Hollywood stars and other rich people who really make it big in their respective fields tend to invest in big mansions. After all, having a grandiose home validates their success.
There are cases, however, when the super affluent build several mansions that they don’t live in.
And you may ask what happens to those celebrity palaces of decades back when the stars begin to lose their shine?
Continue reading below as we enter the doors of some of the world’s creepiest abandoned mansions.
Abandoned Mansions: Enter at Your Own Risk
Even after several decades, some of the grandest mansions of old still stand. Some cash for houses company sold these abandoned mansions. Some of these mansions were sold to real estate investors who pay cash for houses. Others, on the other hand, continue to rot in solitude to this very day.
1. The Swannanoa Mansion (1912)
Millionaire James H. Dooley built this mansion in Lyndhurst, Virginia, in 1912. Legend has it that Dooley erected the 52-room house for his beloved wife.
When the couple died, the mansion became a country club. Thereafter, a scientist couple leased the property. They turned the mansion into their house that doubled as a museum.
The mansion remains desolate since 1988.
2. Mike Tyson’s Ohio Mansion
Boxing legend “Iron” Mike Tyson once lived in a 25,000 square-foot mansion around 50 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. It featured a 10,000 square-foot room. The room housed an indoor pool.
The mansion featured money covering ceilings and walls. It also showcased an iron spiral staircase, and it housed cages for Tyson’s tigers.
Tyson eventually sold the property to businessman Paul Monea for $1.3 million in 1999. Monea went to prison in 2008 and the mansion sold for $600,000 in 2010.
Today, the Living World Sanctuary Church is converting the property to a sprawling place of worship.
3. The Wyckoff Villa (1894)
After making quite a fortune selling Remington typewriters, William Wyckoff built a mansion in 1894. The massive home stood on an island in the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York.
Interestingly, William died of a heart attack the first night he moved into the mansion. His son inherited the mansion. However, the place remains abandoned for roughly 60 years.
4. The Neverland Ranch
King of Pop Michael Jackson once lived in this sprawling 2,700-acre property. The pop icon purchased the mansion in 1987 for $19.5 million dollars.
The lavish parties in the mansion ended in 2003. Police raided the property in line with Jackson’s child molestation allegations. In 2009, Jackson sold the property for $22.5 million.
After Jackson died in 2009, the new owners listed Neverland Ranch with a $100 million price tag in 2015. To this day, the property remains abandoned.
5. Villa de Vecchi
The Villa de Vecchi in Lake Como, Italy, embodies one of the saddest stories. Architect Alessandro Sidoli constructed the mansion for Count Felix de Vecchi in the 19th century. But a year before its completion, Sidoli died.
After completion, the de Vecchi family moved in. One day, de Vecchi came home to the sight of his dead, murdered wife. His daughter, on the other hand, was missing.
After failing to find his daughter, de Vecchi took his own life. His brother then took ownership of the mansion. Over the past several decades, the mansion remains abandoned.
Discover Interesting Places
Stories behind abandoned mansions continue to pique the interest of many people. After all, these once glorious abodes were witnesses to the triumphs, pain, and despair of some of the world’s rich and mighty.
For more captivating stories, we invite you to check our other blog posts. We feature interesting places telling stories from different parts of the world.