Meet the Victorian gem that rolled right out of our dreams, and into the little city of Abilene, Kansas. The yellow brick mansion – boasting two dozen rooms and five storeys – is the ultimate Addams-Family-meets-Wes-Anderson fantasy. The “Lebold Mansion,” est. 1880, is already renovated – such a rare case for these beauties, which often crumble on the market place – but thankfully, they didn’t strip the historic home of its Victorian quirk. And as you’re about to discover, this place has enough fabulous wallpaper to make Oscar Wilde die twice.
The Italianite Lebold Mansion is on the National Register for Historic Places, and “one of the Eight Architectural Wonders of Kansas” according to listing agent John Kollhoff. “The current owners have installed a high-end kitchen, updated the servant’s quarters bath with a steam shower, and fine tuned many of the details throughout the home,” he says. The star of the show, though, are those hand-painted floor-to-ceiling wallpapers…
It’s wild to think that when it was first built, the house cost a mere $18,000. The owners didn’t live there for long, and in the 1920s it became a boarding house for women working at the United Telephone Company, before becoming an orphanage, an apartment building, and finally, a museum from 1973-2010:
Now, it’s up for grabs again. The period furniture may not comes with the price tag – but it still boasts the original fixtures, and all wallpapers are period authentic.
Now, for an eyeball break, feast your eyes on the homelier rooms. We repeat: the kitchen has been renovated.
Do I spy a potential wine cellar?
We haven’t even shown all parts of the mansion (but you have seen the prettiest), but rest assured there’s also a three car garage, a fountain, and big porches. You’re also plop in the centre of town – so what do you say? Time to start that B&B?
Currently listed at $429,000 here.
