Mostellercoverstory by Oasis Publishing, Inc.

Complimentary December 2008

Living the Good Life

Mosteller Estates

Hickory’s Best Kept Secret HICKORY LIVING • DECEMBER 2008

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cover story

Mosteller Estates: Hickory’s Best Kept Secret By Amy McCauley

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hen you first step up to the Mosteller Mansion’s beautifully carved door, it doesn’t take long to realize that you’re in a special place. And when the door opens onto a beautiful foyer and curving staircase that lead into gracious, welcoming rooms, you know you’ve found the perfect place for your special event.

acres off Catawba Valley Boulevard and 21st Street SE in Hickory features spacious rooms, exquisite marble baths, glittering chandeliers, wide plank wood flooring, and custom details throughout. The home’s surroundings are highlighted by sweeping staircases leading to manicured lawns, stone fountains, and peaceful gardens.

But special events are not all the Mosteller Estates has to offer. Since its purchase by developer Harry Pilos nearly eight years ago, the estate has been transforming into a unique residential, event, and retail destination for the entire community.

Dubbed the Mosteller Mansion, the home was eventually purchased by the Shuford family and quietly maintained as a private event facility for several years.

“I hear people say all the time, ‘I didn’t even know this place was here,’” said Jennifer McDade, director of Mosteller Estates. “I think we just need to make what we have to offer better known. We have a lot to offer.”

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Past notions of the estate place it firmly in the realm of special events – and that’s where it continues to thrive. However, it also offers upscale residential and commercial real estate opportunities and a private membership club unlike anything in Hickory. With an ambitious vision for the future, what has been known for years as simply “Mosteller Mansion” has become more than just a place for the occasional special event. It has evolved into a dynamic residential – and recreational – community called Mosteller Estates.

Embracing the Past – and the Future The Mosteller Estates story begins in the late 1960s, when the Mosteller family selected the site for their custom home. The sprawling, multi-level brick mansion perched atop 23

That all changed when Pilos acquired the property. Recognizing the unusual beauty of the home and its ideal location – just footsteps away from Hickory’s major shopping, entertainment and restaurant corridor – Pilos saw tremendous potential for the estate to become a prominent, active fixture in the community. Through his vision, the mansion has become the centerpiece of a development that includes luxury apartment homes, a private members club, and a planned mixed-use retail center and custom townhomes. “The apartments we have now are just phase one,” McDade explained. “Phase two is the townhomes, which will get started in the very near future. Phase three will be the mixeduse development with stores on the ground level and apartments up above.” The outdoor village setting will offer not only retail and restaurant opportunities, but also on-site valet services, day care, and dry cleaning for residents. The estate’s apartment homes are usually near or at capacity, but pre-lease applications to fill HICKORY HICKORYLIVING LIVING• •DECEMBER DECEMBER2008 2008

“I think it’s a really exciting venture, and the location is amazing with the movie theater and the mall and all the restaurants right here,” McDade said. “This is the side of town that really has everything in it.” “Everything” is right – including, as tradition would have it, special occasions at the mansion.

The Mansion: Not Just for Weddings Anymore When locals first hear the name Mosteller, they typically think of weddings at the mansion. McDade hopes to shift that perception by making the mansion more accessible to a wide variety of private and public events. “For the past year or so, except for weekend weddings, this place has really been empty,” said McDade, who joined the estate staff this past August. “It is such a beautiful setting for so many different things that I feel it’s sort of being wasted.” 14 14

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“It used to be kind of expensive to have an event here, and we’ve lowered that,” McDade added. “I would rather have more people in here, because in the end, it ends up helping me by getting the word out. There are lots of facilities that come to mind for events in Hickory, and we want to be considered among the best.” “We can host all kinds of events – business meetings, corporate retreats, special parties or dinners, and of course, weddings. We had an unreal Halloween party here this year. It was a birthday party, but it was also a costume party because it was close to Halloween. The whole mansion was decorated, and it was so spooky! It was perfect.” “We are working with the Hickory Museum of Art on developing a charity event sometime in the spring with a picnic and croquet on the lawn. The Chamber had their board retreat here in November. I’d love to host ladies’ luncheons here. We’re even looking at hosting a weekly bridge club. There’s no end to the possibilities for this place.” The mansion can accommodate everything from a small gathering for 10 to a large-scale blow-out for 300. With several rooms inside the mansion and an extensive outdoor patio and garden area, the facility offers several options for staging an event at any time of year. McDade is quick to point out that these

plans – including an aggressive expansion of their event offerings – would not be possible without the culinary contributions of the estate’s recently hired executive chef, Joseph LaMarca. Prior to joining the estate team, LaMarca served as owner and executive chef at Left Bank, a restaurant in Asheville that was consistently recognized among the

upcoming vacancies are accepted yearround. The well-appointed living spaces range from 758 to 1,446 square feet and feature garden tubs, nine-foot ceilings, gourmet kitchens, sunrooms, garages, and one, two, or three bedrooms. Residents have access to the estate’s private health club, which includes an indoor heated swimming pool and leading-edge fitness facility. Residents also receive membership in the estate’s exclusive Members Club, a private lounge located in the mansion’s lower level.

Pictured Below - Jaclyn Rayner, Bartender. Right - Private Member’s Club lounge.

Photos: Opposite - Mosteller Mansion in the holiday spirit. Bottom - Executive Chef, Joseph LaMarca in Mosteller Mansion’s new state-of-the-art kitchen.

pursue more event-related business, they are not the only changes that are making the estate a popular place to spend time.

The Members Club: The Secret is Getting Out Perhaps one of the most unusual – and exciting – amenities the estate has to offer is its private Members Club. The club is a luxurious lounge featuring a fullypermitted bar and a special Napa Valley wine collection. Unlike any other locale in town, it was designed to be a sophisticated, high-end retreat where people can unwind and socialize. Membership is free for estate residents and only $10 per year for non-residents.

city’s ten best. He was trained in New York and has a strong French culinary background. “He’s been in Asheville, so he understands the South, but he hails out of New York City, so he has that sophistication which makes for a really amazing approach to food.” One of the first things on McDade’s “todo” list was to sit down with LaMarca and create a new menu that includes a wide range of elegant appetizers, entrees, continental breakfast selections, and “express” lunches appropriate for the estate’s many functions. The estate also installed a state-of-the-art kitchen that can cater functions on-site or off-site. While these changes were initiated to help the estate

“The club is really beautiful,” McDade said. “We do a lot of social events there for our members, and we mail out an event calendar every month. We host wine tastings, socials, game nights… If there’s a TV show that happens to become really popular, we’ll have viewing nights.” The club’s environment is a unique combination of exclusivity and entertainment that has already made it a popular hangout for both residents and non-residents. “Starting in January, we’re going to offer shag dancing lessons to our members,” McDade continued. “Every Monday night, we’ll do shag lessons in the mansion and then hang out in the Members Club. Once a month, we’re going to host a huge shag party for not only the members here in Hickory, but also for the

Morganton Shag Club. We’re really looking forward to it.” A private club? Shag lessons? Who knew? As with everything undertaken at the estates, the Members Club is a key part of its newly-emerging identity: a community designed to be an entertaining, diverse, and upscale destination for its residents and the entire Hickory area.

The Vision: Just the Beginning Today, Mosteller Estates is uniquely poised to capture the vision Pilos set out eight years ago. With an expanding membership and social calendar at the Members Club, at-capacity luxury apartments, and the near-ready development of custom townhomes, the estates are finally coming into their own. And there’s no better time to experience this new outlook than during the holidays. “December is absolutely a great time to stop by to see the facility,” McDade offered. “It’s like a winter wonderland when it’s fully done. There will be a lot of special events for members in December, too, so if you wanted to join, it’s a good time because you would be invited to participate in all the festivities we have here.” Setting foot on the grounds at Mosteller Estates today is quite different from having done so in years, or even months, past. While the mansion’s historic relevance remains intact, one thing becomes readily apparent above all others: the possibilities here are endless. And at Mosteller Estates, they’re only just getting started. HICKORY HICKORY LIVING LIVING • DECEMBER • DECEMBER 2008 2008

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