Overgrown shrubs obscure some of the windows at 4 Robinwood Drive, the Cantrell Road-facing mansion once owned by late Little Rock philanthropist Jennings Osborne. In places, the thick green leaves reach well past the roof, and vines snake along the white brick wall surrounding the property.
The home that once attracted thousands of spectators has been empty since it was auctioned in 2012. And for the next two years, all its current owners plan to do is keep the grass cut.
"Our goal is to keep it mowed, and that's about it," Redfield Mayor Tony Lawhon said. "The home itself is pretty trashed."
Little Rock developer Kourosh Malek purchased the 11,700-square-foot house for $292,000 in a 2012 auction. He deeded it a year later to Redfield, a city of 1,300 halfway between Little Rock and Pine Bluff. Malek, who owns a contracting business in Redfield, did not respond to requests for an interview.
Once appraised at $1.6 million, 4 Robinwood Drive is now valued at $671,950 by the Pulaski County assessor. Lawhon said he hopes the property will sell for $400,000, a windfall for a town with an annual operating budget of $650,000.
"Right now everyone is pretty excited about what this could do for us in the future," Lawhon said. "Everything we have has to be updated -- infrastructure, telephone systems, computer systems and buildings themselves."
But first, Redfield residents must wait.
The details of Malek's contract stipulate that Redfield must sell the house at 90 percent of its appraised value or wait 30 months before listing it for sale. With the house in disrepair, Lawhon said he doubts the city could find a buyer willing to pay the more than $600,000 the contract requires.
He said the city doesn't have the funds to make extensive repairs to the house.
Osborne made his fortune in medical testing but was deeply in debt when he died in 2011. His family auctioned off thousands of collectibles and five properties to help pay medical bills and satisfy the creditors and lenders associated with a new business venture.
At its peak, as many as 3 million Christmas lights festooned the main house and the front lawns at neighboring 3 and 5 Robinwood Drive. Osborne purchased the adjacent houses to expand the display.
The yuletide glow attracted attention and traffic. By the 1990s, the spectators that flocked to see the display created miles-long traffic jams along Cantrell Road.
The Osbornes' neighbors were effectively trapped in their homes.
Five neighbors eventually sued in a case that reached the Arkansas Supreme Court. A court injunction put an end to the display in 1995, but Walt Disney World purchased the lights and moved the display to its Hollywood Studios park in Orlando, Fla., where it's still displayed annually as the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
"He was really nice to us and our children, but he just made Christmas miserable for us," said Dennis Lucy, one of the neighbors who took Osborne to court. Lucy still lives across the street from the three homes.
Driving around Redfield in his black Escalade, Lawhon gave a friendly wave to passing drivers and apologized profusely for the lawns sporting wispy spires of uncut grass. He pointed out dozens of municipal projects he'd like to work on, if only the city had the funds. Salaries eat up about half of the city budget, he said, and road maintenance takes another $120,000.
Poor drainage causes a river of water to flow across one resident's driveway when it rains, but addressing half a block of drainage would cost $13,000. Redfield's well, dug in the 1960s, has outlasted its estimated life span. A new well would cost $200,000. Even a cosmetic paint job at the city's aging waterworks would take $12,000. City officials think other projects are more pressing. They're working to come up with $58,000 after receiving a matching grant to repair a historic wooden bridge that crosses a rail line.
Lawhon would eventually like to expand City Hall, a tiny former jail. His office doubles as a storage closet and still has barred windows. Redfield Waterworks has an expenditure wish list that includes 50 items. Since February 2013, the town has found the money to check off 10 items.
Redfield has grown at a rate of nearly 4 percent a year since 2010. A $400,000 check from the sale of the Osborne house wouldn't transform the city, but it would help it through a growth spurt, Lawhon said.
"The money won't fix everything, but it can pay for smaller projects," he said. "You get to a point where there are so many people in the town, but their tax revenue isn't supporting the infrastructure yet."
By the time the Osborne house is sold, Lawhon's term will be up. He's not seeking re-election in November but has worked closely with his likely successor to identify infrastructure projects that are out of reach under the city's current finances.
While Redfield does what it can to keep the main house in shape, the ownership of the flanking houses at 3 and 5 Robinwood Drive remains in contention, nearly two years after they were supposedly sold at auction.
Lucy said the properties' lack of upkeep is obvious but hasn't been a major concern for the neighborhood.
"I have not talked to anyone, and no one has talked to me [about the homes]," Lucy said. "It is noticeable that the three houses over there are not being kept up."
In October, Little Rock government billed Mitzi Osborne, Jennings Osborne's widow, nearly $2,000 for upkeep -- mowing and other services -- that it performed in July 2013 at 3 and 5 Robinwood Drive. Both houses are still deeded to Mitzi Osborne, and lawsuits related to their sales and foreclosures remain open in the court system.
Back in Redfield, Lawhon said he hopes his town will one day find a way -- maybe a plaque or a memorial -- to recognize the larger-than-life millionaire for the unplanned donation.
"I would like to somehow honor Mr. Osborne's memory in all of this," Lawhon said. "For a small town in central Arkansas, it's kind of amazing."
SundayMonday on 08/17/2014