Built in 1892, this unique abode with its signature keyhole windows is up for sale!
The price of this 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2.300 square foot home is $489,900.
Located in Albany, Oregon it is known as both the Keyhole House and the Castle of Chaos. Oh, and also the Hale House and the Jerry Andrus House.
Why all these names? Well, it has a great patchwork of history.
It is a unique example of a wood frame Late-Victorian style residence with brick veneer covered by a stucco finish. It was first known as the Hale House, but was also known for its signature feature: the keyhole windows.
However, from 1928 to 2007 it was the home of famed magician and illusionist Jerry Andrus, who filled it with collections and various inventions and called it his “Castle of Chaos.”
Here is a historic photo of the home when Jerry Andrus lived there in his Castle of Chaos:
Spooky!
The “Castle of Chaos” earned its title. After Jerry’s mother passed away, the home became his and he transformed it into a storehouse and laboratory for his unorthodox inventions and illusions.
Below is a photo of the magician Jerry Andrus at his card trick table in the Castle of Chaos.
This house had been the Andrus family home since they moved there in 1928 – until the current owners bought and restored it.
The weight of all the contraptions and sets Jerry built inside the home took its toll on the old house. It was sagging and in a sad state of disrepair after the magician died.
Before renovations:
And after:
It’s positively levitating now!
Have a look inside this restored period beauty…
Below is one of the two gorgeous keyhole-shaped windows in the home.
The restored millwork in this house is outstanding.
Parts of this home feel like stepping back into the past.
The keyhole window in the dining room:
It even has a lighted china-hutch which Jerry no doubt had filled with some of his oddities when he lived here.
The kitchen has been thoroughly renovated and modernized:
Love the transom window!
The kitchen also features a gas stove with a water dispenser on the wall above.
The bathrooms have classic styling and are quite spacious.
You can see through the sheer curtain that there are stained glass windows in this bedroom…
A second bedroom is pictured in the listing photos:
Check out the pretty chandelier in the stairwell:
There are many amazing details in this home that give one pause.
Below: notice the keyhole depicted in the stained glass of the transom window, and also, some contraption on the wall that may have been leftover from the magician/inventor’s days here.
This house has recently been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The current owners have done an absolutely magical job of transforming this home.
Jerry Andrus would be proud!
Sources:
http://heritagehomesoregon.com/1638/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Andrus
https://www.oldhouses.com/31980
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it’s a cool looking house to be sure! But what is that area just to the viewer’s left of the front door?? It looks like it must have been something at one point in time. It looks like it should be a window there
I bet you are right on that Dee!