Inside abandoned mansions: 6 hauntingly beautiful sites across the US
Believe it or not, there are thousands of abandoned homes across the United States. Some lavish estates that were once worth millions of dollars are now in crumbled ruins.
While some have been demolished and others left to rot, a few find new owners, who have restored or renovated the homes or opened them to the public to explore in all their glory.
But these abandoned homes aren’t just relics. Plenty of isolated properties have chilling pasts and spooky stories hiding inside their history.
Despite their downfalls, there is something beautiful about these archaic homes, as they have been molded and transformed by their surrounding environs and the decay that comes with time.
Scroll through to see six abandoned mansions that are hauntingly beautiful.
Swingers Tiki Palace | Chattanooga, Tennessee
This fixture of Chattanooga was built as a private home for strip-club tycoon Billy Hull in 1972.
The anticipation of the party mansion, which took 14 months to complete, led to almost 10,000 people attending the housewarming party, according to Abandoned Southeast.
The 5,600-square-foot home had three bedrooms and 4.5 baths, and was built to host blowout parties. It was most famously known for its unique Playboy Bunny-shaped pool, which had swim tunnels leading to separate bedrooms. The pool, surrounded by live palm trees, was the focal point of the home, which would be the first thing you saw the moment you entered.
The hallways and bathrooms were covered in marble from floor to ceiling. Some rooms’ walls were adorned with palm matting, Tiki-style bamboo and animal heads. There was also a full marble bar in the back of the house surrounded by mirrored walls leading to the outdoors.
The patio featured a 12-person Jacuzzi, a bar made of copper, as well as a large sauna.
But what started as a dream home for Hull quickly turned into a nightmare.
On May 3, 1973, his friend Larry Parker shot and killed Roland Hargis as he was leaving the Tradewinds Night Club. Hargis was the lover of Gloria Hull, Billy’s wife.
Billy was found guilty of murder-for-hire and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
