?Red? Hudson?s House Tops Market at $3.4 million

The Rogers home of James T. “Red” Hudson and his wife Julia C. Hudson is the most valuable mansion in Northwest Arkansas, according to the most recent property appraisals.

The 13,885-SF house at 18 Pinnacle Drive in Rogers’ Pinnacle Golf & Country Club appraised for $3.4 million in 2002, the last year property was evaluated in Benton County. The house was built in 1998.

Hudson founded Hudson Foods Inc. in 1972. It was the fifth largest poultry producer in the nation when an outbreak of e-coli bacteria from one of its plants crippled the company’s reputation. Hudson sold the company to Tyson Foods Inc. of Springdale in 1998. Hudson now operates Hudson & Associates, a finance company in Rogers.

Northwest Arkansas’ second most valuable house is also in Rogers’ Pinnacle enclave. That 9,907-SF mansion at 2 Clubhouse Drive is owned by Michael T. Hudson, Red’s son and the former CEO of Hudson Foods. It appraised for $2.6 million in 2002. That’s up 78.6 percent from 1997, when it was the most expensive home in Northwest Arkansas with its value pegged at $1.4 million. The house was built in 1993.

Architect and real estate developer Collins Haynes and his architect wife Cynthia own the third most valuable home in Rogers, according to the Benton County Assessor’s Office. Their house at 9 Beau Chene appraised for $2.4 million.

The top 20 homes in Rogers were all valued at more than $1 million each.

For this article and the accompanying lists, only the lot where the house is located was included in the appraisals. Farmland, for instance, and additional structures such as barns were excluded from the appraised values.

Bentonville

The third most expensive home in Northwest Arkansas is a 16,360-SF house at 2705 NW Linebarger Lane in Bentonville that’s owned by Bill and Ruth Sellers. They own a farm near Tontitown and Sellers Equipment in Siloam Springs.

The house, which appraised for $2.5 million in 2002, was originally built in the 1980s for Larry A. Dimmit, a retired executive from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Oddly enough, the structure appears to have decreased in value. The Benton County Assessor’s Office said it was worth $2.7 million in 1992.

The second most expensive house in Bentonville is owned by David Glass, owner of the Kansas City Royals professional baseball team and the former CEO of Wal-Mart. His 11,752-SF home appraised for $2.3 million in 2002.

Three homes in Bentonville were valued at more than $1 million each.

Rural Benton County

Flint Creek Ranch LLLP, which is owned by Delbert “Pete” Allen, is the owner of the most valuable house in rural Benton County. The 8,849-SF house at 14128 Dawn Hill Road near Siloam Springs appraised for $1.6 million in 2002. Allen, who retired from Allen Canning Co. in 1999, is the former chairman of the board of Arkansas State Bancshares Inc. and Arkansas State Bank in Siloam Springs.

The second most valuable house in rural Benton County is the 6,932-SF home at 4154 Homewoods Lane owned by Robert L. and Teresa Brown. It appraised for $1 million. Robert Brown owns Technical Machining Services of Rogers.

Fayetteville

The most valuable home in Fayetteville is the 11,925-SF house at 2607 Charleston Crossing owned by Dr. John A. Brunner III. The home appraised for $1.8 million in 2004. Brunner is an anesthesiologist with Washington Regional Medical Center. He also owns Ozark Regional Anesthesia PLLC in Fayetteville.

David and Ramah Sue Slone had the second most valuable house in Fayetteville. David Slone, co-owner of Superior Automotive Group, owns the 12,716-SF house at 3868 Sunbest that appraised for $1.7 million.

Barbara Tyson’s 7,740-SF house at 2694 Zion Road was No. 3 in Fayetteville. It appraised for $1.3 million. That house appraised for $982,000 in 1995, according to Arkansas CAMA Technology Inc., which handles appraisals for Washington County. Barbara Tyson is a member of the Tyson Foods board. She is the widow of Randal Tyson, who was the brother of company chairman Don Tyson.

Springdale

Tyson Foods Inc. owns the most valuable house in Springdale. The 7,012-SF structure at 3200 Johnson Road appraised for $1.5 million in 2004.

Gary and Michelle Tollett had the No. 2 house in Springdale. The 8,769-SF building at 2615 Carley appraised for $1.4 million. Gary Tollett is president of Wynco Distributors LLC, a poultry supply company in Lowell.

Heart surgeon James Counce and wife Katherine own the third most valuable house in Springdale. Their 7,435-SF home at 3232 Carley appraised for $1.1 million.

Rural Washington County

Johnnie B. and Johnelle Hunt own the most valuable home in rural Washington County.

J.B. Hunt, founder of the trucking company that bears his name, owns a 10,453-SF house at 807 Bowen near Goshen. The house appraised for $1.4 million in 2004.

Phil Phillips, who owned Phillips Litho in Springdale for 26 years, has the No. 2 house in rural Washington County. Phillips’ 9,270-SF house at 2600 Charis near Springdale appraised for $1.3 million.

Developer Ben Israel and wife Nancy own the third most valuable house in rural Washington County. The 6,922-SF home at 1501 Starr Road appraised for $1.1 million.