a wall of arched windows overlooking the bay, leading to a massive wraparound terrace. A dining room seats 16 under a crystal chandelier, with gold leaf detailing and antique cabinetry to match.

The inn comes with a twist: a nautical-themed bar that mirrors the one on Deason’s yacht, complete with nautical-inspired paintings and a pair of 18th-century mermaid statues.

Outside, the residence’s grounds boast a swimming pool, a fitness center and even a wood-paneled office located next to the master suite.

Every piece of furniture was custom made for the estate, from the rugs to the curtains. And Deason didn’t just stop at home.

Not a fan of California beach sand, he had about $40,000 worth of sand imported from Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club.

“Everybody who watches the golf tournament knows it’s a spectacular shade of white,” he told them. Wall Street Journalwho reported first on the listing.

There are two cabanas and a beach boat with a kitchen. Slate roof tiles for the boat? Deason imported them from a Chinese quarry after choosing the perfect color and pattern, ensuring as much material as could be mined.

“I bought as much material as I could get out,” he said.

As if that weren’t enough, the base of the property boasts two natural caves.

In total, Deason estimates he poured about $60 million into building the property, not including land costs. Despite all the effort and money, Deason says it’s time to let go of Sandcastle, admitting he doesn’t use the property as much as his other homes, which include a Dallas mansion, a lake retreat near Cedar Lake Creek and a vacation home in Cabo San Lucas.

“In the history of La Jolla, there has never been and never will be another waterfront property built like the Sand Castle due to the current oceanfront building standards set by the State of California,” agents told The Post. in a statement.

“The opportunity to bring the two parcels together in this location is so rare, and that fact, coupled with the seller’s spare-no-expenses-paid vision to bring the French Riviera to oceanfront La Jolla,” they added.