Over the years, certain historically significant locations have come to stand for their era, the ideals of a people, or a specific way of life that is peculiar to a city or a nation. Such priceless locations appear unreplaceable. Many would find it unconventional, to put it mildly, to think of them as being sold as simply commodities.
Even though it may sound unbelievable, some of the world’s most treasured sites have been placed up for sale. In fact, several of them have been sold, sometimes more than once.
10 Carter’s Grove Plantation
A plot of land close to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, with a view of the James River, is where Carter’s Grove Plantation is located. It is one of the most historic locations in the entire country. Before being bequeathed to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in the 1960s, it had been held privately for generations.
The cost of upkeep for the plantation was high. In 2007, the organization shuttered it, and rich Virginian businessman Halsey Minor purchased Carter’s Grove. In 2011, Minor had a financial downturn and filed for bankruptcy, putting the property up for sale. In 2014, Chicago billionaire Samuel M. Mencoff paid $7.5 million for it.
During Minor’s ownership, the Georgian home experienced disrepair. Water leaks caused plaster and brick to be destroyed, and “basic maintenance work [was] left undone.” Mencoff, a well-known preservationist, expressed his pride in taking over care of the site through a spokesman and his intention to preserve it, working with Colonial Williamsburg to do this.
9 Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood sign, which was constructed in the 1920s to advertise a real estate development on a ridge between Cahuenga Peak and Mount Lee, was considerably worse for wear by the late 1970s. It was intended to be replaced by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for around $250,000.
Hugh Hefner, the publisher of the magazine, staged an extravagant party at his Playboy house and sold the historical object letter by letter for $27,700 apiece to raise the money. The previous sign was taken down and “nine sparkling white letters were erected in its stead” after the fundraising was a success.
Everything appeared to be well until 2002, when investors decided to build on 138 acres of property they had purchased next to the sign. Howard Hughes, a multibillionaire, had acquired the estate in 1940. Though their relationship ended, he had intended to construct a house there for his lover, the actress Ginger Rogers.
The investors purchased his land in 2002 when it was up for sale. Now, if the area were to be developed, it may significantly alter the well-known scenery. To acquire the property and protect the region close to the legendary sign, the “Save the Peak” campaign was started.
Once more, Hefner was crucial in maintaining the landmark’s placement. The fundraising effort fell only $1 million shy of the $12.5 million required as the purchase deadline drew near. The site of the Hollywood sign was preserved thanks to a donation from Hefner.
Hefner stated, “I am glad to have been in a position to have been able to accomplish it. We call it the Eiffel Tower. It stands for, in my opinion, more than just a city; it stands for Hollywood fantasies.
8 Empire State Building
Shareholders of the Empire State Building authorized the $4.2 billion initial public offering (IPO) of the iconic New York City skyscraper on May 29, 2013. Two factions have previously argued on what would happen to the famous structure.
One advocated keeping a syndicate of 2,800 owners in control as they had been since 1961. The other desired to combine the structure with 18 more properties in the New York region into a real estate investment trust (REIT), offering shares of the properties to the general public. Investors in REITs would not be allowed to deduct the depreciation of the properties, but they would still get dividends on their investment shares.
Although there are now several buildings that are taller, the Empire State Building, which is 1,454 feet (443 meters) tall and has 102 stories, used to be the highest skyscraper in the world. Up until the World Trade Center (WTC) was built in 1973, it remained the highest structure in New York City.
The Empire State Building once again holds the record for the highest tower in the city after the WTC was destroyed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. But the 540-meter-tall Ground Zero structure, which is 1,776 feet tall and was built on the site of the former WTC, won this title back.
7 Alamo
Shareholders of the Empire State Building authorized the $4.2 billion initial public offering (IPO) of the iconic New York City skyscraper on May 29, 2013. Two factions have previously argued on what would happen to the famous structure.
One advocated keeping a syndicate of 2,800 owners in control as they had been since 1961. The other desired to combine the structure with 18 more properties in the New York region into a real estate investment trust (REIT), offering shares of the properties to the general public. Investors in REITs would not be allowed to deduct the depreciation of the properties, but they would still get dividends on their investment shares.
Although there are now several buildings that are taller, the Empire State Building, which is 1,454 feet (443 meters) tall and has 102 stories, used to be the highest skyscraper in the world. Up until the World Trade Center (WTC) was built in 1973, it remained the highest structure in New York City.
The Empire State Building once again holds the record for the highest tower in the city after the WTC was destroyed in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. But the 540-meter-tall Ground Zero structure, which is 1,776 feet tall and was built on the site of the former WTC, won this title back.
6 Liberty Bell
Since July 4, 1776, when it rang to signal the reading of the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell replica has hung at The Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has come to represent American independence. The original bell was recast twice, the first time in 1753 when it broke during testing in London and the second time to improve the sound.
It was nearly sold as scrap metal seventy years after it was recast for the second time. Only because it would have cost more to drop “the one-ton monster from its four-story perch in Independence Hall” than the $400 municipal authorities demanded for the bell did it get rescued from the scrap heap. Gary B. Nash, retired professor of history at UCLA, remarked, “It’s pretty much a wonder that the thing still exists.”
5 Monticello
Despite not having had any professional training in architecture, Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) read extensively on the topic. For the mansion he intended to erect on property he had acquired in 1768, Jefferson chose to design it himself rather than opting for “a stock design” and engaging a contractor to oversee construction.
Following the passing of his wife, Martha, in 1782, Jefferson served as ambassador to France before coming back to Virginia to build a new Monticello. He quadrupled the size of the old home and expanded the already sizable gardens by adding fruit and vines.
Because of his extravagant spending, his daughter Martha Randolph was forced to sell the estate in order to pay off her obligations. A real estate investor named Uriah Levy purchased Monticello in 1836. He conserved and renovated the property with the help of his nephew Jefferson Monroe Levy.
Monticello was bought by the charity Thomas Jefferson Foundation in 1923, and it is currently used as a museum and educational facility.
4 Bran Castle
The former Romanian royal family listed Bran Castle for sale in 2007. Located on a rock close to Brasov, the fortress is a well-known sight. It served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turks and is linked to Vlad the Impaler, the historical figure on whom Bram Stoker based the character Count Dracula in his novels.
From 1920 through 1948, the majestic building served as the royals’ residence. The communist regime then took it away from Princess Ileana. It gained the name “Dracula’s Castle” during restoration in the late 1980s, and has been a popular tourist destination ever since.
The property was given back to Archduke Dominic Habsburg, aged 69, Princess Ileana’s son, in 2006. Local officials rejected his request to sell the castle for $80 million, thus it is now a museum.
Habsburg offered the castle for sale once more following the transaction’s rejection. His counsel anticipated that Habsburg would get a bid for the property of $135 million. There haven’t been any purchasers as of yet.
3 London Bridge
Industrialist Robert McCulloch wanted to bring visitors to the then-sweltering backwater of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in 1968. In order to rebuild it over the Colorado River, he purchased the renowned London Bridge and transported the iconic 19th-century structure stone by stone across the Atlantic Ocean and the continental United States.
London Bridge was found to be sinking by 2.5 cm (1 in) per eight years by English officials in the 1960s. The 305-meter (1,000-foot) granite bridge was abandoned in favor of constructing a replacement because renovations were thought to be too expensive. City Councilor Ivan Luckin urged the city try to sell the bridge before it was junked. They may possibly sell it to an American.
In order to “sweeten” the deal, McCulloch promised the authorities double the $1.2 million it would have cost them to tear down the bridge. He held the bridge. Each stone block was identified by its location, row, and span. The blocks were transported to their ultimate location in a convoy of trucks, while the disassembled bridge was packaged and delivered to Long Beach, California.
They were put back together there, and steel-reinforced concrete was used to fortify the structure’s center. McCulloch spent an additional $7 million on the dismantling, shipment, and reassembly, but London Bridge ended up being the perfect tourist destination for him. After the monument was built, Lake Havasu City’s population “blossomed.”
2 New Scotland Yard
One of London’s most recognizable monuments, New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the renowned Metropolitan Police Service (the Met), was sold to an Abu Dhabi investor in 2014 for £370 million ($580 million), which was £120 million more than was anticipated. The buyer intended to turn the police station into upscale flats.
Artifacts that were formerly housed in an exclusive “Black Museum” will now be transferred to a public museum as a result of the sale. Among the items are “cooking pans used by a serial murderer to boil up his victims” and “the ricin-filled pellet shot from an umbrella to kill Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov on a London bridge in 1978.” The new Met headquarters will be located in a neoclassical building close to parliament on the River Thames.
1 Stonehenge
The British publication Country Life published an advertising in September 1915 offering Stonehenge as a “companion feature” for the purchase of a 6,400-acre plot of land. The Antrobus family of Cheshire controlled the property on which the Stonehenge monoliths are located privately from the Middle Ages until the early 1800s after purchasing it in 1824. It has previously been claimed by a number of different owners.
The Antrobus family estate was placed up for sale after the lone heir was killed in France during World War I. The entire property, which “contained a mansion, farmhouse, and adjacent grounds,” was separated into 89 lots and sold at separate auctions since there were no bids for it as a whole.
The obelisks from Stonehenge were in Lot 15. Despite being a well-known monument, not many people were interested in purchasing it. Lot 15 was supposed to sell for around $8,700, but instead only brought in a meager £6,600 pounds.
Cecil Chubb, the buyer, handed it to his wife, who was disappointed by the cracked and tumbled stones that were at that point in a “decrepit” state. The couple deeded their acquisition to the United Kingdom in October 1918, and Chubb was appointed an honorary knight. According to curator Heather Sebire, “[Stonehenge is now] under the custody of English Heritage and is protected forever.”