Address: 1848 Circle Road, Ruxton
List price: $4,175,000
Year built: 1869
Real estate agent: Diane Donohue, Monument Sotheby’s International Realty
Last sold price/date: $2,499,000 / Dec. 11, 2020
Property size: 3.05 acres
Unique features: This imposing three-story colonial has many perks — a bridal staircase, Italian marble, hardwood floors and its own gym. It also has a skeleton in the closet. The mansion recently belonged to Kevin Merrill, the Towson financier now serving time for running a multi-million dollar Ponzi (investment fraud) scheme. When FBI agents arrested him there, in 2018, they seized $500,000 in cash on site. “You were on your way to becoming the next Bernie Madoff,” said U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett during Merrill’s 2019 sentencing.
The elegant 19th-century estate boasts treasures of its own. Built just after the Civil War, it has six bedrooms, five bathrooms and more than 7,400 square feet of living space. Set on a quiet, tree-lined ridge in Ruxton, the home offers four fireplaces (gas and wood-burning), coffered beam ceilings and skylights to showcase the place. There are bright Italian Carrara countertops, twin wine refrigerators and an oversized breakfast island in the sprawling kitchen.
The master suite features a fireplace, a generous dressing area and a private porch. There’s also a gleaming white marble spa bath and soaking tub. A back staircase allows for private comings and goings. On the property is a patio with an all-brick hearth, a stylish parking courtyard and a heated garage that can fit five cars. That must have irked Merrill; reportedly, he owned about 20 of them.
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