The Shamrock Chateau Is for Sale [Sold]

Exterior of the Shamrock Chateau.

The Shamrock Chateau is a three bedroom, two bathroom home in Italy, Texas at the Monolithic Dome Research Park.

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While preparing this listing, an offer was made on the home, and it should close by next month. It was only on the market for a few weeks. While the house has sold, we still want to talk about this beautiful dome home because it’s unique, plus it’s the residence of retired Monolithic Dome designer Larry Byrne and his wonderful wife, Marilee. We’ve worked with Larry for decades and are sad to see them leave. Larry and Marilee designed and constructed a truly unique Monolithic Dome home, and we want to give it—and them—a proper sendoff.

I met Larry when I was 15. He was hired after finishing his architecture degree, and I remember his first house floor plan. It was for a 50-foot diameter dome with five rooms around a central kitchen. It was simple. Elegant. I loved it. I loved it so much that when we built our home in Texas—the Callisto—it was based on Larry’s original plan.

Larry was an old-school designer with a large drafting table and mechanical pencils. One day, my dad bought the most powerful computer I’d ever seen. It was an IBM PC-AT with a 20-megabyte hard drive and—wait for it—one megabyte of memory. It cost $5000, and paired with a $5000 plotter; we had the very first CAD system in southeastern Idaho.

Dad told me, “teach Larry how to use the computer.” He said to Larry, “teach Dave how to draft.”

We were both out of our depth, but we persisted. Eventually, I learned to draft, Larry learned the computer, and I drew many dome structures under Larry’s tutelage.

Marilee is an incredible person who intimidated the crap out of me in the early days. When we met, she was a high school teacher with a learned “scowl” that would make any kid’s blood run cold. It turns out to be a facade. Marilee is a kind person who cares deeply about everyone in her life. She said she had to get the stern look down, or the kids would walk all over her.

The Byrnes moved with us first to Manteca, California, and then to Italy, Texas. They persevered through bad times and good and were close friends of my parents—David and Judy—until their passing not long ago.

In 1998, Larry got a chance to build his dream home. It wasn’t going to be a basic Monolithic Dome but something that pushed the design and look of the dome industry. He started with a triple dome structure, merged together as one and “augmented” with large windows and doors adorned with large semicircular arched windows. The home curved and melded from room to room, and the finished home is nothing short of striking.

Larry dedicated one “dome” of the house to the master suite with a large bedroom, walk-in closet, large bathroom, and a large study.

The expansive great room dominates half of the larger central dome. The walls to the kitchen and family room curve away from a broad entryway that leads to a beautiful main entrance with a large, arched window on top. The kitchen curves around with the wall and includes a beautiful bay window. Custom cabinets lined the family room.

They only needed two bedrooms because their children were all grown—one for themselves and one for the grandkids because every grandparent needs a place for their grandchildren. The small dome has the second bedroom, another bathroom, and a large utility. They added a 20-foot diameter dome in the back area as a workshop.

The house is on one acre of land at the Monolithic Dome Research Park near Charca Casa, where my parents lived.

The home retains all the advantages of a Monolithic Dome, including super energy efficiency and is extremely fire and tornado resistant.

The Byrne family has impacted the Monolithic Dome industry in ways that cannot be quantified. Larry designed hundreds of domes, including nearly every floor plan in our catalog.


Realtor Listing

The house sold and is no longer on the market

Quiet country living in a safer, more efficient dome home. Sitting on more than 1 acre this unique construction triple-dome monolithic home is energy efficient for lower utility costs; and tornado-safe, designed to withstand winds up to 300 MPH.

Exterior features: covered parking behind home, large storage shed, small tool storage shed, and a large patio already plumbed for a hot tub with an additional entrance leading directly into the master suite. Inside, you’ll find an impressive and highly-designed entryway leading to the large open living area. A bright kitchen complete with double ovens and an island cooktop facing the bay window!

Escape to the cozy TV room situated separate from the open concept living room. The Master suite features a private bathroom with shower and an exceptional walk-in closet. Custom-built bookshelves make for an excellent office in the 3rd bedroom. The split concept layout provides privacy, keeping the guest room and bath opposite from the master.

Main entrance.

Dramatic arched window over the main entrance.

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Main foyer.

View from the main foyer into the great room.

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The great room.

The great room with a dining and living area frames the dramatic arched doorway to the back patio.

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View from the back door to the main entrance.

A view from the back door across the great room into the kitchen and front foyer.

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Seating area in great room.

The comfy seating area in the great room.

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The high, arched domed over the great room.

The central dome is 40 feet in diameter and affords the great room a spectacular open space.

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Looking across the great room to the smaller dome.

Looking across the great room from the kitchen looking to the smaller dome connected through the arched doorway.

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Dining area in the great room.

The dining area is adjacent to the main suite through the arched hallway.

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Four seat bar at the kitchen.

A four-seat bar looking into the kitchen is a second dining area in the home.

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Kitchen with island.

The kitchen is large with an island, bar, and a bay window.

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Solid surface counter tops.

The kitchen includes solid surface counter tops with integrated sink.

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Integrated range and double ovens.

The kitchen includes double ovens and an integrated range on the island.

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Kitchen and bay window.

The kitchen looks through a bay window into the beautiful countryside beyond.

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The family room with hand crafted cabinet work.

The family room with hand crafted cabinet work.

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The main bedroom with arched exit to the back patio.

The main bedroom with arched exit to the back patio.

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The concrete dome shell smoothly melds into the arched doorway.

The concrete dome shell smoothly melds into the arched doorway.

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The main bedroom suite.

The main bedroom suite.

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The main bathroom.

The main bathroom.

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The main bathroom with large shower.

The main bathroom with large shower.

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The main bathroom with large shower.

The main bathroom with large shower.

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The closet in the main suite is part of the bathroom.

The closet in the main suite is part of the bathroom.

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A large study/home office in the main suite.

A large study/home office in the main suite.

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A large study/home office in the main suite.

A large study/home office in the main suite.

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A beautiful second bedroom.

A beautiful second bedroom.

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The dome arches over the second bedroom.

The dome arches over the second bedroom.

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A large second bathroom.

A large second bathroom.

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A large second bathroom.

A large second bathroom.

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A large utility room.

The utility room with laundry, a second refrigerator, and ample storage space was originally a planned workshop, but instead, a second small dome was added to the property as the workshop.

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A large utility room.

A large utility room.

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The back patio.

The back patio.

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The back patio.

The back patio.

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The back patio.

The back patio.

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Aerial view of the one acre property.

Aerial view of the one acre property.

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Aerial view of the one acre property.

Aerial view of the one acre property.

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Aerial view of the one acre property.

Aerial view of the one acre property.

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Aerial view of the one acre property.

Aerial view of the one acre property.

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One final look at the Shamrock Chateau.

One final look at the Shamrock Chateau.

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