12 abandoned billionaire mansions worth a fortune

Haunting abandoned homes of the super-rich

Even the most expensive homes can fall into a state of disrepair. From the Spanish holiday home of Saudi royalty to the extravagant wastelands of London's Billionaires' Row and the burnt-out remnants of the Carnegie mansion in the US state of Georgia, these mansions were once worth a fortune. Yet today, they stand derelict and exposed to the elements.

Take a look inside these abandoned mansions, once home to the world's super-rich...

1970s castle mansion, Ontario, Canada

Nestled in the wilds of Ontario, the southernmost province of Canada, lies this enigmatic mansion shrouded in mystery. Located on six acres (2.4ha) of dense woodland, the home was built back in 1973 and has housed a long list of residents over the years.

Canadian urban explorer Noah toured the remarkable house back in November 2023 calling it the 'Billionaire's Incredible Abandoned Castle Mansion In The Woods' on his YouTube channel.

1970s castle mansion: influenced by medieval architecture

Approaching the mansion via a long driveway through the trees, its distinct architecture soon becomes apparent. Despite being constructed in the 70s, the entire property has been imagined as a medieval fortress, complete with turrets and battlements along the roofline. Decay is evident across the exterior plasterwork, but there's no denying that this home was born of big ambitions.

In front of the house, an empty safe has been discarded, perhaps left by the home's last residents. A set of imposing stone steps lead up to the ornate main entrance.

1970s castle mansion: a high-end rental home

The wood-panelled entry hall is impressive in its proportions, featuring a grand staircase lined with decorative wrought-iron bannisters. Despite its elegant fixtures, the space is in chaos. The floors are littered with what appear to be discarded belongings from former owners.

According to Noah, the castle was last sold in 2007 for CA$1.6 million ($1.1m/£900k). Following the sale, it was renovated and leased out to tenants in the market for a high-end rental home.

1970s castle mansion: signs of a lavish lifestyle

The house spans 9,000 square feet (836sqm) of living space, once impeccably decorated. Take for example the glittering chandelier, carved fireplace surround and neatly drawn curtains in this room. If it weren't for the debris, the space would look like it was still lived in.

When he toured the home, Noah discovered discarded boxes of designer clothes, shoes and jewellery – one receipt he came across reportedly showed a bill of more than CA$4,000 ($2.9k/£2.2k) for one shopping trip.

1970s castle mansion: forlorn swimming pool

According to Noah, bailiffs took possession of the property and its contents in 2023, after deferred rent left the leasing company with a reported CA$14 million ($10m/£7.9m) of debt.

What remains of the mansion's swimming pool is shown here. Drained of water, it's filled with detritus, dirt and what looks to be the remains of fallen ceiling tiles, which have left insulation and pipework exposed overheard.

It's not clear what the future holds for this unusual, abandoned mansion, though Noah did spot a skip in the grounds, so perhaps there are plans in the pipeline for the forlorn home.

Dungeness mansion, Georgia, USA

Captured by Leland Kent of Abandoned Southeast, the Dungeness ruins on Cumberland Island in the US state of Georgia are today all that remains of a series of mansions that housed some of America’s most prominent families.

Named after the Duke of Cumberland, son of King George II, the island was first settled in 1733 by English General James Oglethorpe, who used it as the site for a hunting lodge he dubbed Dungeness, after an English headland in Kent.

However, by the time of the American Revolution, the island had been divided by royal grants and was uninhabited.

Dungeness mansion: payment for war efforts

The island was resettled in 1785 by Revolutionary War hero General Nathanael Greene, who died shortly after receiving the island in repayment for his financial contributions to the war effort.

Greene’s widow, Catherine, remarried a man named Phineas Miller and together the pair built a spacious, four-storey mansion on the island, christening it ‘Dungeness’ after the original hunting lodge. They also used the island to create a large commercial plantation, employing 210 enslaved people to work the land, cultivating rice, cotton, indigo and other crops.

Dungeness mansion: bought by industrialist Thomas Carnegie

Though the Miller’s Cumberland Island expanded into an enormously profitable planting empire over the course of the early 19th century, their iteration of Dungeness burned down in 1866, leaving behind a ruin known only as “The Chimneys” – a sprawling collection of hearth and chimney structures which represented the once expansive quarters of the island's enslaved people.

The very same year Dungeness was reduced to ashes, a young Thomas Morrison Carnegie married Lucy Coleman, and in 1881, he purchased land on Cumberland Island as a gift for his wife and nine children.

Dungeness mansion: 59-room home commissioned

By this time, Carnegie had amassed an enormous fortune from his work in the iron and steel trade, and, as a titan of industry, was able to afford all the luxury and comfort that Gilded Age America epitomised.

Carnegie commissioned the third iteration of Dungeness to resemble a turreted Scottish castle with 59 rooms, multiple pools, a golf course and 40 auxiliary buildings to house the estate's 200-odd servants.

Dungeness mansion: destroyed by a mysterious fire

Over the next five years, the Carnegies bought up the majority of Cumberland Island, continuing to expand their massive estate. Though Thomas Carnegie died before the completion of Dungeness, his wife Lucy finished the home herself, turning it into the family’s primary residence and living there until her own death in 1916.

Lucy’s estate maintained the property until the financial crash of 1929, at which point the Carnegie family abandoned the mansion forever. 30 years later, the deserted estate was destroyed by a mysterious fire, leaving only these ruins behind.

King Fahd's holiday home, Marbella, Spain

Captured by photographer, YouTuber and urban explorer Steve Ronin, this extravagant palace was the holiday home of Saudi royal King Fahd up until his passing in 2005.

Located on the famed Golden Mile in the Spanish city of Marbella, the King built this palace as his holiday home. He was said to be worth $20 billion (£15.7bn) at the time of his death at age 84.

King Fahd's holiday home: boosting the local economy

King Fahd arrived in Marbella in the 1970s and is said to have fallen in love with the area. However, once he built his palace, he visited just four times.

On his last visit to the town, the King reportedly brought with him 3,000 family members, friends and staff and stayed for seven weeks, but not before pumping around $81 million (£63.6m) into Marbella's economy.

King Fahd's holiday home: inspired by the White House

The holiday home, which is one of many owned by the Saudi royal family, was built in the style of the White House with towering pillars. But today it's unrecognisable. The rooms have been left empty and bare, with only the ceiling mouldings left to show the opulence that once was.

King Fahd's holiday home: faded grandeur

Heading upstairs via the dual sweeping staircases, glimmers of the palace's former grandeur are visible from the gilded bannisters and ornate wall decorations. What would have once been a space for entertaining royalty is now a crumbling shell, exposed to the elements.

King Fahd's holiday home: shadow of its former self

There was no expense spared in the build, from the double-height ceilings to the intricate plasterwork. Despite the money poured into the property, some of the rooms are now cluttered and used for storage.

Will this decaying mansion be rescued before it's too late? Only time will tell...

Billionaires' Row, London, UK

The Bishops Avenue in north London is one of the capital's most expensive stretches of real estate. A third of the mansions along here have been left empty and abandoned and many of them have sadly fallen into ruin.

Owned by foreign investors who often leave the homes uninhabited, around 20 of the once-impressive mansions stand entirely derelict.

Billionaires' Row: relics from the 1970s

Many of the homes were built in the late 1970s and have been left in varying states of decay. This crumbling hallway, captured by explorers Beyond the Point, was falling apart, with a caved-in ceiling that had let in the elements. However, vestiges of the space's former grandeur remain, such as the gold bannisters and stained-glass windows.

Billionaires' Row: untouched for over 25 years

As unbelievable as it may seem, some of the homes have been left untouched for over 25 years. This conservatory looks like the owners have just upped and left, with an ashtray still on the rattan table and faded magazines stacked high.

The Bishops Avenue has been dubbed "one of the most expensive wastelands in the world" by developer Anil Varma, who owns a property on this notorious street.

Billionaires' Row: wasteful ruins

Inside, the furniture appears unchanged. Locked behind closed doors, the conservatory has been frozen in time, its contents a reminder of a bygone era.

What was once the ultimate place to live in London has become a street peppered with wasteful ruins and decaying buildings.

Billionaires' Row: left to languish

Once a luxurious pool house lined with glass, this room is now slick with grime, while loose wires dangle precariously over the swimming pool. The mirror and huge skylight, which flood the space with natural light, show how meticulous the home's design was.

Who knows how much money was spent constructing the lavish houses on the Bishops Avenue, only to let them languish and moulder?

Steve Jobs' Jackling House, California, USA

The Jackling House was built in 1925 by famed architect George Washington Smith and captured by photographer Jonathan Haeber in 2007.

The Spanish Revival-style home was purchased by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 1984, who lived there until 1994 when it was abandoned.

Steve Jobs' Jackling House: reduced to rubble

In fact, Jobs hated the house so much that he spent the last years of his life petitioning to get the mansion demolished so that he could build a smaller home for his family.

He eventually won the battle and the mansion was demolished in 2011, just eight months before he passed away from pancreatic cancer.

Steve Jobs' Jackling House: sorry state of repair

While Jobs' request for demolition was being processed, the home started to fall into a state of disrepair. With no one to look after it, the opulent interior began to be taken over by nature.

Although the paint was peeling and the plaster crumbling, it's not hard to see the past splendour of the 35-room mansion. Spread over 15,000 square feet (1,394sqm), ithe home even had a massive pipe organ that was retrieved before demolition.

Steve Jobs' Jackling House: underground tunnel

Located in the affluent town of Woodside in California, the abandoned mansion offered open-air balconies, a games room, marble bathrooms, and a grand staircase complete with a chandelier when it was in its prime. It even had a tunnel underneath the house to get around!

Steve Jobs' Jackling House: fixtures preserved for posterity

Prior to the demolition, the property was covered in vines, with mould creeping across the ceilings and old appliances left to decay.

The local town collected a number of artefacts from the home before it was destroyed, including door handles, a chandelier and a toilet.

Genshiro Kawamoto's abandoned mansion, Japan

Once belonging to billionaire Japanese businessman Genshiro Kawamoto, this mansion in Japan was discovered by urban explorer Dan of Exploring with Fighters. It doesn't look like much from the road, but just wait until you see what's inside.

Kawamoto spent his life buying luxury properties in Japan and Hawaii only to leave them uninhabited until they began to slowly fall apart. In 2013 he was arrested for tax evasion and later imprisoned, leaving his very own mega-mansion to decay.

Genshiro Kawamoto's abandoned mansion: priceless art collection

Once home to Kawamoto's art collection, the property mogul left many of his marble and bronze statues dotted around the home, with over 100 of them sitting in the basement.

Meanwhile, the grand stairs leading upstairs were once lined with plush red carpet. Today, however, they are littered with rubbish and dirt, maybe from Kawamoto's rush to leave.

Genshiro Kawamoto's abandoned mansion: adorned with chandeliers

Captured by Steve Ronin, the huge dining area almost doesn't look abandoned. With its shiny marble floors, statues and gold chandeliers, it looks like the ultimate place to host a dinner party.

Mirrored ceilings and swathes of glazed walls flood the space with natural light and draw in views of the surrounding trees.

Genshiro Kawamoto's abandoned mansion: breathtaking views

The mansion sits on the edge of a bluff, with panoramic views out to the ocean and beyond. You can see the living space is rundown, with only a ruined sofa and a coffee table discarded among the opulent marble and bronze statues.

Genshiro Kawamoto's abandoned mansion: littered with debris

The bedroom is perhaps the most opulent space in the mansion. A tired-looking mattress sits on top of a red fabric platform, while an ornate rug lies just out of shot. The chandelier has crashed to the floor and a lonely pair of shoes still sits neatly on the side. Who knows what the future holds for this abandoned luxury home?

Lynnewood Hall, Pennsylvania, USA

This spectacular neoclassical Revival masterpiece known as Lynnewood Hall is considered one of the greatest surviving Gilded Age mansions in the US. It was built between 1897 and 1900 for businessman Peter Arrell Browne Widener, now considered one of the 100 richest Americans in history.

The build is said to have cost $8 million – the equivalent of $296 million (£233m) in today’s money – and has 110 rooms, of which 55 are bedrooms and 20 are bathrooms, as well as an art gallery and a ballroom large enough to accommodate 1,000 guests.

Lynnewood Hall: a tragic past

At the height of its former glory, Lynnewood Hall employed 37 full-time staff to run it and a further 60 employees to look after the extensive garden. This impressive entrance hall was captured by photographer Leland Kent for Abandoned Southeast.

When Peter Widener died in 1915, the house was left to his youngest son Joseph, who was the last surviving heir after Widener's eldest son George died on the RMS Titanic.

Lynnewood Hall: renowned art collection

This photo shows the old art gallery, with the fine old skylights still intact. Joseph spent much of his $60 million (£47m) inheritance on the property and particularly its renowned art collection, considered the most important private collection of Gilded Age European masterpieces in the world.

Paintings by Raphael, El Greco, Rembrandt, Donatello and Van Dyck were among the works that once lined these now dilapidated walls.

Lynnewood Hall: lavish ballroom

This lavish ballroom would once have held dances attended by the cream of Philadelphia society. The gold leaf mouldings and central painted ceiling panel give a taste of how impressive this space was in its heyday.

When Joseph died in 1943, the house was abandoned as none of his children wanted to take on the huge responsibility of running the estate.

The estate was eventually bought in 1952 by the Faith Theological Seminary, a branch of evangelical Christians, who sold off Lynnewood's valuable assets, including its carved mantels, walnut panelling and rare landscape ornaments, plus more than 350 acres (142ha) of land. The house now has only 33 acres (13ha).

Lynnewood Hall: a brighter future?

The crumbling swimming pool would once have been enclosed with squash courts and changing rooms and was filled with water from the estate’s very own reservoir.

In 2003, Lynnewood Hall was added to a list of endangered historic properties in the region and fans of the estate began a campaign to save the house for posterity. In June 2023, it was announced that this same group of scrappy preservationists had purchased Lynnewood and had started restoring the building, hoping to return it to its former glory.

The Mellon mansion, Florida, USA

Once upon a time, this 19th-century Eastlake-style home in Palatka, Florida was the beloved summer home of Pennsylvania banking mogul James Ross Mellon and his family.

Vacated years ago, it has since been left to the elements and hides costly antiques inside its decaying walls.

The Mellon mansion: a luxury vacation retreat

The winter holiday home, which was captured in 2019 by urban explorer Leland Kent for Abandoned Southeast, has passed through various owners since the Mellon family sold it in the late 1930s.

While the entrance hall has crumbling paintwork and signs of damp, it must have been a hub of activity in its heyday.

The Mellon mansion: famous former guests

The once-grand living room has been left to wrack and ruin with flaking plasterwork and debris scattered on the floor. Mattresses also litter the floor, which may indicate that squatters have been staying in the property.

This room was once a place for socialising, with the Mellons hosting the likes of Billy Sunday, a former National League baseball player, who later became a fervent evangelist.

The Mellon mansion: mementos of past residents

Upstairs, the bedrooms still show signs of the home's former life. Several vintage radios, as well as a miniature child's piano, surround the wooden fireplace, which has been well-used.

While the wallpaper is peeling away and debris litters the floor, the space still has a certain charm.

The Mellon mansion: in need of care

The ensuite bathroom probably used to be a grand space, but now needs a complete overhaul. The fixtures and fittings are grubby and old, while the vivid green paint has worn away over time. It's hard to believe that this former home of a billionaire has been reduced to this derelict state.

The forgotten palace, Italy

Captured by urban explorer Steve Ronin, this mansion dates back to the 1900s and belonged to a wealthy Italian family who made their fortune through farming. When the parents passed away, the children inherited the huge home but didn't keep up the maintenance.

Eventually, they moved away and left the palace to be forgotten and now large sections of it are collapsing. This drawing room, for example, is scattered with bricks that have fallen from the ceiling.

The forgotten palace: surprising treasures

Exploring the precarious lower floor of the mansion unveils a wealth of surprising treasures. It looks like the family just up and left, as everything has been left in its place, including these early portraits of what we presume is the family on the living room wall.

The forgotten palace: preserved time-warp

The family left behind all their personal belongings, offering an eerie window back in time to the last moments the home was occupied.

The kitchen table is set with plates and cutlery, while the cupboards are fully stocked with crockery. It's only the dust and dirt that gives away the fact it's been abandoned.

The forgotten palace: untouched rooms

The first floor is dark and dingy, with five huge bedrooms. What could have been the master suite has almost been left untouched. The bed is still made with white sheets and the chest of drawers is packed full of framed old family photos and trinkets.

An empty double wardrobe with a full-length mirror sits on the other side and the bedroom has views out to what would have once been a manicured lawn.

The forgotten palace: curious discoveries

One of the bedrooms even has a miniature town set up in it! We can only imagine one of the children would have stayed in here and whiled away the hours with their traditional toys, which have now been left scattered with debris and dust.

Havelis of the super-rich, Rajasthan, India

The region of Shekhawati, in the northeast part of Rajasthan in India, is famous for its rows of abandoned mansions. The area, which was founded in the 1400s and developed at the beginning of the 19th century, was once home to India's billionaires.

Today, many of the grand mansions, known as havelis, are crumbling.

Havelis of the super-rich: abandoned by tycoons

The havelis blossomed until the early 20th century when the rich business tycoons living there left for better opportunities in areas such as Mumbai and Calcutta. With trade moving elsewhere, development stopped in Shekhawati and the artwork-covered marvels were abandoned for good.

Havelis of the super-rich: ornate design details

The havelis were all built in a similar style. Spread over two floors, they often have four courtyards – two reserved for socialising and the other two reserved for cooking and animal stables.

The entrances are made up of ornately carved wood, with mirror work and detailed paintings running throughout.

Havelis of the super-rich: fallen into disrepair

These days, most of the havelis have fallen into disrepair. Authorities in the region will only allow the mansions to be sold to people who will maintain their heritage and restore the mansions to their former glory.

Havelis of the super-rich: steeped in the past

Now a ghost town, many of the mansions of Shekhawati still retain their air of grandeur, despite their obvious state of disrepair. Pictured here, this haveli has an old 1930s gramophone in one of its rooms, no doubt used for entertaining back in the home's heyday.

Harley Clarke Mansion, Illinois, USA

This French Eclectic-style mansion was built in 1927 for mega-wealthy magnate Harley Clarke, who went on to become the president of the Fox Film movie studio.

Located in Lighthouse Beach in Evanston, Illinois, the house was probably one of the last great houses built in the area before the Wall Street Crash.

Harley Clarke Mansion: lost in the Great Depression

The limestone mansion, which backs onto Lake Michigan, had no expense spared on its design, as you can see from what remains of this intricate moulded detailing.

Clarke lived at the property with his family until 1949 when his fortune fell victim to the Great Depression. He was eventually forced to sell his opulent mansion to the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Harley Clarke Mansion: sprawling floor plan

The three-storey, 16-room mansion has seven bedrooms, a spacious glass conservatory, a ballroom, basement and six towering chimneys. It was once the perfect entertaining space until it was abandoned in 2015 by the Evanston Art Center.

Harley Clarke Mansion: repurposed rooms

During the Evanston Art Center's occupancy of the mansion, the main-floor rooms were converted into exhibition galleries and the second-floor bedrooms and third-floor ballroom were utilised as classroom space.

The basement was also converted into a pottery studio, featuring both electric and gas-fired kilns, as well as a pottery wheel room and glazing room. However, the house's wood-panelled entry hall and library were retained.

Harley Clarke Mansion: a new beginning

The mansion narrowly escaped demolition when the Evanston Preservation Commission voted unanimously to deny the council permission to raze it to the ground.

Thanks to community campaigns, the City of Evanston issued a Request for Proposals for the long-term restoration and reuse of the historic Harley Clarke Mansion. As a result, the house has now been returned to its former glory and repurposed as a wedding and event space.

Pablo Escobar's La Manuela, Antioquia, Colombia

Located in Peñol Reservoir in the idyllic resort town of Guatapé in Colombia, this once-grand holiday home belonged to notorious gangster Pablo Escobar.

Estimated to earn $22 billion a year – that's $47 billion (£37bn) in today's money – before he died in 1993, Escobar named the estate was named La Manuela after his daughter. It was said to be Pablo's second-favourite house.

Pablo Escobar's La Manuela: reduced to ruins

Situated on 20 acres (8ha) of land, the home was targeted by a vigilante group in 1993, who planted a bomb in the bathroom of the home, which devasted the estate, leaving only ruins behind. At the time of the explosion, Escobar had already fled the home. He was killed eight months later by authorities.

Pablo Escobar's La Manuela: secret features

Today, the main house is a shell of what it once was. Once upon a time, the home had its own disco room and featured double-layered walls that were said to be used for hiding money.

The home is now open to the public. However, no visitors have ever reported finding anything hidden within the crumbling walls of the historic house.

Pablo Escobar's La Manuela: overflowing with amenities

Years of neglect have seen the property descend into decay, but in its heyday, it would have boasted a pool, tennis courts, a helipad and a guest house, all surrounded by imported trees.

This poolside cabana would no doubt have been a luxurious hideaway in the home's heyday. Now, all that remains is its mouldering, charred frame.

Pablo Escobar's La Manuela: almost unrecognisable

Taken over by nature, much of the notorious home is now unrecognisable. Inside the cabana, you can just about make out an old wood-burning stove in the centre.

The estate's curious visitors can tour the swimming pool, the bathroom where the bomb exploded and even Escobar's room. If walls could talk!