For sale: Gig Harbor-area, water view home on 13 acres. Six bed, five baths and great view of Puget Sound.
Included: Sprawling, early 20th century pipe organ loud enough to fill a New York theater.
Price: A cool $5.95 million.
Do you love classic organs, water views and have more than $5 million?
Then do we have a house for you.
After a decade of being "stewards" of the historic Wurlitzer Manor, Barbara Hammerman and Raymond Lavine are ready to pass on the stewardship to a new owner.
The six-bedroom, five-bath home, listed for $5,950,000, is located at 215 27th Ave. N.W. in south Gig Harbor. The couple originally bought the house for $2.35 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Real estate broker Karen Vincent, who represents Morrison House Sotheby's International Realty in University Place, said Hammerman and Lavine don’t consider themselves owners. Instead, they are caretakers of the legendary organ that sits inside the 25-year-old mansion.
According to the Wurltizer Manor website, it houses one of the finest theater organs built for the silent-movie era in the 1920s at the Brooklyn Fox Theater in New York. The instrument holds more than 3,000 pipes and has attracted numerous musicians from around the country.
The organ is the centerpiece of the house's giant showroom that includes a maze of pipes stretching to the ceiling.
Vincent said the organ is being sold with the home, and it is up to the buyer to decide what to do with the instrument.
The nearly 13 acres of land includes the Wurlitzer Manor and two guesthouses that overlook the Narrows Waterway and Mt. Rainier.
In addition, it boasts a five-car garage, three fireplaces and a sauna.
While no one has stepped up to make an offer since the home went on sale 20 days ago, the manor has garnered plenty of attention from the media.
On Thursday, the home was featured as the “House of the Day” on The Wall Street Journal.
Vincent said HGTV has also contacted her about featuring the Wurltizer Manor on the show Million Dollar Rooms. The TV show spotlights some of the most unique and luxury rooms from around the world.
Despite the current health of the economy, Vincent said the Gig Harbor real estate market of $2 million and more has seen a recent resurgence.
"It's hard to say when a collector will come along, it could be two weeks or two years," she said.
For more information on the Wurlitzer Manor, click here. If you're interested in buying the home, visit the Morrison House Sotheby's International Realty website.
If money were not an issue, would you buy the Wurlitzer Manor? Tell us in the comments section.
