Part of the old Yankee Stadium is built into the front steps of a Dagsboro man’s lavish home that’s soon to hit the housing market for $1.7 million.
The house belongs to Marvin Muncie Jr., 65, president of Muncie Insurance. The agency offers homeowner, auto, life and other insurance options.
It took over a decade for Muncie to transform his house into a destination. His 6,700 square-feet home has four bedrooms, three full baths and two half bathrooms.
Muncie has added several additions to the property such as an elevator, full gym, spa, sauna and elevator, plus a 32-foot-long pier in his backyard.
Corey Harris, owner of Crown Homes Real Estate, said his client Muncie has a home that ranks high in the state.
“It’s a fully custom home that sits on the water on a private lot. It’s a super unique and very thought-out home,” Harris said. “So, I’d say it’s a 10 of out 10 on uniqueness.”
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What makes the master bedroom special?
Muncie’s master bedroom deceives you into thinking you’re a guest in a lavish hotel suite. Even his door handle has a privacy hanger on it that features the letter “M” in cursive.
The spacious room has a tropical theme with palm trees decorating the tan walls, complemented by diamond patterns in the tan carpet. The bedroom connects to a sunroom with a marble floor and automated roof that retracts to create an open air living space.
The sunroom, offering a view of the Indian River, can easily accommodate eight adults.
The opposite end of the master bedroom leads around the corner to the master bath, which is enormous.
The tan-themed bathroom is roughly the size of a two-car garage; and it’s so roomy you can breakdance in it. Muncie has the option to hop in the tub or use his walk-in shower.
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Full gym inspired by Marriott in St. Kitts
Muncie has no need to go to a gym, spa or sauna, because he has his own.
His gym is a replica of one at the Marriott in St. Kitts, West Indies.
Muncie’s gym is on the main floor of his home and includes a cable machine, a multi-exercise station with a bunch press and pull-up bar, elliptical and leg press.
It also has floor-to-ceiling mirrors. He painted the walls purple to match the black carpet, which features green leaves and purple flowers.
Muncie said when he was in St. Kitts, the Marriott had just laid down carpet in their gym and there were scraps of it lying around. So he took some home for reference samples. It took him months until he found that gym carpet for his house.
“I fell in love with that carpet,” he said.
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Sauna has nautical theme. The spa is next door
Muncie cranked up the heat when he had a sauna built in his home. The room, located in the basement, accommodates eight people, something Muncie has tested out himself.
The sauna has a ship theme that features a large wooden barrel used as a tabletop.
Most of the room is made of wood and there’s a sword hanging on the wall, beside a pair of vintage black keys and a large lock. Additionally, a porthole timeclock is on one wall near a glass mosaic of a mermaid.
Muncie adores the blonde mermaid.
“She’s freaking incredible. It’s the prettiest artwork I have ever seen. It was done a by a local Millsboro artist,” he said.
The mermaid has long hair that covers her breast. The piece is at least 20 years old, Muncie said.
“I don’t know why [the artist] sold it, because she’s got 24 of them, and none of them are this cool.”
The spa is an intimate room around the corner from the sauna; it features a spa bed.
Game room has full bar & Dallas Cowboys mummy
There’s a full bar, pool table, popcorn machine and a poker table in the game room.
Many hats decorate the room, collected during all of Muncie’s world travels. He’s been to all seven continents.
He also has a life-sized mummy in his game room wearing a Dallas Cowboys helmet. He added a star helmet after the team suffered a famous and epic loss in 2008 against the New York Giants.
“I put it on the day that [Tony] Romo went to Mexico with some famous singer and then came back and blew it in the playoffs,” the recovering Cowboys fan said.
How did a piece of Yankee Stadium get built into his house?
When Muncie needed stonework done at his home, a stonemason told him he had a piece of the old Yankee Stadium, and asked him if he’d like him to build it into his steps.
“I said, ‘Sure, whatever.’ I’m not even a big baseball fan,” Muncie explained.
It was that simple. Muncie said he doesn’t even know what part of the stadium was built into his steps, just that it was a slab of granite.
“It just worked out that he had it.”
What will Muncie do after selling his house?
In addition to his Dagsboro house, Muncie also has a home in Florida, where he spends most of his time. If he manages to sell his $1.7 million Delaware home, the traveling man wants to hit the road with his girlfriend.
“We are going to spend some time traveling in our motorhome. Maybe Utah,” Muncie said.
“I’ll stay in Florida, but I won’t stay out of Delaware as my grandkids and family are here. So I’ll be around.”
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