It has been famed as ‘notably gaudy’ and its eye-popping interior could be the reason it has failed to sell, but the kitsch Kessler mansion is back on the market in Indianapolis for the third time.
The mansion, formerly owned by the late Jerry A. Hostetler, who became the state’s top pimp at the age of 24, spreads across 29,500-sq ft and has 11 bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
Mr Hostetler, who died in 2006, bought the original home in the 1960s, when it was a simple three-bedroom home on a ranch.
Outrageously kitsch ‘Vegas Versailles’ mansion goes on sale for the third time since 2012, this time for $1.75m
It was built by Jerry A Hostetler, who became the county’s biggest pimp at the age of 24, and then turned to construction
But over the years, he began to add to it, buying up neighbours’ homes and land, and adding in ostentatious and over-the-top features like water fountains and life-size statues of gorillas.
When he died, it was left to ruin, eventually bought by Chad Folkening, a Florida businessman, but he tried to sell up for $1.3million in 2012.
The lavish surroundings mean the house needs someone with a big personality to match the over-the-top decorations
The house spreads across 29,500-sq ft and has 11 bedrooms and eight bathrooms. It started life as a three-bed ranch house
The house is actually five garden-variety ranch houses cobbled together to form a 20,000-plus square foot campus-o-fun complete with swimming pool, ballroom, guesthouse, even a grotto, with hot tub, the Indianapolis Star reported.
According to SF News, Folkening tried unsuccessfully to sell the elaborate for $2.2 million in 2012, $1.3 million in 2013, and even $862,000 in 2014.
But this time, he’s hoping for more success by putting it on the market for $1.75million.
The listing for sale with Everhart reads: ‘You likely already have noticed this iconic home. What you likely did not realize are the opportunities that it offers!
The ostentatious home became more and more elaborate over time
‘Multiple living units offer potential for a family compound, rental income and a great Air BnB income (just ask us for the numbers, they are astounding!).
‘The finishes, space and location would be impossible to replicate. Who would not love the inviting pool that is the center of this universe?’
The mansion came back into public view in 2010, when the Baha Men stayed there during a reunion tour.
The home was the longtime dream and life’s work of Indianapolis’ larger-than-life character Hostetler or ‘Mr. Big’ as the police in the city preferred to know him when he pleaded guilty in 1964 to two charges of pandering and running prostitutes.
At the time, his probation officer filed a report which included Hostetler’s reply to why he got involved in that business: ‘It was difficult to pass up that easy money’.
Moving on from his criminal past, Hostelter made his legitimate fortune from a construction company that specialized in renovating fired-damaged properties.
The realtors hope to pitch it to someone who would want to live in part of the home and rent out the other parts to vacation families
Hostetler went into construction after he gave up his lifestyle, and turned several homes in the ranch into one mansion
He purchased the home in the 1960s when it was a small, modest three-bedroomed ranch-style home when he was only 23 and began buying up neighboring properties and adding wings to the home over the years.
Hostetler became something of an Indianapolis institution, standing 6-ft 2 inches tall, brandishing pinkie rings and medallions and weighing 300-pounds – those who knew him said his charisma outshone any nefarious aspects to his past.
‘He cobbled them together, dug a swimming pool, dug ponds, imported fountains, added ballrooms, added life-size statues of gorillas, added – of all things – a stone grotto (into which he installed a hot tub),’ according to the Indianapolis Star.