Kelsey Holson is a Realtor with Sendero Properties. She says the mansion stands out not only because of its size, but because of its location.
“Generally, a house of that size… somebody that can afford that typically, I would think, wants privacy or lives in a neighborhood that’s gated, so it’s interesting how it’s built on one of our major roads and thousands of cars pass it every week. Everybody notices it. It's hard not to ‘cause of its size and also its style and grandeur.”
That fascination has lasted for decades. Right now the property sits empty, and that sparks a lot of speculation. Earlier this month, a Facebook post about the mansion drew hundreds of comments from people sharing memories, asking questions and imagining what the property could become.
The mansion's story starts with Peter Kasimirs, the businessman who built it in the 1980s. According to Reporter-News archives, Peter Kasimirs immigrated to North America after World War II. After finding success in business in Abilene and opening the Royal Inn. He and his wife, Patricia began building the mansion in 1983.
Art Hall, the builder, was hired to complete the project. He says the Kasimirs wanted the mansion to be something the community could enjoy.
“I think they wanted to give to Abilene what they thought was good. That was the purpose and intention that Peter and his wife had… was to share something classy with the folks of Abilene.”
Construction also came during a difficult period for the local economy. Hall says the oil downturn of the 1980s left many skilled workers without jobs, making the mansion an unexpected source of employment.
“It was a godsend to me and to a number of people that I hired. Many carpenters would come to me and they were just absolutely thrilled to have a job at that point in time because it was a tough time back in the 80s, and a lot of businesses in Abilene were having to close their doors.”
The mansion was unlike anything Hall had worked on before. It featured imported marble from Mexico, chandeliers from Germany, seven fireplaces, two swimming pools and nine guest bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom. One of the biggest challenges was installing trim in the home’s curved rooms. Workers even had to soak the wood in water so it could bend into place. At one point, Hall says as many as 75 people were working on the project.
Upon completion, the Kasimirs lived in the house briefly—Hall says for just a few months.
In 1990, the mansions story took a different direction.
The property went into foreclosure, and the mansion sat vacant for several years. After the Kasimirs lost the property, it changed hands multiple times before a group from California purchased the home with plans to refurbish it. Art Hall says those plans also never came to fruition.
In 2009, Champions Church purchased the mansion. Preston Humphries is the pastor of the church:
“It did come into the church's possession some years back as the church was acquiring some of the surrounding property with a vision to use it as a permanent church home. That vision still remains today."
For Champions Church, restoring the mansion is a long-term project.
“My hopes are that it becomes something very fruitful in Abilene. The facility as it sits now testifies of everything that can go wrong, and I would like to turn that story around where it ends up becoming a landmark not of dysfunction or mismanagement but becomes a landmark of productivity.”
Pastor Humphries says the church still plans to transform the mansion into its permanent home. The process, he says, will take time as the building is renovated to meet commercial code and the church works to complete the project without debt.
Until then the White House will continue to be a topic of conversation and curiosity for its neighbors in southwest Abilene.