As a child growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Gerald Dorros says he was obsessed with the American West and wanted to be a cowboy.

Instead, he studied medicine and became a trailblazing cardiologist who patented medical devices and was among the first doctors in the US to do coronary angioplasties. Still, Dorros loved the wide open spaces of Wyoming, and he’d often come to the popular ski resort area of Jackson Hole on family vacations.

In 1997, the doctor bought a tract of land in Wilson, a 20-minute drive from the town of Jackson, and built a home there. He lived out his cowboy dreams by learning to ride horses and even won a rodeo championship.

But, in December 2017, Dorros’ home burned down in a blaze that took the fire department several days to put out. His entire family, including his grandchildren, were visiting for the holidays, but no one was hurt.

“My son-in-law gave me a book on architectural houses afterwards,” says Dorros. “I looked through it, and I said to them that I’m going to do something.”

Dorros decided to rebuild, but this time he wanted to do something different and more ambitious; he also hoped to enlist a top architect for the project. His interest was piqued by a house he saw in that book, a striking glass house in
Monterrey, California, designed by noted architect Wallace Cunningham, a follower of the Frank Lloyd Wright tradition of organic architecture.

So he reached out, and Cunningham agreed to work with him.

Dorros declines to share what he spent on the build, but he says he told Cunningham to “just go for it”, instead of worrying about a fixed cost for the ambitious project. “I said, ‘I want your best shot, I want it to be open, airy and modern without being stark and monastic’.”

The project, dubbed River House, got underway in 2018; Dorros and his wife moved in five years later. He calls the building process itself “really fun” — after a professional life spent dealing with hearts, it was satisfying to see concrete poured and rebar placed.

Now, some two years after the home’s completion, Dorros has decided to sell it. It’s the right time to move on, he says. “I’m 83, and I think it’s a smart decision to sell — I don’t want to have to get rid of the property under hectic conditions.”

Dorros also has a home in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he expects to live full time.

Inside the house

For US$60 million ($77.4 million), a buyer gets a newly built concrete-and-glass home designed by Cunningham with 7,528 sq ft, six bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms, all set on 36 tranquil acres with sweeping views of Grand Teton.

River House is primarily built on one level, with floor-to-ceiling windows that help integrate the house with its natural surroundings. A below-ground space includes a wine cellar and additional office; there’s also an attached three-car garage.

The formal entrance leads to a living room and Dorros’ office, his favourite space in the house. A glass corridor connects to the primary suite, with a stone bathtub and walk-in shower, all with views of the Tetons. (With so much land between River House and its closest neighbours, there’s no concern about anyone uninvited seeing in.)

At the other end of the house are five guest rooms, all with en suites and fireplaces. There is a chef’s kitchen with Bluestar and Thermador appliances and a walk-in pantry. Dorros says he and his wife eat a formal dinner every night, and that it’s a delight cooking together in the house. He ropes his grandchildren into cooking when they visit.

“We would make everybody do things over the winter holidays. We have cooking contests like Top Chef,” he recalls, saying there was more than enough space in the kitchen for everyone to get involved.

Dorros says he has loved living in a glasshouse. He notes that Cunningham — whom he describes as detail-oriented — was very thoughtful about how the light would stream in through the windows at different times of the year, and how that would affect the temperature inside.

“In the summertime, because of the air-conditioning, I’ll often wear a sweater inside,” he says, adding that it’s never too hot. “But with the sun being low on the horizon in the winter, I’ll often just wear a T-shirt around the house, as it’s so warm.”

The snowy winters bring their own joys, too, says Dorros, especially with the home’s expansive views. “One night I woke up at 1 a.m. and it was 20 below zero outside,” he says. “There was snow on the ground, and it was a full moon. I had pyjamas on and I was walking along the house and just took in how beautiful nature was at night under a full moon.”

Outside the house is an entertaining area where Dorros and his family throw Fourth of July parties with a hundred guests. The landscaping was done to fit in seamlessly with the native plants, he says.

As for the location, River House is at the end of a road, between a small stream and the Snake River. It’s quiet and private, which means the grounds are a popular spot for wildlife to gather; Dorros will often be drinking his morning coffee and gazing at a herd of elk.

The doctor says he hasn’t thought much about who the next buyer will be, but he knows his home is truly unique, an architectural masterpiece, and he’ll be sad to leave it behind. “I love Jackson Hole, and I love living here,” he says. “But people don’t always know when to quit or when to move to the next part of their life. You have to know when to pass the baton to the next person.”

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