The lavish $2m Florida mansion built by a wealthy citrus farmer in the roaring twenties that can't find a buyer and now lies in ruin
- The 20-bedroom mansion in Florida, which belonged to William John Howey, was completed in 1927
- 15,000 people flocked to the home when it opened as the owner put on a free open-air show
- Now it sits empty, and police are regularly called because of break-ins
- It is thought the current owners would demand $2million for it, and repairs would cost a further
For decades, the Florida mansion of William John Howey was a social hub.
When construction was completed in 1927, the businessman arranged for the entire New York Civic Opera Company to give a free outdoor performance to celebrate.
It attracted a crowd of 15,000, as the 100-strong ensemble delivered a performance that would be one of the highlights of the year.
The 20-bedroom, 7,200 square foot building which people once flocked to in their droves now sits empty and is falling into disrepair
When construction was completed in 1927, owner William John Howey arranged for the entire New York Civic Opera Company to give a free outdoor performance to celebrate
Enjoy a creepy virtual tour of a 20s tycoon's abandoned mansion
And yet now, in stark contrast, the 20-room, 7,200 square foot building which people once flocked to in their droves now sits empty.
The rooms which used to host society events laid on by the sociable Howey are now gathering dust and the mansion has fallen into disrepair - with little sign that a buyer will be found.
Police are regularly called to the home in Winter Haven because vandals have forced their way in - although the majority of the time these turn out to be history buffs or photographers.
The rooms which used to host society events laid on by the sociable Howey are now gathering dust and the mansion has fallen into disrepair - with little sign that a buyer will be found
Police are regularly called to the home in Winter Haven because vandals have forced their way in - although the majority of the time these turn out to be history buffs or photographers
The house cost Howey $250,000 to build back in the 1920s - the equivalent of $3.2 million in today's money
It cost Howey - who made his fortune first as a land developer and then as the owner of a car business, before perfecting his citrus farming in Florida - $250,000 to build back in the 1920s. This is the equivalent of $3.2 million in today's money.
Howey died 11 years after the huge concert outside his new home, having suffered a heart attack at the age of 62, but his widow Mary Grace Hastings, continued to reside there until her death in 1981.
It was bought in 1984 by a buyer named Marvel Zona, along with her husband Jack, for around $400,000.
The huge rooms were once a social hub in Florida, where businessman William John Howey lived for 11 years until his death in 1939
Members of the public were given public tours, and in 2003, owner Marvel Zona approached Lake County officials with the idea of turning the home into a museum
Attention to detail: Pictures taken inside the home show the former grandeur of the building, which was completed in 1927
With her husband's health failing - he died in 2000 - she took a $347,000 reverse mortgage, which was set to pay her a fixed income for life.
Members of the public were given public tours, and in 2003, Mrs Zona approached Lake County officials with the idea of turning the home into a museum.
But it was not eligible for state historic preservation grant funds because it was privately owned.
The huge mansion, which now sits empty, was not eligible for state historic preservation grant funds because it was privately owned
The house is currently in disrepair, and it is estimated that it would cost $1.5 million to carry out repairs, including installing air conditioning
Owner Marvel Zona lost the home in 2008, unable to keep up payments on a $1.2 million adjustable rate mortgage which she took out two years previously
She lost the home in 2008, unable to keep up payments on a $1.2 million adjustable rate mortgage which she took out two years previously.
Since then there have been several offers for the home, but no one can afford it.
It is thought the current property owners will not settle for less than $2 million, and repairs to the house including the installation of air conditioning will cost an additional $1.5 million.
WILLIAM JOHN HOWEY: THE EXTRAORDINARY MAGNATE WHO HAD THE HOUSE BUILT
Howey was born in 1876 in Odin, Illinois. He began selling insurance at 16-years-old and by 1900 began developing land and towns for the railroad in Oklahoma.
He opened the Howey Motor Car Company in Kansas City in 1903, and after making seven Howey Cars, closed his business.
At age 31, he bought a large tract of land in Mexico and tried his hand at selling pineapple plantations, but the Mexican Revolution forced him out.
Police are regularly called to the home in Winter Haven because vandals have forced their way in - although the majority of the time these turn out to be history buffs or photographers
It is thought the current property owners will not settle for less than $2 million, and repairs to the house including the installation of air conditioning will cost an additional $1.5 million
When construction was completed in 1927, owner William John Howey arranged for the entire New York Civic Opera Company to give a free outdoor performance to celebrate
It was in 1908 when Howey found himself in Winter Haven, Florida where he perfected his citrus farming and sales program techniques.
He believed that if he took raw land and controlled its development into mature citrus groves, he could guarantee investors a successful enterprise while making a profit on each step of citrus cultivation.
In 1914, he began buying land for $8 to $10 per acre and later sold them at $800 to $2000 per acre, cleared and planted with 48 citrus trees per acre.
It is thought that new buyers will need to spend around $1.5 million carrying out repairs on the home, which was completed in 1927
Haunting: The house gives a glimpse of life as it was in the 1920s, when the impressive mansion was first built
Howey also offered a no-risk guarantee: if the buyer signed up for his company to maintain the land as well but the land didn't turn a profit with a set amount of time, he would buy back the land for the original cost plus interest.
Buyers flocked to the town, many considering him Florida's greatest citrus developer. In 1917, he built the Bougainvillea, a two-story frame boarding house across from the future site of the Howey Mansion, to house the visiting investors.
By 1920, he had amassed nearly 60,000 raw acres, but the Bougainvillea burned to the ground that year. He opened the Floridan Hotel at the south end of town in 1924, and it soon became the social hub of the community.
The Floridan Hotel would later become a victim to 'the bomb', an economic boom that occurred in parts of Florida where movie production companies would pay cities to blow up buildings for their movies. It was blown up in 1994 for Hulk HoganÃs Thunder in Paradise.
The Florida Land Boom tripled Howey's enterprises and the Town of Howey was incorporated on May 8, 1925. In 1927, the name was officially changed to Howey-in-the-Hills to reflect the location of the town in an area of rolling hills which he dubbed The Florida Alps.
It is thought the large cost of the mansion, and the expense prospective buyers will have to go to, has put many off
It was built as the home of William John Howey, a businessman who was regarded as Florida's greatest citrus developer
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