Saturday, January 19, 2013

house

The mansion the circus built
Holly home built by Barnum and Bailey founder filled with grandeur


TRI-COUNTY TIMES | TIM JAGIELO
This 110-year-old house at 212 College St. in Holly has an interesting past that involves a swirl of rumors ranging from humorous to ridiculous.

from:  tctimes.com
by William Axford
January 18, 2013
Holly — The existence of a 3,200-square-foot house on a quiet street in Holly is entrenched with The Greatest Show on Earth. Housing six bedrooms, seven fireplaces, five bathrooms, two kitchens and an estimated 20 to 30 doorways, the home at 212 College Street is mammoth and impossible to miss.
Considering who built the home, the grandeur should come as no surprise. James Anthony Bailey, of the famed Barnum and Bailey Circus, built the home in 1903 for his brother Edward McGinnis. After one tour through the house, it is evident that the home has the flair of showmanship that circuses are renowned for.
Hand-carved lion heads bare their teeth from one of the fireplaces. An 8-foot by 6-foot solid wood door dwarfs those who pass it by. A mural of an unnamed small town covers an entire wall in a room comprised of red velvet wallpaper. Stained-glass windows with original copper fixtures populate the home. These are just a few of the details that pop out in a house that seemingly has an unending amount of doors and rooms.
 
 
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The carved heads of a lion flanks one of seven functioning fireplaces inside the home.
Hand-carved lion heads bare their teeth from one of the fireplaces. An 8-foot by 6-foot solid wood door dwarfs those who pass it by. A mural of an unnamed small town covers an entire wall in a room comprised of red velvet wallpaper. Stained-glass windows with original copper fixtures populate the home. These are just a few of the details that pop out in a house that seemingly has an unending amount of doors and rooms.
“I’m looking forward to selling it but I love showing it,” said Realtor Lori Goldsmith. “Everyone wants to see it. Showing it can become somewhat of a three-ring circus.”
Current owner Helen Bates bought the house with her husband Gordon in 1961 and lived in the house for 51 years. Prior to their purchase, the house had been fitted into several apartments. Bates said her husband was a realtor and described him as a ‘house nut,’ and had to own the house when he first came upon it in the mid ‘50s.
read more:
http://www.tctimes.com/news/the-mansion-the-circus-built/article_8983a214-61b0-11e2-b9d8-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=story

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