Ever watched “My Lottery Dream Home” on HGTV? This house is the 1880s version of that.

German immigrant George Lichthardt built this Sacramento house using $15,000 he won in the 1888 lottery.

Before his windfall, he had been running a grocery store. Lichthardt’s son, also named George, helped transform the grocery store into a pharmacy. With a degree in pharmacy from University of California, the younger George helped run it as well.

The family later opened another grocery store down the street which operated at the same time as the pharmacy. George went on to become the senior chemical testing engineer for the California Highway Commission and an inventor. He gained world recognition for his paint formula for marking traffic lines. In 1914, he built a new home for himself next door.

This house is one of Sacramento’s earliest Shingle style homes, and we are super smitten with all the gingerbread details. The home has two parlors, one of which has a black onyx fireplace. The ceilings are decorated with delicate grape cluster details, and a mahogany banister leads to the second floor.

Source: “Vanishing Victorians: A Guide to the Historic Homes of Sacramento.”