Apartments coming to Kessler Mansion in Indianapolis dubbed the 'Dolphin House'
Love it or hate it, the Dolphin House is getting new tenants this spring.
The seven-bedroom mansion at 4915 and 4923 Kessler Boulevard Drive East is being converted into 10 high-end apartments – six with three bedrooms and four with four bedrooms.
The Metropolitan Development Commission approved a rezoning of the 1.66 acre-property from a single-family district to allow for the project following a public hearing in August at the request of Eric Alexander, of Spann Alexander Rieg.
History of the Kessler Mansion
The Kessler Mansion — consisting of six residential buildings for a total of 30,000 square feet — has been an eyesore for years, having fallen into disrepair in recent years and used as an Airbnb short-term rental property for a stint.
It was last purchased in spring 2022.
Kessler Mansion:The ‘dolphin house’ may soon lack the very thing that gave the Indianapolis mansion its name
The 1953 house was originally owned by Jerry Hostetler, a pimp-turned-construction mini-magnate.
After pleading guilty in 1964 for pandering and running prostitutes, Hostetler began a second career in construction, fixing up fire-damaged homes.
He cobbled together the Dolphin House piece-by-piece from four ranch homes; installing gargoyles, life-sized gorilla statues, swimming pools, a fountain, a hot-tub within a grotto, and the three-dolphin statue from which the mansion got its nickname.
'Jerry created quite the monster'
After Hostetler died alone in 2006, the property fell into disrepair and was eventually foreclosed. That’s when Chad Folkening, an Indiana-born tech entrepreneur, bought it.
Folkening attempted to sell the house at least three times over the past decade, each time listing it for a lower price than the last, from $2.2 million in 2012 to $690,000 in 2022.
Neighborhood residents would have preferred to have seen a couple of single-family houses be built at the property; but the high-end apartments are likely to be as good as they can get from the developer, said Cac Diehr, interim president of Millersville at Fall Creek Valley neighborhood organization.
“This is the best possible, reasonable use of the situation,” said Diehr, an area resident since 1984. “Jerry created quite the monster and when he died it was in such terrible condition.”
From the archive: From the archive: At his death, 'Mr. Big' left gaudy north-side Indianapolis home in shambles
The Dolphin House gets new life
Some of the closest neighbors had to contend with the ongoing emptiness and deterioration and activity from wild animals that roamed there, Diehr said.
She identified the new owner as Eric Armstrong, who she said has met several times with neighbors.
The developers promised landscaping along the Kessler Boulevard East Drive frontage to better match neighboring parcels, and trees planted along Kessler for screening, according to plans filed with the commission.
Spann Alexander Rieg’s plan also calls for a property manager’s unit, an office and a fitness center. Twenty-six parking spaces will be added to the front of the property.
The spot also will have recreational green space and outdoor grilling, all using the Kessler Mansion’s footprint.
While the pool will remain, items, such as the dolphin statue, were put up for auction by the new owner in summer 2022.
The goal is to have folks moved in by June, according to the Millersville group.
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter:@cherylvjackson.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kessler Mansion Indianapolis: Dolphin House to become high-end apartments
