The home for a millionaire with something to hide: Texas mansion that was built in 1910 with its own secret VAULT and wine cellar goes on sale for $8million
- The Baldridge House, in Fort Worth, Texas, has been put on the market for $8million
- It was built over a three year period starting in 1910 by a banker called Earl Baldridge, and has landmark status
- One of the house's selling points is a secret basement vault with a steel door originally used to store gold bars
A 107- year-old mansion in Fort Worth, Texas, has been put on the market and is expected to sell for upwards of $8million.
The Baldridge House was built in 1910 by a banker Earl Baldridge, who hired architecture firm Sanguinet & Staats to build a three-story limestone mansion.
At the time the town was primarily used for the cattle market, but the home soon became a landmark due to its double-height limestone columns, intricately carved wood paneling.
Balrdige also built in a secret basement vault with an ornate steel door that was originally used to store gold bars.
The Baldridge House was built over a three-year-period starting in 1910 by a banker called Earl Baldridge, who hired architecture firm Sanguinet & Staats to build a three-story limestone mansion
The couple have owned the home for nearly 10 years and Peters estimates that they spent some $4.5million on the renovation, including half a million dollars just on landscaping
Though it has been over 100 years since the mansion was first built, all of its exquisite features remain, including the vault door, which today opens to a media room.
The Baldridge House was registered as a Texas landmark in 1978.
Paun Peters, president of Western Production Company, bought the house in 2007 when it had fallen into a state of relative disrepair.
'It had been foreclosed on by the bank. The previous owner was a personal injury lawyer who'd won a big case, started spending money like crazy, and then his case was overturned on appeal,' Peters told Bloomberg.
He and his wife had been looking for an empty lot to build on when they found that the mansion was for sale.
The Baldridge house is 14,000 square feet and has a gym on one of the three floors
The enormous wine cellar in the home is pictured. When the town was primarily a cattle depot, the home stood out due to its double-height limestone columns, intricately carved wood paneling and secret basement vault with an ornate steel door that was originally used to store gold bars
The house is made up of six bedrooms which still boast the early 20th century style. Entering the home, a marble foyer leads to a large entry staircase, a formal dining room with a coffered ceiling, a wood paneled office, a wine cellar, multiple living areas, and a basement guest suit with its own kitchen, living area, and breakfast room
The Baldridge House was registered as a Texas landmark in 1978
Peters explained that the pair 'lusted' for the house, and that his wife 'always dreamed of having herself in there and walking around on one of those balconies'.
They bought the 1.5-acre lot for about $3million, and after two years his wife was finally able to use the balconies.
The house was livable, but Peters explained that the previous owners started projects and did not finish them.
The couple have owned the home for nearly 10 years and Peters estimates that they spent some $4.5million on the renovation, including half a million dollars just on landscaping.
Peters said that they added things like fountains and colorful, foreign plants, and that they had an almost 'unlimited budget'.
'We even got in Italian cypress trees from California,' he told Bloomberg.
He said that he was unfazed by the fact that the renovation cost more than double what it was estimated, and that it was 'justified' in retrospect.
The home has significant outdoor space. The Peters spent more than half a million dollars on landscaping alone
They bought the 1.5-acre lot for about $3million but did not live in it until they put in about two years worth of work
Mrs Peters lusted after the home before buying it, and said that she always saw herself walking on the balconies
An ornate gazebo is on one of the mansion's many back-yard balconies
One of the home's selling points if the unique steel-doored secret vault in the mansion's basement. At one time it held gold bars, but now it is where the entertainment center is
After more than eight years living in the home, the Peters' are putting the property on the market with an affiliate of Christie's International Real Estate. The asking price is $8million.
They have decided to move because Peters's company sold its oil-producing properties and want to find a place in Dallas closer to where their two daughters live.
The home is 14,000 square feet and has six bedrooms across the three floors.
Entering the home, a marble foyer leads to a large entry staircase, a formal dining room with a coffered ceiling, a wood paneled office, a wine cellar, multiple living areas, and a basement guest suit with its own kitchen, living area, and breakfast room, reported Bloomberg.
The property also has a pool, multiple terraces, a cabana, an outdoor pizza oven, and two significant garages.
The couple put nearly $3.5 million of work into the house, which was over double the expected $1.8million
The back yard of the house, which is on 1.5 acres, has multiple terraces, a cabana and an outdoor pizza oven
The property also has a swimming pool with a diving board in the back yard
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