FOR SALE: This Hidden Pink Dollhouse Manor In North Amarillo

I've passed by this place several times. It's hard to miss, as it's a flash of prissy pink against the muted colors of the exposed scrublands of the area.

I know nothing about the place, nor did any of my acquaintance who have lived here longer than me. It's long been an odd, pink mystery parked upon a brown lot.

Already familiar with the unique home, it easily caught my eye among the many other real estate listings on HAR.com. Located at 2501 S. Grand street, this property is listed with Gary Papay w/ 21 CENTURY Boston & Company for $785,000.

The description starts off like so:

...The former Maddox Manor House and event venue. The 1927 main home has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths all with wonderful original craftmanship....

Now, I don't know about you, but 'former Maddox Manor House'? Huh? They sure say it like it means something, but it rings none of my Texas Panhandle bells. Built in 1927 means that it just might be something historic to this 'Maddox Manor'.

Google Didn't Make It Easy....At First

'Maddox Manor Amarillo' and '3501 S Grand St Amarillo' searches on Google only turn up more variations of the listing. So I took the next step: Potter and Randal Appraisal District website.

Bingo. A deed history that lists the Frances Maddox Foundation as a property owner.

Back to Google, and I could only gather a few clues as to the non-profit organization as it seems to have shuttered its doors by 2019. But before its dissolution, it seems to have given some substantial grants to several local non-profits. Interesting.

Targeting the defunct organization's namesake, Frances Maddox, I found the obituary for Frances Evelyn Maddox, who passed away in November 2008. And as I began to read about this woman and who she was.....I shortly let out a scream of surprise.

The Shocking Historical Link Between Maddox Manor and Another Amarillo Landmark

You see, our dear Frances Maddox was the wife of one interesting guy who made some big moves here in Amarillo back in the post-war days.

See, on December 7, 1941--the same day Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan--the Nat Ballroom was sold to a dentist by the name of Dr. W.A. Maddox. And it was the dentist who owned the iconic building throughout its heyday, bringing in touring bands and fostering a rowdy nightlife culture on 6th Street.

He owned the Nat in it's prime; carrying it through the 1940s until one fateful night in 1956 that precipitated the Nat's sudden decline.

Little Richard's Legendary Arrest At The Nat

Yes. You're reading that right. When Little Richard performed at the Nat Ballroom on August 23, 1956--it was pandemonium. Arrests were made (including the star himself), liquor licenses were revoked, the city officials were displeased. It was the beginning of the end for Dr. Maddox and his beloved Nat Ballroom. But that's a story for another time.

For now, it's mindblowing to look at the listing for the former Maddox Manor and scroll through the prim and proper vintage photos of the estate. It looks exactly like the home of a dentist's wife; a dentist who was responsible for over a decade of notorious nights of revelry held at the iconic Nat Ballroom.

That's some hidden history right there, huh?