Keith Barton Lived Here: A House as Big as Utah
Well, folks, you know it’s bad in America when rich-as-Croesus attorneys like Keith Barton, who owned this sprawling estate in Alpine, Utah, lose their homes to foreclosure, too. The house is on 9 acres with an incredible mountain view. Barton, a personal injury attorney who is famous for his “One Call–That’s All!” TV commercials, tried desperately to sell it and avoid losing it. It was on the market for $14.9 million last year, but no takers. The bank just sold it for the rock-bottom bargain price of $7 million.
I think this is another case of “Oversized House Syndrome.” I’d feel like I was living in a hotel. But that’s just me. Take a look at this place and decide for yourself. Even if you’ll never have to decide whether to spend your vast amounts of wealth on a ridiculously big house or not, they’re still fun to look at!
The grand foyer:
The dining room:
A close-up of the ceiling and chandelier in the dining room:
I thought this might be some sort of Ballroom, but no. It’s just the “Great Room:”
Here’s the view from the other end of the Great Room, which has a sort of “Sound of Music” vibe to it, like you can imagine those Von Trapp kids marching into line:
Even though that seems plenty big enough to host a dance of some sort, they weren’t taking any chances when they built this house. Here’s the official Ballroom:
The music room:
The kitchen:
No, this isn’t part of the kitchen–it’s a separate pantry:
The cozy family room:
The library (which is suspiciously lacking in actual books):
Upstairs hallway:
Upstairs there are 7 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. The master bedroom, shown below, is so big that the dresser looks like doll furniture. Look at all the gold leaf they used in this place! It’s sort of ridiculous, don’t you think? (Or maybe it’s just not my style, so I don’t get it.) It’s trying to be grand, but this room just looks sad to me, like nobody’s home:
There are two master closets, which I could totally get into. Here’s his:
And hers:
The master bath (you just know it echoes!):
Another bathroom (or maybe this is an extension of the master–not sure):
Forget about Great Clips–there’s an in-house salon:
After you get your hair done, you can head straight to your own bar, where I can just about guarantee “everybody knows your name:”
A room called “the lounge:”
It also comes with its own ice-cream parlor so you don’t have to schlepp to town when you want some Baskin-Robbins:
I don’t think this will surprise you–they have their own in-home theater, too:
This is supposedly the laundry room, but I see no sign of a washer or dryer, do you? They must be cleverly hidden behind all that cabinetry. Or maybe it’s way down there at the other end, too far away for us to see them.
I love this but have a tiny quibble with it–it’s too narrow. Just imagine trying to fit the piles of clothes and all of your laundry baskets in that space. Then again, if you lived here, you would have someone else doing your laundry for you, so maybe you wouldn’t care!
Here’s the (drained) pool and amazing view from the back of the house:
Big thanks goes to Hooked on Houses reader Aubrey, who forwarded me these photos. Read a news story about this home’s foreclosure, and see aerial views of it here.
If You’re Hooked on Tours of Unusual Houses:
- Toronto’s Littlest House
- Tumbleweed Tiny Houses: Living Small
- The Spite House in Alexandria, Virginia
March 10th, 2008 at 9:36 am
It’s Versailles right there in Utah. Louie! Marie! Your house is ready! All I could think was “you can’t be serious.” But I guess they were. That kind of scares me. I saw a new house recently ($4.5M) with what you refer to in the photos above as a pantry. No, no, now it’s called a “catering kitchen.” It’s another kitchen next to your real kitchen that the caterers can use so they don’t mess up your real kitchen. Soon everyone will want one. Thanks for posting this; it’s fun to look. Love your blog.
March 10th, 2008 at 9:42 am
So true, Meredith. I think you’re right about the so-called “pantry,” too. It looks like a fully functional kitchen to me.
In HOUSE LUST, Dan McGinn tours a house even bigger than this one (I’ve spent many hours searching unsuccessfully for photos of it to show you guys), and they have two kitchens–one for the family, one for the help. I think this must be “the thing” when you’ve got more money to spend on a house than you know what to do with.
At this point, I would just really like to have a mini fridge in my finished basement, and I’d be happy.
March 10th, 2008 at 10:41 am
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many chandeliers in one house before.
March 10th, 2008 at 11:58 am
I have been to Versailles and they are both beautiful. I can’t believe it went for on 7 million it looks like it be work 3 times that. Absolutely stunning rooms and views.
March 10th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I could be a multi-gazillionaire and my house would not look like this.
Though the view is stunning!
March 10th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
I have stayed in hotels smaller than that house!
March 10th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Only one sink in the kitchen? The proportions do seem off. All of the rooms are SO BIG and even with giant furniture the rooms still dwarf it. I agree with maya. The location is gorgeous but even if I had all of the money in the world my house wouldn’t look like this.
March 13th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Wouldn’t it be great if whoever bought this palace converted it into a shelter for homeless disabled veterans or something like that?
March 14th, 2008 at 1:09 am
What would be REALLY cool would be to construct a row of ordinary houses inside that huge house, then sell them off individually. Wonder what the legal ramifications of THAT would be!
March 14th, 2008 at 6:06 am
I’m loving these ideas, you guys! I wonder how many ordinary houses you could fit inside it?
March 18th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
So much money, so little taste
March 20th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I think with a house like this, the idea is having big enough rooms to imitate a castle-like feel. Have you not ever dreamed of having a castle similar to shows like the cartoon “Beauty and the Beast,” or other Disney shows where the ceilings are 30′ + feet high. I lived in Russia and seen places like this that are just a dream. But to each his own.
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I agree with number 11. Further, the house is a blight on the landscape, visually and literally. Utah is a desert. Green landscaping means depleting the environment and everything around it. There are lovely vernacular homes in Utah, pink local stone victorians, rambling adobe, modern adaptations of stone and cabin. This is just totally ugly and out of place, inside and out.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
I was a little stunned by the size of the rooms. I have been in some truly grand houses having been lucky enough to work in Palm Beach and the Virginia horse country. So I wasn’t really stunned by the photo of the outside.I really liked the Foyer but other than that it was like the set of cinderella or something. I am sure with a place that big a few singing mice who also clean would be a real plus. It really is just too big and the ice cream parlor and lounge were just too contrived and trying too hard.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I think about 7 ordinary houses will fit inside.
I have a question for you and your readers. Which is better a big impressive house or a smaller house that is decorated perfectly?
I always say smaller with better quality everything. I hate these huge houses that are half furnished and when you ask if the owners just moved in they say” we have been here 7 years”. And it dawns on you they can’t afford to decorate the massive thing
March 27th, 2008 at 8:27 am
JLB–I’m having so much fun reading all of your comments today. I have to vote for a smaller house decorated perfectly. I have a friend who has argued this point with me–she thinks the bigger, the better. Must be a personality thing. Some people (me!) are just more comfortable in cozy quarters (or at least in homes less than 20,000 square feet!).
April 6th, 2008 at 4:41 am
“Upstairs there are 7 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.”
I’m not familiar with Utah, are there frequent outbreaks of dysentery?
April 7th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I’m English, it would fit 20 or more of our houses in there.
I love the location. But I have to agree with another commet made. give it to the needy, or some chartiy that would make good use of it!!!
April 16th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
This guy must have had an ego the size of utah. I’m glad he went into foreclosure, bloodsucking ambulance chaser.
April 19th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Can you say LITTLE MAN SYNDROME? And what’s with the 2 bathrooms to every one bedroom? So you have your guests double up in sleeping quarters but have their own place for the three morning S-H’s? Or maybe instead consulting a variety of designers, the Bartons simply looked in the phone book for anyone specializing in designs typical of Gaudi. In that way, I guess they were living the legacy…..One call, that’s all.
Wierd.
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:19 am
Tacky, tacky. These are the kinds of things you would like to see on a tour, but never actually live in. Unless you wore a maribou-trimmed silk robe, high heeled house slippers, and constantly had a martini in hand. You’d be depressed at your opulence.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Now I know why Barton has started advertising for criminal cases, despite the fact the neither he nor any of his staff have a clue as how the criminal system works: he was trying desparately to raise a few million bucks. Beware, buyers of Barton’s “services.” Insurance companies love him because he sells out his injury clients for pennies on the dollar to get quick settlements, and the criminal clients are paying premium prices for having an attorney stand next to them while the bailiff slaps on the cuffs and takes them away.
I am sure his new house is very nice, being built upon the blood of the masses, and all.
April 26th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Losing your house is what you get for embezzeling from your law firm….
May 9th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Where is the Heli-pad?
May 14th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
[...] are some great pictures of the house owned by Ledbetter on this blog. And no, I didn’t make up his name, as far as I know, it too is for [...]
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:31 am
to lose this over 2million and 1 million signature loans so the stupidy of some people but then when your that well off and have to file bankruptcy. You are not doing something right.
If I own this are a house of similar I make a home for children although the war vets sounds good too
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:50 am
To live in this place…you’d need to wear the kids shoes with the Heelies in the shoe. Can you imagine the intercom system?
A waste for one family—It would make a great “retirement home” for the wealthy elderly…they would appreciate the beauty, and have grounds to do daily walks, swim, and the ball room with all the mirrors would make a great exercise gym! Any one for a family reunion?
June 5th, 2008 at 12:18 am
It wasn’t forclosure…search Google.:-)
June 5th, 2008 at 6:17 am
Hey, Mac. I’m just quoting the news article I linked to above, which says the bank sold it a foreclosure auction. What do you know that we don’t? -Julia
June 19th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
I’ve actually been to this house before. You should see the horse stables. It’s a sad tale of greed and pride. The owner, Keith Barton, had a lucrative law practice with his father-in-law until his father-in-law found out that Keith Barton was stealing money from his firm. Keith was kicked out of the firm and Keith had to sell this home to pay various creditors. I believe that Keith is struggling to get his own law practice going, but things have not gone so well for him. As for his father-in-law, his firm is building a huge new building in Salt Lake City. I guess what they say about Kharma is true.
June 23rd, 2008 at 4:55 am
The lonliest bedroom I have ever seen!
June 29th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
i would LOVE to visit this place!! it really is beautiful!!!
August 10th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
This house could have been used as the set for Kenneth Branaugh’s Hamlet. I don’t care how much money you have, who needs a house like this?
August 14th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Wow it is a huge beautiful house, but who’s going to clean it? I hope they have alot of cleaning people on staff.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
This house is even better in person. My Brother lives not far from it. The finish carpenters spent over a year doing all the trim in the house. I know this becasue I have the same guys doing the finish work on my small by comparision Gothic Revival house.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:46 am
I think its a testament to the frivolity that we all think is so important. I have never understood why people have to aim for the stars instaed os spending more time under them, admiring them. 30+ foot ceiling???!!! What the hell? Why would you need all of that space. If you really want that “airy” feel, GO OUTSIDE…
I always feel bad when someone is going through financial issues, as I know the stresses that are associated with it, but when you hear about a Karma issue, coming full circle, its so much easier to smirk and say “HA… see what you get?!” Sadly, that just opened up your Karma meter for a healthy dose of the same lack of Empathy that you show.
Maybe this monstrous blemish on the face of the beauty of nature in Utah, could serve as a reminder that be the house small of gigantic, when nature decides to claim the area back, they all crumble the same.
I think the idea of turning it into something positive would be a great idea. One room could serve as an apartment for a “down on their luck” family… At least the negative vibe that is associated with this place, could be negated faster.
September 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I love how people call this house a blight on Utah. I’ve driven past it many times and it can’t be seen from the road because of the size of the property its on and all the trees that naturally surround it. Its situated at a pretty high elevation with plenty of pines and other trees, so it’s not sticking out like a sore thumb on a dry southwestern desertscape. But yeah, this guy’s retarded.
September 10th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
actually the two bathroom idea is good for some people i know,….they love their privacy……as far as big houses r concerned i love em cause iv always lived in one until now,…but they r not practical for working class people like me,……the strange thing is tht the house looked very bare,….atleast some one should fill the place up,….
November 6th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Wow this house is so beautiful. I’m jealous. I loe it.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:43 am
this house is soo big i wish i had a house like this
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I just stumbled across this article. It made me realize how fleeting and impermanent wealth is. It also made me realize how futile and silly the efforts are to obtain more than is necessary.
When we leave this world, there will not be any ticker-tape parades or monuments created in our honor. For most of us, the real impact we have on this earth is the influence and impressions we leave on our loved ones and other people.
I just hope this lesson was not lost on Mr. Barton. It would be a tragedy for him to have gone through all of this and not learned a valuable lesson. Remember Mr. Barton, how you treat people is more important and valuable by far, than the accumulation of wealth. People are important, not houses. Especially not houses as ridiculously extravagant as this.
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Unfortunately, I understand that Keith Barton has not learned the above valuable lesson. Just ask his extended family, the legal community and various financial institutions throughout the country. It really is a sad tale.
December 6th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Even many of the grand houses in Europe (aside from royal residences) do not have rooms as large as these. Mention was made of a room that suggests the von Trapp house in the Sound of Music. The rooms in the von Trapp house - while sometimes filled with gilded carving and crystal chandeliers - are still on a scale that is more human. This is nothing more than a trophy house. Large, impressive, soulless. The owner, and many other wealthy people, could have built a smaller, beautiful home and done a lot of good with the money left over.
- Hans