Inside the Sanctuary
Nichols Hills’ new ultra-luxury enclave
In the heart of Nichols Hills, something special is stirring. You may have noticed a bit of commotion at Sherwood Lane and Grand Boulevard Park and wondered. It’s our pleasure to report that what we’re witnessing is the advent of a ground-up enclave of 14 ultra-luxury homes—an exquisite undertaking on a once-in-a-lifetime parcel of land, created by a dream team with a rich legacy.
“We’re starting all of the homes simultaneously and they should be completed in the next 36 to 40 months,” says project partner, Nichols Hills resident and longtime real estate visionary Charlie Givens. He described the community of one-level homes, which will range from about 3,300 to 4,800 square feet, as being somewhat based on a Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton type of residence program.
Project partners include Givens; Nolan Coyle, great-grandson of G.A. “Doc” Nichols, who developed Nichols Hills, Crown Heights, Heritage Hills and other tony neighborhoods; brothers Jay and Craig Johnston of Johnston Builders; and Tony Say, a significant force in real estate development, oil and gas and investing.
Bruce Bockus, founding architect at Bockus Payne—who strongly believes that “beauty matters,” and that his role as an architect is to create beauty within his community—will design the 14 homes, two or three of which have been reserved by the partners. That means, when Sanctuary is complete, there will be fewer than a dozen homes available.
The compact grounds of the development are a hop and a skip from Nichols Hills Plaza and its many amenities; so close, in fact, that Givens jokes, “You could walk on your hands to Nichols Hills Plaza.”
Centering the enclave will be a stunning water feature encircled by homes, with a continuous sidewalk creating a genteel promenade. The name Sanctuary is a clever nod to the church that occupied the land for decades, and also the perfect word to describe each home. Architecture will be classical and transitional styles.
“We see this as an exceptional responsibility on our part to build something that lasts for generations,” Givens says. He anticipated opening sales in 45 days. “This is a legacy project for Nichols Hills. We see this as a 200-year development that will stand the test of time.”
