Dallas oil heiress sells Aspen mansion to Tampa Bay Lightning owner

Nestled in the Rocky Mountains on 5.7 acres is a 15,000-square-foot mansion formerly owned by Christy Thompson, daughter of the late Texas oil magnate J. Cleo Thompson, who died in 2010.

The Aspen, Colo., residence sold this month for $63.75 million to Jeff Vinik, owner of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, and his wife Penny, according to The Wall Street Journal. Thompson and her husband Stephen Hill initially purchased the house last year for $51 million, after selling a different Aspen mansion for $60 million.

Located about four hours southwest of Denver in the White River National Forest, Aspen is a ski resort town beloved by the rich and famous, and its real estate is accordingly grand.

Adorned with floor-to-ceiling windows, glass elevators and an oxygen pumping system in the master bedroom, the house Thompson and Hill sold is well-equipped to provide the Viniks with the height of luxury amongst the seclusion of snow-capped mountains.

Thompson, whose father is most well-known for being a pioneer in the Permian Basin, has “luxury homes all over the country,” according to a 2021 interview with The Dallas Morning News. Born and raised in Dallas, Thompson has also made headlines for eight-figure home sales in Florida and Dallas’ Volk Estates.

Vinik is a former investor and private hedge fund manager who now focuses on sports team ownership, also owning a minority stake in the MLB’s Boston Red Sox and previously sitting on the board of directors of the English Premier League’s Liverpool Football Club. The Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.

Vinik and his wife were represented in the deal by Lance Hughes and Nancy Patton of Aspen Luxury Sales. In a statement to The Journal, Hughes noted that despite real-estate turmoil across the country, the Aspen market remains strong because of high demand and limited inventory.