The 1419 Kirby Drive property was listed for $6,495,000 in May—the second most expensive listing to sell last month, according to the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR). The 6,986 square-foot home, located in Houston’s affluent River Oaks neighborhood, dates back to 1931 and was remodeled in 2020.
John Steen III is vice chairman of King Ranch Incorporated—a historic 825,000-acre empire in South Texas with operations spanning agriculture, ranching, energy and natural resources. Steen also has ties to the energy and midstream sector.
The Steen’s two-story home sold after just 14 days on the market with Mike Mahlstedt of Compass RE Texas LLC as the listing agent and Kristina Metoyer of Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty as the selling agent.
The property has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, three half bathrooms and two garages, according to the HAR listing. Designed in the Tudor Revival architectural style, the residence was originally built by Katharine Mott—Houston’s first female homebuilder.
“The home blends historic character with refined modern livability,” the listing reads, detailing luxurious design elements from layered Hermès wall coverings to a custom Paul Ferrante chandelier.
In 2022, Preservation Houston awarded the Steens the Good Brick Award for their restoration of the property, labeled the Henderson House after the residence’s first homeowners, Ralph and Nelle Henderson.
Prior to 2026, Harris County property records indicate that the 1419 Kirby Drive residence previously changed ownership in 1988, 2001 and 2018.