MACON, Ga. — A Macon home just went on the market and it’s got a lot of WOW factor both inside and out. In fact, it’s attracting attention around the United States.
1386 Waverland Drive may look like a nice house on the outside, but once you walk in, the beauty is bountiful. The 16,000-square-foot home is lined with green marble floors.
“The marble here was quarried from the same one where Michelangelo got his from Italy,” said the home’s current owner, Wes Hardin.
You definitely have space to stretch out in the lavish master bedroom.
“It's based off King Louis’ bedroom in Versailles. All of the trim is plaster work, gold leaf, fresco ceilings,” said Hardin.
Hardin put his home on the market for $2.5 million, but the couple responsible for taking this original ranch house to the next level have their newspaper articles plastered all over a guest bathroom.
“This is the first Ms. Trump and the Barnes’ together in 1983. Here are Edwin and Edwina at a polo game,” said Hardin while pointing to the wall.
The inside of the property is incredible, but it’s the outside that will have folks talking. There are several hundred Barnes Camellias, developed by the couple, and a chapel that was built in 1982.
The Barnes’ donated a lot of time and money to the Humane Society, so you'll see gargoyles that depict the family dog and those white camellias sit front and center on the stained-glass windows. The chapel by itself is 2,000-square-feet.
Most everything is based on Chinese architecture and there are many water fountains on the property, but the biggest and most novel building is…
“It's a replica of the Forbidden City and this is the Imperial Palace,” said Hardin.
“I've been to the property several times and every time I see something new,” said Regan Skinner.
Photos: Mansion for sale on Waverland Drive in Macon
Skinner is the realtor looking for a buyer. He and Hardin say they want someone who will love and take care of the home, and they've got some interesting ideas.
“I have looked at someone in the film industry,” said Skinner.
“If there is someone that has a usage that would benefit this community and the community of Macon, I'd be willing to do a discount,” said Hardin.
He says that when the Barnes’ redid the house to look practically like a museum, they spent $22 million back in the 80s and it took 12 years to complete everything. Now, it's time for the next owner to move in and maybe share the space.
Hardin says people told him to bulldoze everything and put up senior homes when he bought the place 10 years ago. He thinks a perfect scenario would be if everyone in Central Georgia could enjoy it.
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