‘Southern Charm’ Alum Thomas Ravenel Buys Historic $1.8 Million Mansion – Tour The House Here!
Thomas Ravenel is on the move. The Southern Charm alum has purchased The Balcony, a well-known Aiken Winter Colony estate.
“I’m going to be spending a lot of time there,” said Thomas told the Aiken Standard. “It’s going to be my primary residence. My children that I split custody with will continue to attend school in Charleston, necessitating that I keep a house down there and live in Charleston while they are in school on the weeks that I have them. Otherwise, I want to be there (at The Balcony) as much as possible.”
Thomas Ravenel shares two young children with current Southern Charmer, Kathryn Dennis.
The $1.8 million deal closed on May 13th. The main house is 10,552 square feet and the 5.85 acre property boasts a separate 1,134 sq. ft house and stables.
“I play a lot of polo, and I just like the equestrian lifestyle,” Thomas said about his decision to purchase in Aiken, South Carolina.
“I love the house,” Thomas added. “I showed it to my contractor and when I told him the Knox family used to own it, he said, ‘Well, it looks like it was built like Fort Knox.’ It’s very well built. I love the landscaping. I love the location. It’s right there in town, and we can just walk the horses to the polo fields without having to trailer them.”
Press play below to get a tour of the impressive property.
Thomas Ravenel is a member of the Aiken Polo Club. The former reality star explained that he became interested in the property after spotting a for sale sign.
“I drove in there and drove around,” Thomas said. “Instead of calling the name on the sign, I called my friend, Willie Hartnett, who I play polo with. I know he’s a (real estate) broker, and I said, ‘I want to see the house.’ It was the only house I really looked at (since looking at some homes in Aiken about 10 years ago), and then I bought it.”
Thomas Ravenel shared his plan to put his own stamp on The Balcony, which was built between World War I and World War II, and designed by renowned architect Julian Peabody.
“I’ve got an interior designer involved, and I want to do a lot of different things to it,” Thomas explained. “My construction manager hired a general contractor who is from Aiken. We’re looking forward to really transforming the home into a wonderful showplace. It’s been kept in great shape by the previous owners, but I just want to put my own individual stamp on it, and that will take a while. I probably won’t move in there for at least 120 days.”
“I’ll probably change the roof or renovate it,” he added. “There is a lot of slate that needs to be replaced. There are old radiators that I think are there just as reminders of days gone by. I want to remove them because they serve no purpose other than aesthetics, and I don’t think they are attractive.”
The former State Treasurer founded Ravenel Development Corp. in 1992.
Southern Charm production is currently halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show’s return date has not been announced.
Stay Connected With All About The Tea: Twitter Ι Instagram Ι YouTube Ι Send Us Tips
