9 Gatsby-Worthy Mansions You Can Buy for Under $1 Million
Being a millionaire no longer means having a chauffeur or riding polo ponies. But if you house shop wisely, you could still live in baronial style.
As recently as 2016, there were nearly 5 million Americans that could call themselves 'millioniares.' That's a far cry from the days of John D. Rockefeller or Andrew Carnegie. And indeed, the median house price in San Francisco today is more more than $1.6 million.
The good news is in many places around the U.S. a million is still enough to afford a mansion. We are not talking about a McMansion. We are talking about a pile fit for a real old-timey millionaire: white columns, sweeping lawns, maybe even a ballroom or six-car garage.
To that end, Money scoured home listings for houses built between 1870 and 1940 with at least six bedrooms on the market for $1 million or less (as of April 30, 2018). Nine of our favorites are below.
Of course, even in 2018, a million dollars is still an awful lot of money. If you are looking for an even better deal on a slightly less grand mansion, consider these mansions listed for less than $300,000 or less instead.
2429 Greysolon Road, Duluth, Minn.
This Georgian-style home, which sits atop a hill on Greysolon Road in Duluth, was constructed for the family of a Minnesota lumber and mining executive in 1914, according to a Duluth publisher. For $999,900, the home's future buyers will get more than just history.
The house has views of Lake Superior from its front porch and rooftop balcony. There are six bedrooms and five bathrooms inside the 7,232-square-foot home. It's four floors also include a sunroom, recently remodeled kitchen, formal dining room, recreation room and master suite. Outside the main house, an attached studio apartment can serve as an addition to the main home or a separate residence for rental income. A large garage has room for six cars.
For more information, visit 2429 Greysolon Road's real estate listing.
127 E Main Street, Searsport, Maine
Most houses on the market don't have Yelp reviews. This 10,320-square-foot house does, and the messages paint a glowing picture of the seaside home built by a ship captain in the 1800s: "Grand home lovingly restored," a five-star review says. "The back yard goes all the way to the water, lovely."
The 12-bedroom, 13-bathroom home currently operating as a bed and breakfast almost looks like a ship itself. Known as the Captain A.V. Nickels Inn, the home has hosted its fair share of vacations, weddings and events in the coastal Maine city of Searsport. The sprawling mansion, built in 1874 by the eponymous Captain A.V. Nickels, has waterfront views of Penobscot Bay and beams and studs made from recycled ship timbers, according to the home's website. The house's listing photos show a Victorian-era home with gables, a widow's walk and a private yard and deck on the water.
The home is on the market for $875,000. For more information, visit 127 E Main Street's real estate listing.
3 W Terrace Ave, Lakewood, N.Y.
This 1905 Tudor mansion is well known in the town of Lakewood, though by several names. The seven-bedroom, seven-bathroom home has been called the Paul Sorg Mansion, for its original owner; Bide-a-Bit, the name Sorg gave the home; and The Green Farm, for a former business that occupied the home, according to the village website and The Historical Marker Database. No matter how you refer to it, the recently restored home has several undeniably historic features, like faces of characters from The Canterbury Tales carved into wood, according to the database.
Constructed by architects Beck & Tinkham, the 7,300-square-foot home comes with more than just literary references. The home's grand staircase is illuminated through leaded glass, while tin ceilings and several fireplaces accent the home's abundant woodwork throughout its three floors. Additionally, the home has a first-floor master suite, commercial kitchen, sun room and two balconies, according to its listing. The home, which is on the market for $587,500, last sold for $325,000 in 2002.
For more information, visit 3 W Terrace Ave.'s real estate listing.
5200 N Prospect Road, Peoria, Ill.
This 6,416-square-foot mansion was built in 1892 in Peoria, Ill., a town three-and-a-half hours southwest of Chicago -- or, at least, most of it was. The exception is the home's fireplace, a hand-cut Italian marble relic adorned with carvings of flowers, leaves and fruits. The fireplace was originally one of at least 42 inside Chicago's storied Potter Palmer Mansion, according to the home's real estate listing.
Abutting Peoria's Prospect Park, the home has views of the Illinois river both from its master suite and rooftop deck, which comes with a hot tub. Other notable features include a sunroom with heated floors, an office and a balcony with iron railings.
The home is on the market for $895,000. For more information, visit 5200 N Prospect Road's real estate listing.
2316 E 1st St., Duluth, Minn.
A mansion-turned-bed and breakfast at 2316 E 1st St. in Duluth will cost you just under $1 million. As high as that price tag is, it’s a bargain compared to its original construction costs.
The elegant brick home known as the Olcott House was built in 1904 at the cost of $140,000, according to the home’s website. That’s the equivalent of about $3.76 million today, according to an online currency calculator.
The future buyers of the Georgian Colonial mansion will have plenty of room: at 8,618 square feet, the home has nine bedrooms -- six of which are suites -- and 10 bathrooms, as well as a music room, library and chef's kitchen. Historic details are present throughout the historic home, from ceiling beams and ornate fireplaces in the home's common space to what the listing calls a "huge lower ballroom." The rooms in the home, which was featured on HGTV's If Walls Could Talk in 2002, currently cost between $165 and $225 to rent per night, according to TripAdvisor.
The home is on the market for $999,000. For more information, visit 2316 1st St.'s real estate listing.
4408 Boonsboro Road, Lynchburg, Va.
With a two-story front porch, multiple chimneys and a stately facade, this Virginia mansion mixes modern updates with its 1938 roots. Outside, a basketball hoop, stone patio and what the listing calls a "23-foot breezeway" add to the brick home's curb appeal. Inside, six bedrooms -- some of which have fireplaces inside -- and five bathrooms populate the 5,513-square-foot home.
Other rooms inside the two-story home include a 22-foot-long formal dining room, playroom, and living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, according to the listing for the home, which is on the market for $799,000. For more information, visit 4408 Boonsboro Road's real estate listing.
231 Platt Road, Cornish, N.H.
Rear Admiral William Mayhew Folger, a Navy officer who served in the Civil War, built this 6,000-square-foot home with beams and planks milled on site in 1900, according to its listing.
More than 100 years after construction, the home still has its turn-of-the-century charm. The six bedroom, five bathroom home has many of its period details in place, from beamed ceilings to an ornate staircase. The three-story house sits atop 34.4 acres of land that includes gardens, a gazebo and trails to a nearby brook.
The home is on the market for $1 million. For more information, visit 231 Platt's real estate listing.
4509 Pershing Place, St. Louis, Mo.
Beyond the gated entrance to the private Pershing Place in St. Louis's Central West End is a home with leaded glass windows depicting flowers, graceful half-turn stairs, a music room and a library asking $965,000.
The six-bedroom, six-bathroom brick house, designed by St. Louis architect Francis Drischler, sits atop a 9,148-square-foot lot. Spanning 5,440-square-foot, the home is full of historic details, from a clawfoot tub to a brick-and-iron front gate. Another plus, the 1907 structure was renovated earlier this year, according to its listing.
For more information, visit 4509 Pershing Place's real estate listing.
1600 Asylum Ave., West Hartford, Conn.
The 1920s Tudor for sale on Asylum Ave. sits among a row of equally grand houses on the edge of West Hartford's Elizabeth Park. A circular driveway, plentiful landscaping and koi pond sit outside the home, which was built with entertaining in mind.
The 4,375-square-foot home built in 1929 comes with six bedrooms and five bathrooms, as well as a sunroom, elevator, finished basement and office, according to listing photos.
The home is on the market for $799,000. For more information, visit 1600 Asylum Ave.'s real estate listing.