SALISBURY TWP., Pa. — Real estate auctioneers call it a "perfect canvas."
From the street view, it almost feels impossible to imagine all that 3015 Barrington Lane could encapsulate — or what it did.
Inside, its grandiose interior is stripped to the studs. Nearly everything is white, save for a few rooms.
On the first floor, those rooms include the blue-and-cream-colored kitchen, its matching sunroom, and a yellow family room next door.
Surviving character in the basement includes the safe room, game room — Realtors referred to it as the "virtual reality room" — billiards room, arcade and wine cellar.
An online auction will start at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11, and close at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16.
Tranzon/Sanford Alderfer Realtors
There also are sparse details — such as intricate tile — spared from efforts to remediate the former $6.4 million home from smoke damage.
LehighValleyNews.com saw those details in an exclusive tour before the 18,500-square-foot French château-design home at 3015 Barrington Lane is sold in an online auction.
The auction starts at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at www.tranzon.com, the website of Tranzon/Sanford Alderfer Realtors. It will close at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16.
Bob Dann of Tranzon/Alderfer previously said the auction will begin at $400,000, and the company doesn't "have a specific minimum bid."
The property last had an assessed value of $1,327,000.
'Sold a lot of mansions'
After being sold to Ravenwood LLC in November 2021, the house was ravaged in an early-morning fire, just hours after its completed sale.
Salisbury Township entered an agreement to engage in business with Tranzon/Sanford Alderfer after acquiring the mansion May 16 for $1, according to commissioners' Aug. 22 meeting agenda.
At the compound, Dann said it's difficult to tell what the mansion could go for at auction.
Restoration efforts that, according to court documents amounted to more than $2 million, began 10 days after the fire.
Previous real estate photos displayed the house in its now-current state today: a near-barren interior.
The elevator is gone — just like the turret that housed the ballroom and office rooms, but the room with an emergency exit underneath the concrete that held the turret remains, which leads to the safe room with a secret closet.
Tranzon/Alderfer's Dann said he's "sold a lot of mansions" in his time, but that "this one is the only one with a hidden room."
Above the seven-car garage, two apartments sit physically untouched by time.
'It'll make a splash in the market'
During the tour, some taxidermy greeted reporters in the garage, presumably left by William Grube who was known for his wild game collection — old real estate listings depict the large collection.
There's still more left?
Yes, a guesthouse, also untouched from the 2021 blaze. Some feathers gathered in corners throughout the first floor, remnants from Grube's collection in the "hunting lodge" of the detached addition.
"It's hard to imagine the cost to repair. That's why we're encouraging people to bring their contractors" to the open house.
Bob Dann of Tranzon/Alderfer
Michelle Hunsberger of Tranzon/Alderfer laughed and said the "initial walk-through took about an hour with the fire chief."
"It's hard to imagine the cost to repair," Dann said. "That's why we're encouraging people to bring their contractors" to the open house.
According to the Alderfer property webpage, the winning bidder will be required to provide a 10% deposit of the total purchase price, a 10% buyers premium based on the high bid, a 2.5% buyer's agent fee and close within 60 days after township approval.
It's also hard to tell to whom the mansion could go.
The Alderfer property website suggests it could be a "collector's paradise," or a "dream renovation" to those with a creative eye.
"It'll make a splash in the market," Dann previously told LehighValleyNews.com.
"It's certainly an attention-getter. And although it needs some work, it's gonna be a beautiful project for someone."