$32M Broadneck Mansion Possibly Most Expensive in Region

A mansion in Broadneck is being sold for $32 million, making it one of the most expensive homes on the East Coast.

The gigantic home, called the Friary on the Severn, was listed Friday for $32 million by Sotheby's International Realty, which handles sales for some of the most luxurious homes in the country.

The 26,000-square-foot home includes seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms, and sits on a 23-acre, waterfront property.

The owners, Steve and Maxine Phillips, told CBS Baltimore they are selling their luxurious home because there are simply too many bedrooms now that the kids have moved out. The Phillips own Phillips Seafood, a restaurant chain with locations across the country, and home of award-winning crab cakes. 

The property is being listed by Maria-Victoria Checa and David DeSantis. There have already been several inquiries on the home since it was listed Friday, DeSantis said.

"The current owners truly respected the history of the property. It was a labor of love for them," said DeSantis. "It's a pretty incredible property. Hopefully sometime soon we'll get to know the next owners."

Arnold historian Alberta Stornetta said the original owner of the home was a man who made his millions in World War I munitions. It was then purchased by the Catholic church and occupied by the Capuchin Friary, an order of monks in brown robes, who would mingle with the community.

In the 1970s, a local entrepreneur owned the estate and hosted Halloween parties there, she said.

"The rumor was always that the original owner liked to store his money in gold in the wine cellars," Stornetta said. "For Halloween one year, we got to go down there in the tunnels, in the secret places."

The location was also once the site of community meetings. There was a chapel on the property that was later converted to a formal dining room.

Have you ever been inside this estate?