Buying a new home through an auction is not the ideal process, especially a multi-million dollar property like Windy Hill, a sprawling estate located on 128 acres in the Prairie area of Lowndes County.

“The auction process was a new one for us, so we had to learn what that meant,” said Suzanne DeLyle, who with her husband, Atle Larsen, placed the winning bid on the property on May 12. “When you win the auction, you have 30 days to close. You don’t know you’re going to win. You get your finances together, put your house on the market, make plans, but what if you don’t win? Since we won, we’ve been traveling at warp speed trying to get so many things accomplished. It’s not a simple move, by any means.”

Windy Hill is the 11,000 square-foot French Normandy-inspired estate of Nancy Imes, who passed away in March 2021 at age 92. Nancy Imes was the wife of former Dispatch publisher Birney Imes II, mother of former Dispatch publisher Birney Imes III and grandmother of current publisher Peter Imes.

The home, which was completed in 1998, reflects the refined style and broad travel of its owner. Working with renowned architect Ken Tate, his wife, interior decorator Charme Tate, and celebrated landscape architect René Fransen, Nancy Imes created a home where no detail was neglected. Its lush gardens, courtyards and porches make the exterior as ideal for entertaining as the interior.

“Personally, I think Mrs. Imes built one of the most beautiful places in the United States,” DeLyle said. “What a legacy to leave behind. My husband and I feel privileged and honored to step into the property. “

DeLyle moved to the Seattle area in 1980 after a 30-year career as dancer with Ballet West in Salt Lake City. There, she started a second career as a breeder/trainer of the warmblood variety of horses used in dressage.

“I’m semi-retired now,” she said. “I do a little training here and there and take care of my own four horses.”

Larsen moved from his native Norway to the Seattle area for college. He is an engineer with Philips Medical, which makes high-tech medical equipment.

Neither had been in Mississippi before learning about Windy Hill.

“We had been looking around to relocate out of the Seattle area,” DeLyle said.

The couple were looking at property in the horse country of Lexington, Kentucky, when Larsen found Windy Hill on the internet.

“We were like, ‘Oh, my word. This is unbelievable,’” DeLyle said.

DeLyle and Larsen were not alone in that sentiment.

Jeff Hawthorne, who managed the auction for Target Auction, said the company’s marketing program proved instrumental in attracting interest for the property.

“These expensive properties are different and you have to market them differently,” Hawthorne said. “Before the auction, we offered tours for qualified bidders. We had 37 tours from bidders all over the country and bids from people in seven states. I think the sellers and the buyers were very pleased with the process.”

Now in the process of making the cross-country move, DeLyle and Larsen bring with them an almost reverential attitude toward Windy Hill and want to preserve the vision of its original owner.

“The only changes we have in mind right now is building a barn and figuring out what to do about fencing for the horses,” DeLyle said. “Other than that, we don’t expect to make many changes. Why would we? It’s perfect.”

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].

READER FAVORITES

• 

  A plan at last: Overhaul planned for ‘most dangerous’ Hwy 45 intersection

  By Braden Simmons • 2 days ago