Rapper selling Brookhaven 'castle'

Rapper and former radio DJ Kid Panic’s Brookhaven home -- a castle that’s been featured in television, magazine and music video shoots -- is on the market for $1.989 million.

Matt Demar, who rapped in the 1990s, says the home appeared on TV when he and his ex-fiancee Melissa Ballacchino, and four dogs were on Animal Planet’s “It’s Me or the Dog.” The couple filmed a pilot for a reality show, “Commitment to the Castle,” which was not picked up, Demar says, although it can be seen on YouTube.

Situated on 9.75 acres, the home was built about 1990, with stone imported mostly from Italy. When Demar purchased it about five years ago, it was in disrepair, he says.

The leaky Disneyesque red slate roof was replaced with one that is more subdued, and the couple went to town brightening up and modernizing the interior. Large windows and French doors allow for light, while other architectural details include arched entrances, high ceilings and moldings. Though most of the floors in the house are marble, the living room and bar are wood, Demar says.

The foyer ceiling is about 30 feet high, with a chandelier, Demar says. Off to one side is a pub, which has a 1920s cherry-and-mahogany bar from a speak-easy, he says. Across from the bar is a restored antique gas fireplace. The living room features four wall TVs, which, like most everything else in the house, stay. The kitchen has marble countertops, a center island and stainless-steel appliances.

The dining room is “very royal,” says Demar (who actually owns a gold-plated, custom-made crown), with a long table and stark white walls accented with blood-red painted squares.

Other features include 2½ bathrooms and five bedrooms, including the master suite, which Demar says has a “huge bathroom with a marble bath and a huge closet that would make any woman excited.” French doors open to the deck, which overlooks the backyard.

Mara Navaretta and Rosalinda Silver of Homes by Mara are listing the property.