Intricate Replica Town Constructed in the Basement of a US House
American archetype, basements can seem foreign to Australians. Even those who grew up without one know they usually contain dusty boxes and possibly even a clothes dryer.
Well, not quite in this Maryland mansion with seven bedrooms made of brown brick that features an elaborate “old-time” town in its basement replete with shop fronts and cobblestone streets.
Property listing with an asking price of $6.5 million was already on the market for about nine months but received attention thanks to Twitter user @victoriaxxviii’s discovery.
Their tweet about an otherwise ordinary McMansion has been shared by over 50k users and liked 360,000 times, leading to views for its online listing skyrocketing.
Lori Leasure of Washington Fine Properties reports that Tom and Alice Blair “simply wanted a space for enjoyment among family and friends”, so transformed their basement into an old-school American main street.
There’s a post office with a red front door, cafe, movie theatre, phone box, sports store, bakery, church, flower shop, petrol station with an outboard pump and even a pub equipped with pool tables and bars – everything needed for life in one small place!
Two vintage cars parked on the “street” add an authentic touch to this subterranean world connected to the main house via an elegant timber staircase.
Leasure reported to www.realtor.com that the unique feature reflected Tom’s delightful sense of humor.
“He had three teenaged kids living there and used the home to host parties,” according to she said. There’s a television room connected with the garage where cars could enter and leave at any given moment.
