January 05, 2016
The owner of a soap opera fan site has a plot twist in his life that he never saw coming: He's buying the historic mansion of an Allentown retailer for $1.2 million.
Dan Kroll, owner of soapcentral.com and host of radio show "Kroll Call," bought the mansion of retailer Max Hess Jr. after it was on the market for one year, the Allentown Morning Call reported.
The 20-room home was known as the site of legendary parties from the '40s to the '60s. Hess, who ran the eponymous department store in Allentown, emulated the mansions of Beverly Hills and invited or paid Hollywood stars to attend his raucous celebrations.
"If you would have told me that I would be cleaning brass door knobs at the Hess mansion, I probably would have thought I was here under different circumstances. I never would have suspected I would be owning the house," Kroll told the newspaper.
The Allentown native, who has lived for 20 years in Philly, said that he fell in love with the mansion's history.
"When you start to look at things and start to realize the history and you see the photos in the basement of people who have been in the home, you sort of want to make sure that the house is cared for," he said.
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