Wilde abandon: US house inspired by Ireland's most famous poet hides a treasure trove of secrets behind its crumbling walls
A jaw-droppingly beautiful abandoned house inspired by Oscar Wilde is in need of an attentive buyer to restore it to its former splendour.
The Foster-Thomason-Miller House, affectionately known as The Wilde House or The Masterpiece on Main, is on sale in the US town of Madison, Georgia, for just over £350,000.
Spanning 5,000sq ft, it would make a fabulous passion project for someone willing to invest significantly in its restoration, after a fire burnt out the kitchen and left the rest of the property smoke and water damaged 17 years ago.
Despite its troubles, the 19th-century house's eight main rooms and five bedrooms have been made structurally stable by the Madison-Morgan Conservancy.
The Conservancy bought it three months ago using their funding programme and immediately set about fixing windows and sealing the roof.
Christine McCauley, executive director of the not-for-profit organisation, describes the historic building as "Madison's darling".
"When it was built in 1883, it was second to none for the quality of construction and variety of architectural and artistic details," she says. "It's a miracle that only a few of these have been lost in the last 130 years."
The house has a storied history, starting when a young man named Legare Foster inherited a fortune aged just 23 and decided to build a home that celebrated the then-burgeoning aesthetic movement.
Championed by Irish playwright Wilde, who wrote in The Picture of Dorian Gray that "all art is quite useless", the movement promoted the ideal of pure, sensual beauty and "art for art's sake".
Foster had attended a lecture on the 'house beautiful' given by Wilde in nearby Atlanta in 1882.
He completed this house, described in a newspaper at the time as “the most elegant country home in Middle Georgia”, the following year.
Many of its abundant intricacies, from hand-carved wood and beaten brass to sunflower and lily motifs, can be plucked straight from Wilde's lectures: Foster left virtually no surface unembellished.
The front door is made of black walnut and features glass etched with a Waterford pattern.
The choice material of the wealthy at the time, walnut was also used for the stairway, sliding internal doors and entire hallway floor.
The house features elements of the Queen Anne, Italianate and Gothic Revival styles too, with original frescoed and gold plated 14ft-high ceilings, fabulous bay windows and eight magnificent fireplaces.
A maritime influence is visible in the dining room, where unusual north wind faces and dolphins have been carved into various built-in pieces.
McCauley's team even stumbled upon a compass rose – the eight points representing the eight major winds – inlaid into the floor of the library.
"We found the star after mopping the floor for the first time and had a fit, we were so excited," she says.
"It was the last clue I needed for the complete realisation that we had just purchased an amazing work of art."
What do you know about Madison?
- Madison is a picturesque historic city in Morgan County, bang in the middle of the 'Deep South' state of Georgia
- It is named after the fourth US president, James Madison
- Tourists come from all over the world to admire Madison's exquisite antebellum (pre-Civil War) architecture
- The movie Goosebumps, starring Jack Black was filmed here
- Madison keeps its cultural edge by hosting art, food, music and literary festivals throughout the year
Foster was forced to sell the house in 1890. It passed to the Thomason family who owned it for the next 80 years, installing plumbing and electricity, before it was sold again in 1978 to Richard and Marcia Miller.
The couple meticulously restored it, winning an award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation for their efforts.
But after the devastation of the 2001 fire, they sold it to Kansas entrepreneur Von Friesen, who left it empty before selling it to the conservancy in May.
Friesen estimates that "several hundred thousand" will be required to bring the house back to life, but its listing on the National Register of Historic Places means it is eligible for huge tax incentives to help with its rehabilitation.
There is also the opportunity to design and build a rear extension with modern fixtures and fittings.
The Madison-Morgan Conservancy is now working closely with the Lewis and Redwine Real Estate Group to find the right owner for The Wilde House, which the National Trust for Historic Preservation describes as "a treasure trove of detail, brimming with decadent, sumptuous details and fine craftsmanship in every nook and cranny".
It will be opening to the public on October 5 to coincide with the US release of Rupert Everett's acclaimed Oscar Wilde biopic The Happy Prince, and will only be sold to a buyer who agrees to restore it to the Madison-Morgan Conservancy's standards.