17. Swant tonoa is a Magnificent Money Pit Mansion.
Major James H. Dooley, a businessman, spent $2 million in 1912 to build an Italian Renaissance Revival home. This one-of-a-kind mansion, located near Lyndhurst, Virginia, took over eight years to create. There are marble flooring, Tiffany windows, and various other features that 300 different artists have meticulously built. The mansion was named “Swant tonya” by Major Dooley, and it quickly became the town’s crown jewel. Major Dooley died in 1924, and his wife died two years later in 1926; all of this luxury came to an end.
Because the Dooleys had no children, it was passed down to James’ two sisters. They sold it to someone who intended to turn it into a country club for only $300,000. The club was first established in 1929, but it was forced to close in 1932 due to financial losses during the Great Depression. During World War II, the US Navy explored purchasing this palace to house their troops, but the restoration costs would have been prohibitive. As a result, a guy named Walter Russell bought it for $60,000 in 1944. He intended to build a New Age university on the property, but it never materialized. Anyone who tries to acquire it since then has been labeled a “money pit.”
