Merida, Yucatan — El Pinar, one of the city’s most Instagrammed homes, might not become a reception hall after all.
It will be up to whoever buys the pink 1915 French-style mansion, which is on the market for US$7 million.
Listed on construyendoideas.com.mx, the three-story residence is on Calle 60 and surrounded by chain hotels, a sign of how Merida has changed since the time it was built. El Pinar was built a few years after the Porfiriato period, but the ornate jewel box of a home is still a vestige of Yucatan’s henequen boom, a time of great affluence in Merida.
The mansion belonged to Humberto Peón and later was acquired and restored by Alberto Bulnes Guedea.
Subsequently, it was sold to José Trinidad Molina Castellanos, whose family still owns the property.
El Pinar comprises 1,940 square meters / 21,000 square feet of construction, 10 bedrooms, 10 full bathrooms, four half bathrooms and a garage for eight cars.
Nearly two years ago, the site was to become a reception hall, taking advantage of its proximity to the new International Convention Center. But activity at the center has been quieter than promised.
“El Pinar was one of the flagship mansions of those golden years and it is one of the few mansions that remains virtually intact to this day,” according to El Pinar’s website.
For much of the twentieth century, The Pine Grove (its name in English) was abandoned until it was rescued by its current owner.
The announcement follows the listing of another famous private home: one of the Twin Mansions on the Paseo de Montejo. It’s still listed online, reduced US$2 million since it was first offered.
Both are widely photographed by smitten tourists who pause outside the gates to share the view on social media.
