Love it or hate it, the Dolphin House welcomes new tenants this spring.
The seven-bedroom mansion in 4915 and 4923 Kessler Boulevard Drive East is being transformed into 10 premium 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 neighborhood to allow for the project following a public hearing in August at the request of Eric Alexander of Spann Alexander Rieg.
History of Kessler Mansion
The Kessler Mansion consists of six residential buildings totaling 30,000 square feet – has been an eyesore for years, having fallen into disrepair in recent years and being used as a Airbnb Short Term Rental Property for a pass.
It was last purchased in the spring of 2022.
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The 1953 home was originally owned by pimp-turned-mini-construction mogul Jerry Hostetler.
After pleading guilty in 1964 to pimping and prostituting, Hostetler began a second career in construction, repairing fire-damaged homes.
He cobbled together the Dolphin House piece by piece from four ranch houses; install gargoyles, life-size gorilla statues, swimming pools, a fountain, a hot tub in a cave, and the statue of the three dolphins that gave the mansion its nickname.
“Jerry has created quite a monster”
After Hostetler died alone in 2006, the property fell in poor condition and was eventually seized. That’s when Indiana-born tech entrepreneur Chad Folkening bought it.
Folkening tried to sell the house at least three times in the past decade, each time listing it at a lower price than the previous one, dropping from $2.2 million in 2012 to $690,000 in 2022.
Neighborhood residents would have preferred to see two single-family homes built on the property; but high-end apartments are likely to be as good as the developer can get, said Cac Diehr, acting chairman of Millersville to Fall Creek Valley neighborhood organization.
“It’s the best possible and reasonable use of the situation,” said Diehr, a resident of the area since 1984. “Jerry created quite a monster and when he died he was in such a terrible state.”
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The Dolphin House takes on new life
Some of the closest neighbors had to contend with the continued emptiness, deterioration and activity of wild animals roaming there, Diehr said.
She identified the new owner as Eric Armstrong, who she said met neighbors several times.
Developers promised landscaping along the Kessler Boulevard East Drive frontage to better match neighboring lots, and trees planted along Kessler for screening, according to plans filed with the commission.
Spann Alexander Rieg’s plan also includes a property management unit, an office and a fitness center. Twenty-six parking spaces will be added to the front of the property.
The location will also have recreational green space and outdoor grilling, all utilizing the footprint of the Kessler Mansion.
While the pool will remain, objects, such as the dolphin statue, have been put in place to auction by new owner in the summer of 2022.
The goal is to have people moving in by June, according to the Millersville group.
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at [email protected] or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter:@cherylvjackson.
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