A stunning Tudor mansion is up for sale and the building details that show its age are the ones that help it truly stand apart from the other luxurious homes in Palo Alto, California, just outside of San Francisco.
The asking price also puts it in a far higher league than many others, as it is on the market for $27,000,000.
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Mansion: The Morgan Estate was built in 1914 by Percy Morgan who moved from England to California
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Outlaw: One of the most surprising features of the house is the inclusion of a secret speakeasy, created so that the owner and his friends could drink during the Prohibition from 1920 to 1933 when alcohol consumption was banned
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Upstairs downstairs: The opulence of the decor is not properly highlighted in the speakeasy, however, as the main rooms feature dark wood walls and floors that was hard to come by at the time
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Tudor style: The house features a great deal of dark half-timbering that is a trademark of old English architecture
A trove of photos posted on real estate site Zillow shows the different styles, times, and cultures that are reflected in the current state of the 8-acre property.
Built in 1914, the original construction cost only $400,000, but in today's dollars that equates to roughly $9.3million.
Creator: Percy Morgan moved to California from England and was on the boards of Wells Fargo, Stanford, and the California Wine Association
NBC News reports that the style of the home is a direct reflection of it's original owner and creator, Percy Morgan.
Morgan moved from England to California where he made an impact financially through his work at Wells Fargo, the founder of the California Wine Association, and on the board of trustees of Stanford University.
It was designed in classic Tudor style, and is reportedly a purposeful homage to Speke Hall, a National Trust house in Liverpool.
Apparently the copy followed the lead of the original, as the Morgan Estate was given landmark status by being listed on the National Register of Historic Places following its completion.
While Mr Morgan's creation of the California Wine Association clearly shows his taste for fine alcohol, such consumption was not allowed during the national period of Prohibition from 1920 to 1933.
In order to get around the law, he created a speakeasy in the basement, that is only accessible through a secret passageway.
'A lot of notable homes had an area like that,' realtor Arthur Sharif told NBC.
Blast to the past: Though it has passed through a number of hands since its creation in 1914, the last owners spent millions refurbishing it to highlight the quality of the original design
Historic: Morgan modeled the California home (pictured) off of Speke Hall, a National Trust house in Liverpool
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Old touches: Even with a massive remodel that started in 1999 and continued for years, details like the crest on the vent hood above the stove and the arched ceilings pay homage to it's history
'When you're in the library — a grand room with 20-foot ceilings and a massive fireplace and post-panelled walls and bookcases — one of the shelves is not really a shelf, but a door that leads to a secret room. There's a proper bar in there with a seating area.'
There is also a full wine cellar, though that certainly came after the possession of alcohol was a crime.
In addition to the secret room, there are seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a ballroom, a separate guest house and a third outbuilding that has been turned into a fitness center.
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Nice quiet spot for a read: The luxurious library gives no hints that one of the shelves is not actually a shelf but the opening to the door leading to the speakeasy
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Not as sneaky: This den, featuring lighter wood and more feminine flower details, does not have a secret doorway
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A feast for a king: The owners who refurbished the home starting in 1999 considered it their duty to bring it back to it's original themes and decor
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'The house was here a long time before we were, and it's going to be here a long time after,' owners Kelly Porter and his wife Christina said to a local real estate blog following the renovation
No two-car garage would be suitable for such an estate, so there is one that can fit 20 cars instead.
The story behind the home did not stop when Mr Morgan died. A few unidentified owners took over, and then it eventually became the Ford Country Day School, until that then closed in the 1980s.
Venture capitalist Kelly Porter bought the home in 1999 though he described it as being 'a beat-up fraternity house' that needed serious renovations.
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Hobby: The original owner Percy Morgan was the founder of the California Wine Association so it comes as little surprise that a large wine cellar was involved in the layout
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More modern: There are only a few rooms that look like they were completed in the 21st Century, this area of the kitchen is one of them
Those multi-million dollar changes are visible in the final product.
The windows alongside the breakfast table are arched at the top, in a style similar to those in old English churches.
A local real estate blog, Los Altos History, reports that the chandelier above the island in the kitchen is from a chateau in France, giving the even everyday room a European flair.
The swimming pool is flanked by a tented gazebo that has plush red and gold interiors.
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Driving the point home: A Three Graces style decorative tapestry is featured on one of the bedroom walls
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Toned down: There are seven bedrooms in the home and eight bathrooms
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Tub with a view: The sleek current look is far from what it looked like when the Porters bought it in 1999, as they described it as looking like 'a beat-up fraternity house'
Even though the renovations could have modernized the property, Mr Porter and his wife Christina felt it was their duty to keep it in the style that it was originally created to showcase.
'The house was here a long time before we were, and it's going to be here a long time after,' they told the blog.
In spite of its size, at an estimated 326,700 square feet, the house is not visible from the road, giving the big spenders who eventually buy the place the sense of privacy that they inevitably will want.
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Rec room: A ping pong table is the only clue that children once ruled the house, as it once was a school
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Grounds: There is a separate fitness center and guest cottage on the 8-acre property
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2333368/Inside-27million-Tudor-mansion-Silicon-Valley-hidden-secret-room-hold-Prohibition-parties.html#ixzz2szQh1gnS
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