JC Reindl

Detroit Free Press

Ann Arbor's other "Big House"

Former University of Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon is seeking nearly $7 million for his futuristic custom-built mansion outside of Ann Arbor.



The house hit the market this spring as Brandon, who resigned from his U-M job under pressure in fall 2014, works on the East Coast as CEO and board chairman of retailer Toys 'R' Us.

The 9,648-square-foot mansion is situated on 4.5 acres in the village of Barton Hills and overlooks the Huron River. It was constructed by Brandon and his wife, Jan, in the late 1990s and features a sleek, horseshoe-like shape and a massive circular driveway with a fountain.

It comes with six bedrooms, a big kitchen, a theater room, a gym, locker room, trophy display room, wading pool, sauna and tennis court, according to the property's listing and photos with Reinhart Realtors. The asking price is $6,950,000. Neither the listing agent nor a Toys 'R' Us representative returned messages Friday seeking comment.

Ex-Michigan AD Dave Brandon becomes CEO of Toys 'R' Us

Dave and Jan Brandon regularly entertained guests in the house, which left memorable impressions on visitors for its grandiosity, according to the recently published book "Endzone: The Rise, Fall, and Return of Michigan Football."

The Brandons named the house "Ever After" and mounted an engraved plaque at the property's entrance gate announcing "Once upon a time a talented group of people came together to dream, and to design and build a place like no other. Ever After is the culmination of the work of those gifted people who spent years creating a place the Brandon's (sic) could live ... Happily Ever After."

The couple built a second large house in 2007 near Scottsdale, Ariz., that is currently listed for $8,375,000. Dave Brandon named that 8,460-square-foot house "Camp David."

Brandon's earnings power has been on the upswing since leaving U-M.

He arrived at Toys 'R' Us last July with a $4.25-million signing bonus and annual base salary of $3.75 million, with a potential yearly performance-based bonus of $4.5 million to $6 million, according to the retailer's corporate filings. Brandon is also in line for stock options and is eligible for a longer-term incentive bonus — two payments totaling $37.5 million, dependent on the company's earnings during the three fiscal years through 2018.

According to corporate filings, the board of directors at Toys 'R' Us determined Brandon's salary based in part on his past performance as CEO of Ann Arbor-based Domino's Pizza, a job he held from 1999 until he joined U-M in January 2010. Brandon helped shepherd the pizza chain, then owned by private equity firm Bain Capital Partners, through the largest initial public offering in restaurant history in 2004.

Toys 'R' Us is itself now owned by a consortium that includes Bain Capital.

As U-M's athletic director Brandon received a $900,000 yearly salary. He was to receive $3 million over four years from the university as a settlement negotiated in his departure, although U-M officials have since said the payout amount will be reduced because Brandon found new work.

Public records show a new New York City address for Brandon within the new, ultra-luxury residential skyscraper called One57. The four-bedroom unit had been listed on the rental market for $45,000 a month.

Contact JC Reindl: 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@JCReindl.