ROSTRAVER (AP) - Lumber magnate Joe Hardy's 18,000-square-foot French Renaissance Revival mansion sold for $3.5 million at auction, about half of what Hardy had been seeking - but still the most ever paid for a home auctioned in western Pennsylvania, according to the auctioneer who handled the deal.
Hardy, the 82-year-old founder of 84 Lumber and the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa, had been unable to sell the house in Rostraver Township since it went on the market in November 2003, following his divorce.
Durlabhji ''Duke'' Ukani, 52, of Upper St. Clair, made the winning bid at Saturday's open auction, which meant there was no minimum bid, although the dozen bidders had to bring certified checks for $25,000 each to qualify. Ukani, who emigrated from India in 1981, is married with two children.
A nuclear engineer who came to America to work at the Shippingport nuclear reactor on Beaver County, Ukani later made his fortune with a string of Dunkin' Donuts stores he bought in 1986 and later with 10 gasoline and convenience stores in the Pittsburgh area.
''I can't be more happy than this,'' Ukani said. ''All the hard work in America pays off with a dream.''
The house was Hardy's dream, but it had become an albatross when he couldn't recoup on the open market the $7 million he spent to build the home.
The house features marble-floored bathrooms, chandeliers and tray ceilings; a wine cellar with room for 1,000 bottles; a cigar room with a humidor; a movie theater; in-ground pool; mirrored fitness room; a fountain and a veranda that stretches the length of the home.
The 17 rooms also feature 24-karat gold-leaf detailing.
''I'll have to chip the gold out,'' Hardy quipped about the loss he took on the property.
Marty Davis, of Harry Davis and Co., conducted the auction.
''It's a joyful place to live. We had great, great parties here,'' Hardy said.
Ukani envisions a similar future.
''I like a party home, and I like people and friends around me,'' Ukani said, adding that his family will spend the rest of their lives in the home.
''It has everything. Today we came with no hope,'' said Ukani, who initially planned to spend no more than $3 million. ''But this is the house we were looking for.''
Ukani reserves the right to purchase the home's furnishings, but said he'll buy only a few of Hardy's items. He plans to fill the home with $200,000 worth of furniture from India.
''I think they got a good deal, certainly they did,'' Hardy said. ''This is a one-of-a-kind thing, but life goes on - I'm 82 now.''
