This eerie French Eclectic-style home was erected in 1927 for mega-rich businessman Harley Clarke, who later became the head of the Fox Film company. The mansion, which is located near Lighthouse Beach in Evanston, Illinois, was most likely one of the last outstanding residences erected in the neighborhood before the Wall Street Crash.
The limestone palace, which overlooks Lake Michigan, was built with no money spared. The term “celebration” refers to the act of celebrating the birthday of someone. He was finally compelled to sell his lavish house to the fraternity Sigma Chi.
The three-story, 16-room home contains seven bedrooms, a big glass conservatory, a ballroom, a basement, and six towering chimneys, and was previously the ideal gathering place until the Evanston Art Center abandoned it in 2015.
The main-floor rooms were turned into exhibition galleries during the Evanston Art Center’s tenancy of the house, while the second-floor bedrooms and third-floor ballroom were used as teaching space. The basement was also transformed into a pottery workshop, complete with electric and gas-fired kilns, a pottery wheel room, and a glazing room. The house’s wood-paneled entry hall and library, however, were kept.
The mansion narrowly avoided demolition when the Evanston Preservation Commission voted unanimously to refuse the council’s request to demolish it. The City of Evanston released a Call for Proposals for the long-term repair and reuse of the historic Harley Clarke House as a result of community initiatives. As a consequence, this wonderful home will now be protected and enjoyed by the public!
Pablo Escobar’s La Manuela
This previously opulent holiday villa belonged to legendary drug lord Pablo Escobar and is located in Peol Reservoir in the lovely resort town of Guatapé in Colombia. Before his death in 1993, the estate was estimated to be worth $22 billion (£16.2 billion). It was named La Manuela after his daughter and was supposed to be Pablo’s second favorite residence, according to Atlas Obscura.
The property, which was built with ill-gotten wealth on 20 acres of land, was targeted by a vigilante group in 1993, who put a bomb in the home’s toilet, destroying it. Escobar had already departed the house and was shot by cops eight months later.
The main house is just a shell of what it once was. It used to have its own dance area and double-layered walls that were alleged to be utilized for storing money or narcotics. Yet, despite the fact that the old mansion is now available to the public for exploration, no visitors have apparently discovered anything concealed behind its deteriorating walls. Escobar had already departed the house and was shot by cops eight months later.
Years of neglect have allowed the property to deteriorate, yet it formerly sported a pool, tennis courts, a helipad, and a guest house, all surrounded by exotic trees.
Most of the house has been taken over by nature and is no longer recognizable. Visitors may now reach the pool, the bathroom where the bomb exploded, and even Escobar’s room at the modest marketed house. If only walls could communicate!