Mansion of Historic Value for Sale MEXICO CITY - As the Mexican capital has grown and modernized, many traditional homes of stone and ceramic tiles have been replaced by towers of glass and steel. But now one of the few remaining historic residences, a four-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion, is for sale at 75.88 million Mexican pesos, or $6 million. It is in the exclusive residential district of Lomas de Chapultepec. The 14,000-square-foot, or 1,300-square-meter, house was cataloged by the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes, a recognition similar to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Construction was started in 1890, stopped during the Mexican Revolution and finished in the 1940s. The four-level home, built in the California Mission style, features a white quarry stone facade. "Mexico City used to be known as Ciudad de los Palacios," or City of Palaces, and Paseo de la Reforma was lined with similar houses, said Esther Aréchiga Alvarado, the architect who directed a recent three-year restoration of the house. Now most have been torn down for modern buildings. Previous owners added only conveniences like air-conditioning, heat, a sprinkler system, an automatic gate and cable TV wiring. Two crystal chandeliers, hand-carved pink quarry stone accents, a granite staircase laden with Talavera tiles and an intricate Moorish ceiling decorate the marble-floored central hall. A variety of styles appear in the adjoining rooms on the ground level. Stained glass windows, hardwood floors and a Moorish ceiling adorn the dining room, while an ornate Florentine ceiling tops the living room. A Moroccan-style tearoom is highlighted by a large stained glass windows and walls with gold-plated geometric patterns. The house is being sold partly furnished. The kitchen is one of the few rooms to have been remodeled, as was the basement, which has a small bar. The four bedrooms fill the first floor, all with hardwood floors, chandeliers, walk-in closets and handcrafted ceilings. The master bath has two showers, as well as a sauna. A large square room surrounded by windows, which could be used as a home gym, occupies the second floor and connects to a roof terrace. The house is surrounded on three sides by a garden featuring fountains of quarry stone inlaid with Talavera tiles; the stone driveway has room for a dozen or so cars. Other features include two servant's quarters and storage areas. The house was not damaged by the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that rattled Mexico City last week. While prices in Mexico's coastal destinations depend on foreign investors and have fallen significantly, city prices have remained stable through the global downturn and are trending slightly upward, real estate agents say. Graciela Zamudio Conde, general manager of Guadalajara Sotheby's International Realty, said that there were no statistics on average real estate prices but that sales in the northwestern part of the city, which includes luxury areas like Lomas de Chapultepec, generally averaged $1 million per house.