Iconic Mushroom House in Perinton has sprouted buyer

After languishing on the market for approximately two years, the iconic Mushroom House in Perinton has sprouted a buyer.

According to the Multiple Listing Service of the Greater Rochester Association of Realtors, 142 Park Road is in "sell pending'' status with a contract dated May 30. RE/MAX Realty Group of Pittsford is the listing agent of record. Phone messages were not returned Saturday.

The last listing price was $629,000.

According to Realtor Rich Testa of Hunt Real Estate, an authority on the Mushroom House, this will be the home's fifth owner if the deal goes through. The sellers, Mike Gagnier and Theresa Sherrod, are physicians who have relocated to Maryland.

Testa was the Realtor when the Sherrods closed on the Mushroom House in February 2012 for a price of $799,900. The couple's original asking price was $1.5 million. The price was lowered more than a half-dozen times to attract a buyer.

"Frankly, it's an amazing property and an amazing value, which is probably why it sold in that price range,'' Testa said. "Whoever bought it got an amazing deal.''

Built in the early 1970s on five concrete pods on the side of a wooded hill in Powder Mills Park, the 4,000-square foot Mushroom House resembles a cluster of mushrooms or spacecraft. It was designed as a collaboration between architect James Johnson and original owner Marguerite Antell, a sculptor, whose husband Robert was an attorney.

Experts have put a replacement cost in today's dollars at $4.5 million. And if located in New York City, San Francisco or Los Angeles, the selling price, in Testa's opinion, would be $10 million to $15 million.

Designated a town of Perinton landmark, the Mushroom House has been featured on numerous national television shows and in national publications, like The Wall Street Journal.

In response to overwhelming curiosity, Testa created a website, mushroomhouse.com, as well as a video tour. The video has more than 310,000 views on YouTube.

People feel an emotional connection to art and to nature when viewing the Mushroom House, said Testa, who despite losing the listing enjoys sharing the story behind the house.

He once advocated for Monroe County to purchase the Mushroom House and make it part of the county park system, available for rental for conferences, weddings and overnight stays. It has three bedrooms, three baths, a spa, great room, three-car garage and waterfall.

"I'm such a strong believer in the Mushroom House and what it stands for,'' Testa said. "I feel it's very much a part of the community. People just love the Mushroom House. It truly is a treasure.''

LROTH@DemocratandChronicle.com