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In a region filled with extravagant homes, this one stands out.
A historic Holladay mansion up for auction Saturday has gold-leaf walls in the dining room. There are stone floors from a church in Paris. A countertop is the last piece of marble from a quarry originally mined for use in the U.S. Capitol, the Jefferson Memorial and the Supreme Court.
Bidding starts at $2.95 million. You'll need your driver license — and a deposit of $25,000 — if you want to get in on the on-site bidding action Saturday morning.
The Georgian-style, 10,000-square-foot house was built in 1872 as a country home for the Walker brothers, said Steve Ward, with Engel & Völkers in Park City. It's on the exclusive, gated Walker Lane, down the street from homes owned by Mitt Romney and other well-known Utahns.
"It's the zip code everybody wants to be in," Ward said.
The Walkers once were among the wealthiest Utah families, owning a mining and banking empire and playing a major role in state politics. The Holladay neighborhood was a cooler, quieter place for the city's richest residents to retreat to during Salt Lake City's hot summer months, Ward said.
The current owners spent three years and $12 million renovating the home more than a decade ago, Ward said. He declined to disclose the current owners; property records say it is Jake and Carolyn Harouny.
To build this home today "would probably cost you $2,500 a square foot" — $25 million — said the renovation project's architect, Kin Ng, in a promotional video for the auction.
"It's probably the finest home in the state of Utah, in my opinion," Ng said.
The interior trim job alone cost more than $1 million. A massive skylight was brought in from England. Ward said some 15 trips were made to Europe during the renovation to pick out fixtures and hardware.
Putting an expensive luxury home up for auction helps speed up the selling process, and generates excitement, Ward said. Selling such a pricey home otherwise often takes years.
The auction is being conducted by Decaro Auctions International. Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the property, 5523 South Walker Estates Circle, in Holladay.
"This is second to none. Literally," Ng said.
Twitter: @lramseth