For $3.7 million, a lucky homebuyer could be cooking up breakfast in a kitchen that’s the brainchild of Dale Earnhardt Jr. Earnhardt’s historic 1863 Key West home recently hit the market and contains a host of unique features, including a kitchen that mimics the inside of a pirate ship, designed by Earnhardt himself.
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The five-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home built during the Civil War era maintains most of its original architecture. One standout feature that hints at the home’s “rich and mysterious history,” according to the listing, is a concealed hatch door that allows peepers to observe individuals sitting in the parlor.
“It’s more of an outlook than an actual door,” Lauren Varney, marketing director of Ocean Sotheby’s International Realty, told Inman in an email.
“It’s on the landing of the stairs in between the ground floor and the second floor and looks out into the living room as well as the foyer and the front door entry,” Varney added. “The rumor is that it was an old gambling house and they would make sure that the authorities weren’t coming in to break up their ‘illegal’ activities.”
Other notable features are the cherry wood walls, ceilings and floors that line many rooms.
Swimming enthusiasts will be envious of the property’s pool, which the listing claims is one of the largest and deepest in Key West, measuring up to 14 feet deep. In addition, the second-floor porch contains an opening gate, allowing bold swimmers to jump into the pool from the second story.
The 0.203-acre property also contains a spacious guest house, which currently has one large bedroom. However, Earnhardt had plans drawn up with a local contractor to eventually convert the guesthouse into a two-bed, one-bath space, and the listing notes the contractor still has these plans and estimates available for interested buyers to consider.
Bob and Debbie Cardenas of Ocean Sotheby’s International Realty are handling the listing.