103-year-old replica of founding fathers home hits market in North Carolina for $9.8M

With America’s 250th anniversary just weeks away, eyes are turning to the last remaining legacy properties built by the country’s founding fathers more than two centuries ago.One newly listed North Carolina estate is vying for a place among those historical dwellings, despite being built just 103 years ago.Located in Asheville, NC, the extraordinary abode looks almost identical to the home of George Mason, who was a delegate to the US Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 and is considered a key author of the United States Bill of Rights.In 1750, 26 years before America declared its independence from Great Britain, Mason constructed an incredible personal residence named Gunston Hall in Virginia, where it remains to this day, having been turned into a museum.More than a century later, his descendant paid tribute to the 18th-century dwelling by creating a near-identical property in Asheville aptly named New Gunston Hall, which is believed to be the first-ever real estate replica built by the ancestor of a founding father.Today, that 1923 copy has hit the market for $9.75 million, offering not only a chance to own one of the country’s more intriguing homes, but also an opportunity to write the next chapter of what has already been a fascinating history.“The gentleman who had the house built was the great, great grandson of George Mason, who is a founding father for the country,” says listing agent Alec Cantley with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.“As far as it is described on the National Registry, this is the first home that a direct descendant of a founding father replicated.

It’s just such a cool aspect of the property.It’s not just another 1920s beautiful old home.”The replica 8,688-square-foot home retains much of its original character but with modern conveniences.All of the spaces, including nine bedrooms and five full bathrooms, underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation between 2013 and 2016, bringing the...