Historic Austin House Is for Sale

A Sarasota home, considered a gem because of a famous former owner and how he transformed the place, is for sale.

This one-of-a-kind 1925 house may be scooped up quickly, too.

According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the Chick Austin House is on the market. (See accompanying photos from the AOL Real Estate Page.)

The Austin House is a showpiece, complete with a ballroom, accompanying glass porch, a pool and newly renovated kitchen. The asking price is $885,000.

The house was once owned by A. Everett "Chick" Austin, the first director of the Ringling Museum. He was known for his creativity and for bringing the Asolo Theatre from Italy to Sarasota.

He also renovated the 1925 home, creating the spectacular ballroom.

The three-bedroom, four-bathroom home, located at 227 Delmar St., is just north of the Ringling Museum.

It was built in 1925 in Mediterranean Revival style by Thomas Monk, the
original Whitfield Estates contractor, according to the Herald-Tribune
story.

Austin was the first director of the Ringling Museum and served there
from 1946 until he died in 1957.

According to the Herald-Tribune story, the current owner of the Austin
house, Jerry Chaplain, is an art and antiques collector.

He bought the home in 1997 and has spent years preserving the parts of the decor that were Austin's contributions, such as the Dutch blue and white antique Delft tile surround in the master bedroom, trompe l'oeil niches throughout the house, oak floors, the hand-painted Scalamandre wallpaper in the ballroom and the turquoise wall and lattice color in the Chinese Chippendale glassed-in porch.

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