On The Market: Reidsville, North Carolina

07/01/2006

LOCATION: In Reidsville, an old tobacco town 25 miles north of Greensboro. (Click image to enlarge)

HISTORY: The two-story estate, called Chinqua-Penn, was built in 1925 for prominent tobacco businessman Jeff Penn and his wife, Betsy. Aside from periodic systems updates, the home remains in its original form.

STATS: The 31,000-square-foot estate has 27 rooms. Its most stunning space is the 1,925-square-foot living room with a hand-painted, beamed cathedral ceiling, pecky-cypress paneling and a Florentine fireplace. Also dramatic is the master suite with two fireplaces, a sitting room, a dressing room, a terrace with garden views and a master bathroom with a 12-head shower. Additional rooms include five bedrooms, each with its own themed decor (the Velvet room, the Empire room, the Italian room, the French room and the Chinese room), a solarium with marble flooring, a library and an extensive kitchen with a breakfast room and a mudroom. Also located on the 23-acre estate are a Chinese pagoda, a pool, a fishpond, a greenhouse, fountains, three formal gardens and several smaller gardens. A four-story Tuscan clock tower, finished with Edward Howard clockworks and rare J.C. Deagan power chimes, also sits on the property along with two lodges used to accommodate staff and hold business meetings and conferences. (Click image to enlarge)

WHAT SETS IT APART: "This home shows a way of life you rarely see now," says broker Katie Redhead. "The way it was built and designed is extraordinary. It’s really for people who like to live lavishly. The fact that nothing has been done to it since its original conception makes it even more remarkable." (Click image to enlarge)

MARKET INQUIRIES: $3 million, or $5 million furnished. Katie Redhead, Yost & Little, 336.272.0151, www.yostandlittle.com; Christie’s Great Estates, 505.983.8733, www.christiesgreatestates.com