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The 1840 Dulles Inn at 67 South St. has been sold by Elizabeth and Paul Koenig, its owners of six years, to Brian Wheat, bass player for the multi-platinum rock band Tesla.

Real estate listing agent Michael DeRosa said in an email to Ë®¹ûÅÉAV that the sale closed on New Year's Eve.

The mansion sold for $550,000 and its full market value was $601,000 in 2019, according to Cayuga County property records.

"This was a rocking deal for Brian!" DeRosa said in his email.

Wheat, who lives in Texas, plans to continue operating the 1840 Dulles Inn as a venue for rent for parties, weddings and more, DeRosa said. Wheat was not available for comment.

The Koenigs opened the mansion for that purpose in 2016 after an extensive renovation process. In addition to replacing the electrical, heating and plumbing systems, as well as repairing the roof, gutters and porch, the Koenigs worked with architects and designers to recapture the mansion's Victorian character. Upon completing their renovations, the Koenigs worked with the city of Auburn to place the mansion on the city's registry of local historic landmarks. It is also part of the South Street Area Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

Construction of the three-story, 10,232-square-foot brick mansion begin in the early 1830s, and was complete by 1840. The mansion contains eight bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms and eight fireplaces, and occupies an acre of land that also includes a 2,880-square-foot carriage house.

The mansion was owned at one point by the Woodruff family, of Auburn Button Works, and later by the Dulles family. Residing there when he was a teenager was John Foster Dulles, who would go on to serve as secretary of state under President Dwight Eisenhower. A historical marker outside the mansion notes that Dulles once lived there.

The Dulles family sold the mansion to New York state in 1932. It was then used as the residence of Auburn Correctional Facility's wardens. The state owned the mansion until 2013, when the Koenigs bought it.