The “Mansion That Pizza Built” and the “Pizza Palace” are both thrown around by local Fort Wayne, Indiana, residents when talking about the nearly 30,000-square-foot residence at 5501 W. Hamilton Road S.
The cheesy nicknames come from the original owners and commissioners of the custom 40-acre estate: Dick and Deanna Freeland. The Freelands owned more than 45 locations of the national chain Pizza Hut throughout Indiana, as well as a few KFCs, with the first opening in Fort Wayne in 1972.
The property hit the market Thursday for $6.75 million, a drop from the original listing price of $30 million when it first listed in 2016 — a price reduction of 77.5%.
For co-listing agents Brad Noll and Kelly Werth, it’s simply “The Hamilton.”
“The Freelands, who built this estate, really could have built their home anywhere. They chose Fort Wayne to give back to the community that helped their business grow like it did,” Werth told Homes.com in an interview. “They were extremely generous individuals. … I’m hoping new owners carry on the legacy that The Hamilton stands for.”
When the property hit the market in 2016, it sat at the $30 million price tag for three years before being taken off the market in 2019. This is the first time it has relisted, following the death of Deanna Freeland in February. Dick Freeland died in 2013.
Werth said that original price tag resulted from a listing agent unaware of the local market, and despite it gaining public attention, it had little real buyer interest.
The agents had six showings scheduled within three hours of the listing being back on the market. Noll and Werth looked to similar Midwest cities, such as Indianapolis and Cincinnati, for comparables, combined with the quality of the home, appraisal information, and sales in Fort Wayne.
Still, at just under $7 million, this would be the highest-priced home in Fort Wayne if it were to sell at the asking price, said Werth.
English castle with Fort Wayne heart
The property is 29,331 square feet with eight bedrooms and 15 bathrooms. A primary suite spans 3,500 square feet, while outside, more than 5,000 square feet is dedicated to outdoor terraces. Another 9,000 square feet of unfinished space includes a nearly 4,000-square-foot room in the lower level, planned to become a theater room.
It’s designed to mimic a European castle, and the Freelands wanted a residence that looked like it had existed for decades. It took five years to build the home, and stone masons worked on site for years, with the Freelands carefully observing every stone installed to ensure it was laid to match their vision, said Werth. The Freelands began living at the estate in 2000.
“They wanted it to look old, they wanted it to look almost historic, even if the house is only 25 years old,” said Werth.
Imported Italian pillowed marble was chosen for its weathered look and the Versailles-patterned white oak floors tie in with the European inspiration.
As a Fort Wayne love letter, the Freelands preserved two chandeliers for their home from now-demolished local institutions, the Paramount Theatre and the Noll mansion.
To thank the “community that built their Pizza Hut empire,” the Freelands also hired local companies to work on the home, said Werth, like Fort Wayne builder Weigand Construction.
It also includes two elevators, a 7-acre lake, an outdoor gazebo with a wet bar, a glass conservatory and a two-story library.
Detached from the main home, the sale also includes an apartment where the current caretaker lives and a horse stable with a full kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. The stable fed some of the Freelands' Arabian horse hobby and was designed to mimic designer Ralph Lauren’s personal stable.
Dick Freeland worked as an iron worker in Iowa before taking on a second, part-time job as a Pizza Hut employee to pay off credit card debt from an East Coast road trip he had taken with Deanna.
According to Pizza Hut of Fort Wayne, Indiana, he loved it so much that he became a manager. Slowly working his way up the ladder, Dick chose Fort Wayne to start a new franchise before expanding throughout the state over the course of his 40-something-year career with the chain.