Many of these million-dollar homes may look perfect on the outside, but they've actually been neglected and exposed to the elements for years. Who would abandon such valuable and luxurious properties, and what events led to their desertion?
Click or scroll to uncover the secrets behind these empty modern mansions and learn why they were left behind so suddenly.
Once projected to be the largest mansion in Canada, the Peter Grant estate has been left to crumble and decay after decades of neglect.
Photographed here by urban explorer Dave of Freaktography, the property was originally the dream home of the multi-millionaire owner of Grant Forest Products Corporation. Peter Grant purchased a 43-acre (17.4ha) lot on the shore of Ontario's Lake Temiskaming for CAD$110,000 (£64k/$80k) and set about planning a one-of-a-kind custom mansion.
Work began on the project in 2005 but as Grant's dream home neared completion the tycoon's financial situation began to flounder and construction halted in 2008.
In 2009, the global economic recession hit Grant’s business hard. Facing a combined debt of around CAD$600 million (£347m/$438m), he filed for court protection from his creditors. All of the company's assets, including the mansion, were put up for sale.
After his company's 2009 downfall, the property sat empty until it was put on the market in 2010 for CAD$25 million (£14.4m/$18.3m), though no buyer could be found.
Grant had planned for the building to serve as both his personal home and corporate office. At the time construction was halted, the project was so far along that most of its exteriors were complete, leaving a solid but empty shell.
While the house was ripe for development, it remains untouched to this day, inhabited only by security cameras and a few rogue articles of furniture. The glass exterior has been substantially damaged by vandals and the interiors, left to the mercy of the elements, have deteriorated to the point where it is uninhabitable.
Now nearly invisible in its shroud of dense undergrowth, this abandoned mansion in an undisclosed location in Canada was once the epitome of opulence, wealth and comfort. The property spans two separate lots and includes a tennis court, swimming pool and spacious front yard.
According to local lore, the building was last owned by a crypto millionaire who operated his empire from the property.
Having amassed an enormous fortune through his crypto-mining operations business, which he ran from the basement of the home according to Dave of Freaktography, the supposed crypto tycoon spared no expense when it came to decorating his house.
However, time and nature have since wreaked havoc with the interiors. This is particularly apparent in the living room where a ceiling leak has resulted in large pools of water that have damaged and discoloured the floor below.
Despite this, many other features throughout the home remain in excellent condition, including the grand foyer with its sweeping staircase, double-height ceiling and leaded glass windows. Elsewhere, polished hardwood flooring appears to have weathered the mansion's abandonment well, as have the moulded wall panels. The ornate cherry woodwork in this room is particularly spectacular.
Perhaps the home’s most unusual feature is the crypto cave that photographer Dave discovered in the basement. Complete with thermal insulation hanging from the rafters and sealed-up windows, not to mention dozens upon dozens of storage boxes and a fan to help maintain a consistent temperature in the room during 'mining' sessions, the space would have been the perfect hideaway for a crypto mastermind.
It once promised to be a high-end neighbourhood of European-inspired châteaux complete with lavish amenities for its well-to-do buyers. However, the Burj Al Babas resort site is still languishing with no hope of rescue more than 12 years after the project’s inception.
Hundreds of identical turreted homes in various states of construction stand eerily silent on the site as Mother Nature slowly encroaches on the forgotten development.
Burj al Babasa is sequestered in the hills of northwestern Turkey, a location that has long been popular with visitors from the Gulf who visit to enjoy the area's picturesque scenery, mild climate and peaceful spa towns.
With this market in mind, the resort was projected to offer a spa, retail boutiques, restaurants, playgrounds and conference facilities, as well as tennis and basketball courts and indoor football pitches.
The original plans specified that a total of 732 residences would be constructed on the site, each in the same fairytale style with a turret, a mansard roof and stone balustrades.
Inside the properties, the designs specified polished parquet floors, towering ceilings, detailed mouldings, a beautiful sweeping spiral staircase and even a Jacuzzi on each floor.
Due to a maelstrom of problems, ranging from the plummeting Turkish economy, an increasing number of buyers defaulting on payments and local opposition to alleged environmental damage, the project came to a screeching halt in 2018 when local courts imposed a bankruptcy order.
What was intended to be a bustling new community filled with affluent residents is now reduced to a surreal ghost town in the mountains.
The former head of the Juárez Cartel, Amado Carrillo Fuentes, known as the Lord of the Skies due to the fleet of jets he used to traffic narcotics, owned an impressive array of high-end properties.
Among his collection was this luxe compound in Jardines del Pedregal, one of Mexico City's most expensive neighbourhoods, which was seized by local authorities. The 10,000-square-foot (929sqm) property is valued at some £3.6 million ($4.5m) and was the grand prize in the Mexican National Lottery's Gran Sorteo Especial competition on 15 September 2021.
The nine-bedroom mansion is in serious need of renovation, yet it remains in remarkable shape given the length of time it's been empty and has clearly been well looked after.
In fact, one of the reasons the Mexican authorities decided to offload the seized property, along with other luxury residences confiscated from drug lords, was to save on maintenance costs. Keeping the properties up to date was an expensive undertaking and a substantial drain on public funds.
The sprawling mansion includes several wings and is packed with luxurious amenities, encompassing a chef's kitchen, a library, a steam room and six Jacuzzis.
The entire estate is surrounded by landscaped gardens where you'll find a unique cottage-like structure, which is in fact a life-sized playhouse Carrillo built for his children.
Other splashy features include this magnificent indoor swimming pool housed in its own glass-walled building. While it's been left to languish for some time, the complex is still in a remarkably good state. Intricate mosaic tiles depicting sea turtles and other marine lifeline the bottom of the pool.
Whoever won this magnificent mansion in the national lottery got extremely lucky!
Nestled in the hills of Shenyang in China, this mysterious collection of crumbling mansions has been left to decay. The properties were once part of a development known as the State Guest Mansions, which began construction in 2010 when the real estate sector was growing at record speed. However, just two years later, property titans the Greenland Group were forced to abandon the project.
The original plan would have seen the completion of 260 European-style villas, each equipped with luxury finishings and top-of-the-line facilities.
However, the project's fortunes took a turn for the worse in 2012 during President Xi Jinping's rise to power. The leader announced a crackdown on corruption among high-level officials and the elite, reducing the appetite for ostentatious displays of wealth. Consequently, financial backing for grand developments like this one dried up, compounded by new restrictions on excessive borrowing introduced in 2020.
The political climate was seemingly stacked against the luxury housing project. Work on it was abandoned and it became a grazing spot for the local cattle that can often be seen wandering through the half-built structures.
Indeed, local farmers have reclaimed much of the land originally intended for private gardens and manicured grounds. However, graffiti and other signs of vandalism inside the buildings suggest that some people are still occasionally visiting. With its eerie air of mouldering splendour, the area has become a popular hotspot for urban explorers and photographers.
The State Guest Mansions are just one of many abandoned housing developments left to languish across China. Victims of the political and economic turmoil, these ghost towns are referred to as "rotten-tail" homes in Chinese. In fact, reports suggest that some 4% of residential projects in China have been abandoned during their construction as of June 2022, according to AFP.
With its towering marble columns, sweeping staircases and multi-tiered chandeliers overshadowed by debris, damp and crumbling paintwork, this forgotten development looks unlikely to realise its intended grandeur.
From the intricate brick façade and shuttered windows to the grand entrance gate, this stately Colonial-style mansion captured by Dave of Freaktography appears to be in excellent condition at first glance.
While its structure looks like new, it's barely visible behind an overgrowth of trees, shrubs and other greenery that are gradually overtaking it – the first sign that this property has been empty for some time...
Upon entering the home, you find yourself in an elegant foyer, its sweeping staircase framed by a carved wooden bannister. However, beyond the palatial flagstones in the entryway, the flooring is unfinished plywood. Coupled with the dated wallpaper and old-fashioned light fixtures, it seems as though the house was undergoing renovations before it was abandoned.
Just off the foyer, the main living room boasts more elegant woodwork, including an inlaid floor, extensive wall panelling and an ornate feature fireplace.
The adjoining room features more beautiful woodwork and inlaid bookshelves, offset by green damask-clad walls. Clearly once an office, the space features a stately desk that suggests a great deal of money went into the original furnishing of the home.
However, the mansion's most opulent feature is found upstairs – and surprisingly, it's the bathroom. Complete with blush-coloured tiles, rose decals and an ornate, filigree dado rail, the wash space is a luxurious time capsule of decades past. The centrepiece of the room is unquestionably the large corner bathtub, flanked by Roman-style columns and crowned by a decorative stained-glass lantern.
Given the care that went into its original decoration, we have to wonder why this grand property was abandoned at the start of what seemed like its next chapter.
Another extraordinary abandoned space uncovered by Dave of Freaktography, this glamorous French-style château may look like it belongs in rural France but it is actually situated on the opposite side of the Atlantic.
The stately mansion was the former home of a wealthy couple who reportedly made their fortune in the firewood business, before expanding their company into one of the largest of its kind in North America.
Not content to stop there, the couple then moved into capital funding for tech startups, amassing yet more millions, many of which were reportedly poured into the construction and furnishing of this home.
Decked out in opulent style, the expansive property included many lavish amenities, including an outdoor tennis court, an indoor swimming pool, a gym, a home theatre and a five-car garage.
The home’s interiors were also appointed to an incredibly high standard, with coffered ceilings, marble and parquet floors, columned and arched entryways, sweeping staircases and beautiful moulding throughout. With such vast proportions and elegant finishings, the house looked better equipped to host a state banquet than a family gathering.
Following its abandonment, the property remained in mint condition and looked like it would be a developer’s dream, with very little required to get the house ready for sale.
However, a demolition permit was issued in October 2023 to make way for a new, single-storey, single-family property instead, according to Freaktography. Perhaps the palatial home was judged to be too hard a sell in its local market.
A classic example of 1980s architecture, this Toronto home is said to have won awards for its design back when it was originally built. Urban explorer Freaktography reports that the mansion is worth an estimated CAD$6 million (£3.5m/$4.4m) and is still in good condition.
Despite its significant value, the five-bedroom, five-bathroom property was completely abandoned with no signs of renovation during his visit.
The house boasts an airy, open floor plan, with deep green marble flooring that contrasts against the interior's white walls and ceilings. Large floor-to-ceiling windows flood the primary living spaces with natural light.
On the surface, the home appears to be in excellent condition but small giveaways such as a pile of uncollected mail in the kitchen reveal its neglected state.
Black marble floors extend throughout the large open-plan living room, which features a large statement fireplace framed by a surround cut from the same dark stone. A wall of windows and a set of sliding glass doors look out onto the overgrown backyard.
Meanwhile, in the adjoining room, which may have once been used as a dining room, the glazed wall panels extend into skylights across the ceiling, creating a sun trap at the heart of the house.
Indeed, unusual angles and glasswork feature prominently throughout the home – it's easy to see why the property achieved its architectural accolades back in the day.
Upstairs, the designer's penchant for marble continues in this grand master bathroom. Alongside a glazed shower cubicle sits a large vanity with dual wash basins, framed by Hollywood-style vanity lighting. We can’t imagine why such an elegantly designed home would be left empty…
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