Former St. Pete house of Babe Ruth hits market for just under $2 million
Babe Ruth's spring training home for sale
FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports on Babe Ruth's former home in St. Pete being listed for just under $2 million after undergoing a complete restoration.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The former home of Babe Ruth and the man behind the Gandy Bridge is back on the market in St. Petersburg for $1.86 million.
346 16th Ave NE was once a place the baseball legend and George Gandy Sr. called home.
Ruth spent his time in the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home when he was in the Bay Area for Yankees spring training.
Dig deeper:
Local real estate agent Sharon Kantner with Smith & Associates Real Estate said its previous owner listed it as dilapidated.
READ: The legend of Babe Ruth in the Tampa Bay area
"This was a ground zero," Kantner explained.
Kantner knew exactly who to call, esteemed local preservationist Maureen Stafford.
"A builder would not have kept it. A builder would have bulldozed it," Stafford said.
Stafford said the call came from left field just as she was getting ready to retire.
The home being renovated:
"I was just finishing my swan song, and I thought, 'I have to look at this house at least," Stafford explained.
Stafford knew she had to purchase the property before someone else did.
READ: Tampa Bay's oldest living WWII veteran has died at 108: ‘It’s the greatest generation’
"Oh, this was screaming, 'Save me. ' It was one breath from absolute death, which would have been the wrecking ball. I just couldn't do that," Stafford said.
The backstory:
For the past three and a half years, she has poured over $1 million into fully restoring the home.
"It's a fully restored home. I think there's differences. You can renovate a home, but then there's the restoration layer, which is a completely different animal," Kantner said.
The home currently:
Kantner explained what went into the project.
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"Total excavation under the home with structural supports, foundation and the walls. Other than the integrity of the outside, it was like the whole inside was rebuilt," Kantner said.
Stafford said keeping everything to scale was a must.
Big picture view:
The property was listed three weeks ago.
"It blends the period charm of the 1920s to the modern conveniences of today," said Kantner.
"This is not for me. This is for posterity. This is for those to come," said Stafford.
The Source: FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis collected the information in this story.
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