Most days, the foreclosure auctions on the steps of the Baltimore Circuit Court are unremarkable.

The rundown rowhomes, vacant lots, and shuttered corner stores draw house flippers and real estate speculators trying to make a quick buck. They don’t often have a chance to snap up one of Baltimore’s celebrity homes.

Actor Kevin Spacey’s distinctive Baltimore mansion stirred a small bidding war Thursday morning on the courthouse steps. A crowd had come to watch. The bidders were discreet, but at least two men pushed the price from $1.5 million to a final $3.24 million. The public auction was over in 15 minutes, and there was no sign of the actor.

Spacey moved to Maryland to film the hit Netflix political drama “House of Cards,” first living in a waterfront home in Severna Park before buying the 9,000-square-foot mansion on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The house floats on a pier that stretches into the Patapsco River from Federal Hill. It’s been listed as “Baltimore’s most extraordinary home.”

The actor bought the house seven years ago for $5.65 million.

Thursday morning, the man with the winning bid of $3.24 million told reporters that he was there on behalf of another buyer. He directed questions to the D.C.-area real estate agent Sam Sheibani. In a phone call, Sheibani declined to name the buyer, but described him as a “local businessman in the DMV area.”

“I can’t tell you who bought it — yet,” Sheibani said.

Still, Sheibani said it’s with mixed emotion that the businessman won the house at auction. The real estate agent called the house stunning and a Baltimore gem, even though the property has been shadowed by Spacey’s troubles. The buyer’s plans for the house are to be determined, Sheibani added.

The bank had been trying to foreclose on Spacey’s home and sell the property for more than two years. Last month, Spacey publicly revealed that he’s millions of dollars in debt, can’t pay his bills and was moving his belongings into storage. He broke down when discussing the auction and his debts during an interview with the British broadcaster Piers Morgan.

Spacey’s monthly mortgage payments had been set at $20,230, according to court records, but he fell behind after he was fired from “House of Cards” and was sued in Manhattan for allegedly making a sexual advance on a teenage boy in the 1980s, which the actor denied. Jurors sided with Spacey in the case.

Nine months after that decision, a London jury acquitted Spacey of sexual assault. The actor told jurors in London that he had been out of work for 6 years since the first sex abuse allegations came out against him.

A two-episode documentary series about the actor also aired this year and is streaming on Max. “Spacey Unmasked” explores the actor’s behavior going back decades. Spacey fired back publicly online, writing that he had requested the filmmakers “afford me more than 7 days to respond to allegations made against me dating back 48 years and provide me with sufficient details to investigate these matters.” Stars such as Sharon Stone and Liam Neeson have spoken out in Spacey’s defense.

Spacey was honored at the 21st Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Armenia this month.

The debt collection agency filed the foreclosure case against Spacey in April 2022. His attorneys at least twice participated in mediation, but were unable to avoid the public sale. His homeowners’ association also filed a lien against the property for unpaid monthly assessments and attorneys fees.

Spacey has kept a low profile in Baltimore, though he’s occasionally recognized while walking his dog or dining at the Sagamore Pendry hotel. He once took the stage unannounced to sing at the Keystone Korner Baltimore jazz club.

The actor and his attorney in the foreclosure case have not returned messages from The Banner.

This is a developing story.