Step inside the eerie mansion hiding a mysterious red room

Tour an empty home in Burlington

Sitting empty in Burlington, Ontario, this unique house was discovered and documented by urban explorer and photographer, Freaktography in 2017. With a chequered history, the now-demolished home was once also hiding multiple scandalous secrets in the depths of its basement.

Read on to discover more... 

The entryway

When the abandoned mansion was first explored it had obviously been left vacant for some time. Urban Explorer Dave of Freaktography was the first to enter the building to scout out the main rooms. He describes finding the indoor pool and mid-century main level, before coming across an intriguing ‘red room’ in the basement...

After establishing that no one lived in the mansion and it was in fact abandoned, the photographers set about documenting the space from room to room. Marble floors and a pebbled stone feature wall greet you from the staircase, with recessed spotlighting above a number of chairs lined up, reminiscent of a waiting room.

Incomplete renovation

What was once a living space is now an empty room. Large floor-to-ceiling French doors are framed by draped curtains, sitting adjacent to renovations that would have once made a luxurious space lit overhead by five skylights.

‘Attention’ yellow security tape hangs limply across old building work that has been left unfinished, whilst a red stool sits in one corner, an alluring nod to rooms to come…

The mirror room

Exploring further inside the abandoned home, a bathroom in the master suite shows the flashy style of the mansion's previous owners. Fully mirrored from floor to ceiling on every wall, the reflective sanctuary is situated next to the master bedroom, which is one of six bedrooms.

What once was

In another nod to the luxury lifestyle of the previous owners, the indoor swimming pool has a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the waterfront views. The pool has its own diving board and there are even two viewing panels in the side of the pool that look into the secret basement room.

A hidden spot

Leading down to the basement, this staircase looks over an ornate, patterned wallpaper that alludes to the secrets further within the house. Standing out from the otherwise plain decor, the wallpaper gives a nod to the mid-century style of the house.

An entertaining space

From the basement level, guests can see up into the swimming pool through viewing panels on the staircase. A large fireplace takes centre stage in the middle of the room and is surrounded by cushioned bench seating, ready for hosting multiple guests.

The basement bar

The basement also holds a bar area with six stools. We can only imagine that guests would once have had front row seats to the swimming pool viewing windows, while sipping on a drink or two.

But what surprises lurk around the corner?

The mysterious red room

Freaktography discovered a strange lounge hidden behind a door in the basement. At the centre stands a decorative palm tree attached to a table, which is surrounded by red carpeted floors, red leather sofas and fabric ceilings and walls. We can't help but wonder what went on here...

What went on here?

On closer inspection, a collection of red leather stools sit around a table, one of which was left discarded in the upstairs living room. They sit in a circle, cabaret-style, as though waiting for guests or audience members to take their seats and enjoy the evening’s entertainment.

But the surprises don't end there...

The secret tented room

Hiding behind a set of curtains, the entrance to another room beckons, illuminated only by the urban explorer’s lights. Opening the disguised door, an even more extravagantly decorated red room awaits with a scarlet tented ceiling and drapes flowing to the floor. This secret room also boasts its own all-black bathroom.

Sadly, in May 2018, the mansion was listed for sale for CAD$4.4 million ($3.2m/£2.6m). According to Talking Walls Photography, the former owners – who would have installed all the unusual features – allegedly defaulted on their mortgage payments.

A content hub

After sitting abandoned for years, the home was eventually snapped up by a tycoon for an unknown price. The owner, known only as Terry, had plans to tear down the old structure and build a brand new mansion in its place but it never came to fruition.

For a period, content creators Ben Rispin and Connor Lovat-Fraser were permitted to use the abandoned house as a filming location. They also welcomed local artists, musicians and skateboarders to use the vacant mansion as a set for photoshoots, music videos and even yoga classes.

The end of the abandoned mansion

In 2019 the property was finally demolished, and the nearly three acres of vacant land was placed on the market for CAD$6.5 million ($4.7m/£3.8m). Sotheby's International Realty Canada described the lot as: "a shoreline location in the coveted enclave of Burlington's desired waterfront. Here neighbours become lifelong friends."

We wonder if the new residents on this exclusive spot will have just as intriguing a nightlife as the former owners appeared to.