Nice Old House in Mobile, Alabama

[Manalto]

I happened upon this listing this morning. I thought others might enjoy the period details:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/55-M ... 2525_zpid/

Over 200 days on the market; no one is rushing to buy. McGregor is a leafy, upscale neighborhood, so that's not the reason.

Kitchens are a peculiar thing in old houses. I guess the thinking is that they must be up-to-date, but that means they quickly become outdated as the fashion inevitably changes.

[Lily left the valley]

Love that metal circular stair the most. It looks like the kitchen might have gotten a bump out for space, and perhaps the old servants' stairs were replaced with the circular?

It's a travesty, though, that the pool/guest house doesn't match the main house. It's neat looking, but must be jarring all the same.

[Manalto]

Love that metal circular stair the most.

I like that spiral staircase too. The center-hall floorplan is one that I see again and again in finer houses; the roominess of the upstairs hall is especially grand. I also like imagining what the house and its occupants must have looked like - and how it operated - in the 19th century, and wonder how they dealt with Mobile's oppressive summer heat in the decades before air conditioning became the norm.

It's a travesty, though, that the pool/guest house doesn't match the main house. It's neat looking, but must be jarring all the same.

They could have at least planted a row of shrubs to hide it. Maybe they did?

[Gothichome]

To my eye, this home although grand looks like a high end flipper house. Everything painted a fresh coat of neutral white. The areas still in natural stain look a lot better, I sense the hole home was stained. Also, it looks like the ballister has been rebuild using modern materials, I find it hard to believe it would be that plane originally.
$ 3.2 is a lot of money, maybe a sports millionaire will buy it.

[Manalto]

To my eye, this home although grand looks like a high end flipper house.

Really? To me, the proportions are excellent (something I rarely see in high-end flipper houses) and the details, such as the woodcarving, door hardware and fireplaces, are magnificent. Oh well, à chacun son goût. It's Greek Revival, so the architecture is supposed to be plain. I wouldn't be surprised if, over the course of 175 years, that the balustrade has been rebuilt.

I don't imagine sports millionaires gravitating to the quiet elegance of an antebellum Southern mansion, but ya never know...

[Gothichome]

Manalto, had another look at the pics. Still can’t shake the thought of a flipper house. Maybe it’s just me, classical style homes really don’t get me excited to start with. But back to the home in question, to my eye most of the tiles on the floor are new and very plain (think cheap big box store). A home of this size and importance would have had really fancy tiles or hardwoods. Also notice barely a flaw in the walls, a 180 year old home should have some plaster issues. The kitchen doesn’t make sense to me unless it was meant to attract folks with a kitchen sentric disposition, like maybe a modern buyer of homes. To add to the kitchen why would you (originaly) have a circular stair case of of what should be a non public area. Very unpractical and expensive at the time for the servant to get the ladies morning breakfast up to her bed. Also, not a rule I know but didn’t these grand southern homes have the kitchen in an out building. Notice the main stair case, Looks kind of cheeze, cheap and narrow creeping up the side of the wall. A grand home would have it up front in the middle of the front hall in line with the front door. Nothing makes a grand appearance as a grand front not entrance opening up to a grand staircase. I think like the HGTV kitchen is has been moved to give a more open concept look.
Once again maybe it’s just me and not really my style of house combined with all that white, get it done do it cheap paint.

[Manalto]

You're right. It sucks. I don't know what I was thinking.

[Neighmond]

I don't see anything too bad looking about that house. There's a lot of white in it but then it's a classical house, lots of them are painted from the word go.

I see less flipper, and more somebody's lived here a long time and just fresh ended up a little after they died or moved out. I don't see anything wrong with that kitchen, maybe they did redo it I've seen some pretty Spartan old kitchens that I wouldn't want much to do with if I had to grub around in them. At least they did a nice job on it. and it might be the spiral stairway isn't replacing any kind of stairway, I've been in plenty of grand big houses with only one stairway.

And I would bet you can win that that stairway ain't got any flipper about it. That looks like some Carpenter saw the Interiors of some classical buildings, might have even been in a couple, and he was imitating what he saw. But I don't think any flippers going to go to the lengths that you would have had to go to make it look like it does, and I'm pretty sure they couldn't rebuild it too narrow and to steep without catching hell from somebody in Planning and Zoning or whatever you got down there. I see a lot of houses with them white spindles and a walnut handrail or mahogany handrail or whatever it is. As far as them tiles go, that could be anything. That almost looks to me like it might have had nasty old shity shag carpet or a carpet that was worn through or trashy linoleum or something and when they tore it out the wood was probably all gluey and patched and might have been termite et or something and so they called and just had some tile put down because it looks alright probably didn't cost as much as replacing that wooden floor. I can see my grandma doing that kind of thing to be honest with you. The marble mantels and the big rooms and all that look like the real deal, even if you don't care for that style of house is sure a pretty looking thing.

[Gothichome]

Manalto, Neighmond, yes it is a pretty house, my point being I think this house has been let down by decisions made to make It sellable. It could be so much nicer with period details refurbished instead of box store tiles and white paint.