Actually, it was the home of Mr. Charles Ponzi, conman. Before there was Bernie Madoff, there was Charles Ponzi.
Ponzi was an Italian immigrant who persuaded Bostonians to buy into a get-rich-quick program while secretly using money from new investors to pay off those he owed. His famous scheme involved claiming that he had teams in Europe buying prepaid Spanish postage that could be exchanged for stamps at a profit in the United States. Ponzi also used a pyramid structure within his scheme, with sales agents recruiting and training subagents. By the time the scheme fell apart in 1920, Ponzi was living in a Lexington mansion that boasted air conditioning and a swimming pool. His scheme was exposed in late 1920 and he was sentenced to five years in federal prison for mail fraud.
Lotta money, even for Lexington, but it's in great shape in a nice neighborhood.