A sprawling Tennessee mansion designed by a former Disney worker has hit the market for a $6 million and offers a wide range of delightfully campy amenities, from a Old West-themed safe room to a 1950s-style diner and even a massive stage enclosed in small town-style storefronts.
The house, located in the affluent Nashville suburb of Brentwood, boasts five bedrooms and nine bathrooms, including five full baths, across its 11,500 square feet.
The structure was completed in 2015 in accordance with the vision of the longtime Disney creative, who drew on the enchanting, idealistic visual language associated with his former employer.
Nowhere is the Disney-fluence more pronounced than in the home’s split lower level, which houses the stage, used by the owners to host everything from community concerts and religious sermons to music classes for kids.
The ex-employee worked at the studio’s Walt Disney Imagineering – a department that employs artists, architects, scientists, model makers, and more, who create ‘the magic that makes Disney parks and resorts such incredible places to visit.’
Inspired by the aesthetic of Disney World’s Main Street USA, the stage is flanked by theatrical sets evoking folksy, small-town Americana – specifically in the form of faux-building facades for a fire station, music store, cinema, gas station and more.
Each of the faux-building facades have their own character, with many also doubling as functional parts of the building, e.g. with functional doors leading to other areas of the floor.
Audience seating can accommodate more than 100 people – and the owners have indeed hosted large crowds for charity events and beyond featuring the likes of comedian Nate Bargatze, singer Bart Millard of MercyMe, and musician Tim Timmons.
Behind the audience lies an entryway to a vintage diner-style eating area with black-and-white checkerboard flooring.
Adjoining this is an adorable ice-cream parlor with peach-hued walls, while nearby lies a catering kitchen designed to cook, store, and serve food on a large scale.
Meanwhile, the upper floor of the house’s lower level is bordered on one end by a balcony overlooking the stage area.
It also extends farther back, holding the control room as well as a game room, a guest bed and bath, and even a café stand, ready to be staffed by caterers (a nearby sign signals the owners’ preference for Starbucks-branded coffee).
Then there’s a mini-movie theater, which offers seating for 18.
An elevator going between the two floors of the lower level is a helpful feature for wheelchair-bound guests at the complex.
All in all, the elaborate lower level spaces are devised down to the smallest details to successfully accommodate any variety of large-scale, public-facing events – creating memorable experiences for all while doing so.
Less so for public use, however, is a safe room on hidden behind an innocuous white door on lower level, its interior going all-in on an Old West theme.
The inside of the safe room brings to mind the rugged cabin of, say, a Gold Rush-era prospector, complete with framed, vintage black-and-white photos along the walls and what appears to be antique furniture.
Though the safe room may look small, the owners claim that they once comfortably slept six people in the space while the area was under siege from nearby tornados.
The upper floors of the house are more traditionally decorated, with vaulted ceilings, oak floors, exposed brick walls and all around rich with rustic wood accents.
An expansive living room contains a vast bookshelf outfitted with a rolling ladder as well as a brick fireplace.
The whole living room, affectionally dubbed by the owners as the Great Room, is topped off by cathedral ceiling held together by painstakingly sourced antique, late-19th century washers.
An enclosed porch offers a second fireplace, this one decorated with natural stones in mortar.
The master bedroom is on the ground floor, along with another guest bedroom.
Two smaller bedrooms, along with a family room, can be found in the top floor.
And, just up the stairs from the family room is a small, lofted attic-type space.
Beyond the interior of the home is a three-car garage, with more space available on the large driveway.
The mansion is also outfitted with solar panels, which allows its residents to not only get their electricity for free, but also get a tax credit for their environmentally friendly set-up.
Built on a sloping 1.65 acres, the house can be accessed through entrances on the lower level, leading directly into the stage area, in addition to its main, ground-floor entryway.
Susanne Flynn of Flynn Realty holds the listing.
