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He bought asmall house directly across the street from his factory and had it demolished.Then he used the lot and foundation to build the glorious Victorian mansionthat you see today in 1875. With 6,661 square feet, three floors, 26 rooms anda grand, sweeping staircase, this monument to money has dominated the Gardnerlandscape ever since. Over the years, guests and visitors have told stories of ghostly activity in the house. They have seen and felt the presence of SK Pierce, Ellen, Edward, and ghosts of prior visitors and those who have died in the house. The TV show Ghost Hunters, have been to the house to investigate.
Salem, Massachusetts, embraces its sordid past as Witch City
He was the quintessential self-made man and that wouldfigure heavily into his desire to build a lasting monument to his success. Her body was unceremoniously shoved into her closet to hide thedeed for just long enough for the man to make his escape. He got away withnothing more than a guilty conscience, but the woman would always remember him.She would relive that night for the rest of eternity and always find herself completelyalone in the Red Room.
Edward West Pierce
In June 2015, after only being on the real estate market for two weeks, Rob and Allison Conti bought the house sight-unseen and turned it into an attraction. Only within the past year have they opened the house for overnight stays. They are also in the midst of a significant renovation project on the house. It’s now filled with empty rooms waiting to be furnished, adding to its spooky factor. However, the Smith family nearly lost their home in 2021, when a fire broke out here stemming from the basement. It forced the family to renovate home aspects like the basketball court, tennis court, and parts of the lower level of the space (via New York Post).
Historical records matching Sylvester Knowlton Pierce
Which of course is why Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith call this city home. They live in a $42 million estate that is worth every one of the seven years it took to build, with every decision approved by Smith himself, according to Velvet Ropes. With that in mind, don't think you'll find typical California touches here. Instead, Smith and Pinkett Smith's home is brimming with personality, starting with the carved front door imported from Northern India. Unlike the many celebrities who constantly trade off homes, Sharon Stone has lived in the same Beverly Hills mansion for nearly three decades. Stone gave the entire property a revamp in 2018, giving the home's elegant style a modern makeover, according to Architectural Digest.
Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Arctic Ghosts
Homeowner to Turn 'Haunted' Mansion Into Scary Attraction - ABC News
Homeowner to Turn 'Haunted' Mansion Into Scary Attraction.
Posted: Fri, 02 Sep 2016 07:00:00 GMT [source]
It was during this time that rumors of drinking, gambling, prostitution, and possibly even murder began to haunt the house. A young sex worker was allegedly strangled in one of the bedrooms, a Finnish immigrant named Eino Saari burned to death in his room in 1963, and a young boy might have drowned in the basement. It took 100 men almost two years to complete the mansion, which covers 7,000 square feet over four stories. Inside there are 10 bedrooms, three bathrooms, and 11-foot ceilings, with ornate woodwork and marble fireplaces throughout. A tunnel also once existed in the basement that directly connected to Pierce’s factory.
The 23-room Banning House is widely regarded as the finest example of domestic Greek Revival architecture in Southern California. The house interiors have been carefully restored to their original Victorian beauty - 18 rooms are open to the public. The Banning House was designated a California Historical Landmark in 1935, Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 25 in 1963, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in May 1971. The Avila Adobe is LA’s oldest house still standing in its original location, and is designated as California Historic Landmark #145. Originally built in 1818 by Francisco José Avila, it has since been the home to many of his family members and descendants.
During its heyday, the mansion was host to the likes of former President Calvin Coolidge, famous pool player Minnesota Fats, Bette Davis, P.T. Barnum, and Norman Rockwell is even said to have worked out of the house for a time. This had a demoralizing effect on the other children andmost of them would end up moving away from the house rather than continue tofight a losing battle. The family war set the mansion up for a tumultuousfuture after its creator and first loving owner passed away and left it in thehands of his feuding descendants and all of their bad blood.
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
They implemented luxe features like doors entirely made of brass, a marble tub imported from Italy, 33-foot ceilings, oak floors, and floor-to-ceiling windows. And, as fans of Teigen's "Cravings" cookbook and cookware line can guess, the kitchen also has state-of-the-art touches like a mix of textures, gray and beige colors, marble counters, and brass hardware. Despite the home's huge price tag, it still has a coziness that isn't often found in typical modern California pads. That comes from home features such as exposed wood beams, seven fireplaces spread throughout the property, neutral colors, and antique décor.
The only Richard Neutra-designed house that is now open regularly to the public, the Neutra VDL Studio and Residences is a Silver Lake hidden gem that was built by the famed architect in 1932. He ran his practice out of a studio here, and along with his wife Dione, raised three sons in this house, which he designed to demonstrate that Modernist principles could be enjoyed by less affluent clients, while maintaining privacy. Natural light, glass walls, patios and mirrors are hallmarks of the Neutra VDL House. Tours of the property, given by Cal Poly Pomona architecture students, are offered on Saturdays from 11 a.m.
He built it as one of the biggest houses in the area as a symbol of his successful furniture factory. Pierce’s first wife, Susan, died of a sudden bacterial illness. After S.K. Pierce died (at home) in 1888, the house was willed to his second wife, Ellen Pierce, who also eventually died there. The mansion was then left to S.K.'s three sons, who spent years fighting over ownership of the family home and furniture business until the two eldest sons finally moved away. However, gaining control over the Victorian did not result in success or happiness for the youngest son, Edward Pierce.
Because Costello is a talented psychic medium, she was able to deliver messages she was receiving from the entities in each room. It’s believed we heard the voice of the spirit of the murder victim in the red room on the spirit box, a battery-powered device that uses radio frequencies to capture spirit voices. We also heard from the spirit of Mattie Cornwell, the nanny, who communicated with us by answering yes or no questions by turning on a couple of flashlights.
How the S.K. Pierce Mansion Became One of the Most Haunted Homes in Massachusetts - House Beautiful
How the S.K. Pierce Mansion Became One of the Most Haunted Homes in Massachusetts.
Posted: Wed, 27 Oct 2021 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Over the subsequent years, guests of this mansion have suggested that it is rich with paranormal activity. Pierce, his wife Susan, and their son had big dreams when moving into this one of a kind mansion, but their dreams fell apart when Mrs. Susan Pierce mysteriously succumbed to a bacterial illness just weeks after moving in. After a year of mourning , Pierce married Ellen Pierce, a woman 30 years his junior, with whom he had two more children. Pierce passed away in 1888 leaving behind his new wife and their three sons.
It would be two years before he remarried, this time to Ellen N. West, a woman 20 years his junior, and much closer in age to his son, Frank. One visitor felt that a presence was attempting to push her down the steps while another was almost forced out of a third floor window. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill may seem like they belong in Nashville, but the couple also had a six-bedroom Spanish-style estate in Beverly Hills that they sold in 2009 for nearly $10 million, reported Taste of Country. The estate had tons of wow-factors throughout its 11,000 square feet. This included a grand wraparound staircase visitors could immediately see upon entering the home, a huge master suite equipped with a personal fitness center, and a chef's kitchen with stainless steel and state-of-the-art appliances. It had a classy, stately style, with beige and white tones, intricate chandeliers, and wrought iron details.
All of that was well and good forher, but S.K.’s children saw her as a woman seeking an upwardly mobilearrangement with their father. They believed that she only married him tobecome a part of the high society that she had always envied and things weren’tgreat between them. Like they say in Hollywood (I’m assuming), you’re only assuccessful as the people who visit your house. Pierce was no stranger tohis famous friends and he had plenty of them. Barnum, who I’m guessing he met at the“initials for names club”, Bette Davis and both of her famous eyes, NormanRockwell, and president Calvin Coolidge. There was a newfangledtechnology on the market known at “gas lighting” and he tricked out everysingle room with it.
Another sordid tale involves a prostitute killed in the mansion’s Red Room, strangled to death. One of New England’s most infamous haunted locations will soon be open for the general public to tour. Of course Ellen had her own quarrels with the older Pierceboys and she never let an opportunity to disparage them pass her by.
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