Captive-ating home
For sale - with a jail in the cell-ar
If you decide to buy this Missouri home, you can place yourself under house arrest.
A brick-lined Victorian property in the city of Fayette has just hit the market for $350,000, according to Realtor.com, with features including stained-glass windows, a farmhouse sink in a large kitchen — and just off the kitchen, a metal door that leads to a jail in the basement.
“Extremely unique opportunity!!” says the listing, whose photos show the night-and-day contrast between the home’s soothing neutral color scheme and the grim, institutional grays of the downstairs lockup, which has nine cells across 2,500 square feet.
A further scroll through the images shows sliding gates, metalframed bunk beds, a bench-lined booking room and locked grates over the windows, which still let in a good amount of light.
“Possibilities are amazing with this property,” adds the listing, represented by Jeffrey Radel, of House of Brokers.
Built in 1875 as a sheriff’s house and jail, the home saw an extensive renovation in 2005, which the listing adds “supposedly” cost $1.5 million. It’s unclear if the work extended into the basement-level big house.
The main house has three levels and 2,465 square feet of living space. Stately details include arched windows, fireplaces and coffered (indented) ceilings.
In the dining room, crown moldings line the ceiling. A living area is accessed via sliding pocket doors with ornate locks, while the kitchen has plenty of space for storage across multiple cupboards and drawers.
The home’s sole full bathroom fits a claw-foot bathtub and a stand-up shower, while an attic with angled ceilings offers extra space.
The listing quickly made its way to Twitter over the weekend, with multiple tweets going viral.
“Who wants to look at a late night nightmare house with me??” tweeted author Natalie Zina Walschots to her 8,545 followers.
Meanwhile, Texas attorney Ryan Clinton voiced shock: “Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. WHAT IN THE.”
Others commented on its price. “Took me a bit to figure out why this lovely house was so inexpensive,” said Curtis “Ovid” Poe.