'Extremely alarming': House for sale with shocking hidden feature behind kitchen door

At first glance it looks like a real estate listing for an ordinary, two-storey red brick home – but a shocking hidden feature has propelled the house to online fame

Listed for sale in the city of Fayette, Missouri, the home comes with two bedrooms, one-and-a-half bathrooms, and… wait for it… nine jail cells tucked away behind a door in the kitchen.

The US$350,000 (AUD$482,287) house includes a 2500 square foot jail, complete with a booking room.

The jail house in Missouri that is up for sale.
The exterior of the home shows an ordinary looking two-storey brick house. Source: House of Brokers Realty
The kitchen of the Missouri jail house, showing a large metal door that opens up to the cells.
Behind a door in the kitchen is a feature that has set tongues wagging around the world. Source: House of Brokers Realty

Photos of the kitchen show an inconspicuous white door next to the marble bench, but once opened another heavier, metal door can be seen.

Behind the mysterious door, a world away from the rest of the family home, is a dual-level prison with iron bars, metal bunks and concrete floors.

The real estate listing markets the jail as the “best part” of the home, and says the “possibilities are amazing”.

The Missouri jail house features nine cells and a holding room.
The house features nine cells and a holding room. Source: House of Brokers Realty
A look inside one of the cells in the Missouri jail house.
The large, cold space is worlds away from the rest of the family home. Source: House of Brokers Realty

A US journalist shared the unbelievable home on Twitter, joking that the cells are the perfect place for “misbehaving children” or “your daughter’s boyfriend”.

“This is extremely alarming,” one Twitter user wrote in reaction.

“Whoever buys this house should absolutely be monitored by the authorities,” a man said.

A luxurious bathroom in the other side of the Missouri jail house.
Other parts of the family home, like this bathroom, are luxurious. Source: House of Brokers Realty
The functioning dining room of the Missouri jail house.
In this family room, guests would have no idea that a complete jail was just metres away in the next room. Source: House of Brokers Realty

“Why don’t they just say ‘only human traffickers and pedophiles need apply?’ This is very disturbing and seems like it should not be legal,” another person added.

A look into the home’s history shows a less sinister reason for the cells - the historic building constructed in 1875 was once a sheriff’s house and jail.

The home stands next to the current county jail.

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