Buzz
Over time, certain locations, deeply rooted in history, come to symbolize the eras they belong to, embodying the values cherished by a society, or representing a distinctive lifestyle unique to a specific city or country. These invaluable sites often seem irreplaceable. The idea of selling them as though they were ordinary commodities can seem quite unconventional, to say the least.
Yet, as astonishing as it may seem, some of the world's most venerated landmarks have actually been put up for sale. A number of them were sold, with some changing hands more than once.
10. Carter’s Grove Plantation
Carter’s Grove Plantation stands on one of the most historically significant pieces of land in the United States: a plot near colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, with views of the James River. It remained in private hands for centuries before being donated to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in the 1960s.
Maintaining the plantation became financially burdensome. The foundation shut it down in 2007, and it was later sold to Halsey Minor, a wealthy businessman from Virginia. When Minor faced financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy in 2011, he placed the property on the market. Chicago entrepreneur Samuel M. Mencoff acquired it for $7.5 million in 2014.
The Georgian mansion fell into disrepair during Minor's ownership. Water damage caused harm to the plaster and brick, and routine upkeep was neglected. A spokesperson for Mencoff, a well-known preservation advocate, shared that he takes great pride in having assumed responsibility for the estate and plans to restore it in collaboration with Colonial Williamsburg.
9. Hollywood Sign
By the late 1970s, the Hollywood sign, originally placed on a ridge between Cahuenga Peak and Mount Lee in the 1920s to promote a real estate venture, had deteriorated significantly. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce decided to fund its replacement at an estimated cost of around $250,000.
To raise the funds, magazine mogul Hugh Hefner hosted an extravagant party at his Playboy mansion, selling the iconic letters of the sign for $27,700 each. The fundraising effort proved successful, the old sign was taken down, and "nine gleaming white letters" were put up in its place.
Everything seemed to be in order until 2002 when developers, who had acquired 138 acres of land near the sign, announced plans for a new project. This land once belonged to billionaire Howard Hughes, who had bought it in 1940 with intentions to build a home for his then-girlfriend, actress Ginger Rogers, though their relationship eventually ended.
When the land went on the market in 2002, investors seized the opportunity to purchase it. If developed, the land could drastically alter the familiar landscape. In response, a preservation campaign called "Save the Peak" was launched to buy the land and protect the area around the iconic sign.
Once again, Hefner took an important role in safeguarding the landmark's location. As the purchase deadline neared, the campaign was still $1 million short of the required $12.5 million. Hefner stepped in to cover the difference, ensuring that the Hollywood sign’s location was preserved.
"I am happy to have been in a position to have been able to do it," Hefner remarked. "It is our Eiffel Tower. It represents, I think, more than a city; it represents Hollywood dreams."
8. Empire State Building
On May 29, 2013, shareholders of the Empire State Building approved the decision to publicly sell the historic New York City skyscraper in a $4.2 billion IPO. Prior to this, two groups had clashed over the building’s future.
One faction advocated for maintaining the syndicate of 2,800 owners who had held the property since 1961. The other proposed grouping the Empire State Building with 18 other New York-area properties into a real estate investment trust (REIT), allowing the public to buy shares. While REIT investors couldn’t claim depreciation on the properties, they would receive dividends from their investments.
Although taller buildings exist today, the Empire State Building, standing at 443 meters (1,454 ft) with 102 stories, was once the tallest skyscraper in the world. It held this title in New York City until 1973, when the World Trade Center (WTC) was completed.
Following the destruction of the WTC in the terrorist attacks of September 2001, the Empire State Building regained its status as the tallest skyscraper in New York. However, it lost this title once again to the 540-meter-tall (1,776 ft) Ground Zero building built on the former WTC site.
7. Alamo
The Alamo originally began as the Mission San Francisco de Solano, established near the Rio Grande River in 1700. After several relocations, it was ultimately settled in San Antonio, Texas. By the century’s end, the mission was "secularized" and split among local settlers, both Spanish and Native American.
Shortly after, the mission became a military outpost. During the Texas Revolution (1835–36), Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna’s army laid siege to the Alamo. They overran its defenders, including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, in a brutal 90-minute battle after Santa Anna's forces breached the walls of the fortress.
When the military left in 1877, the Alamo’s grounds and buildings were divided and sold over the following years to various buyers. The property underwent significant modifications to suit the needs of its owners. In 1883, Texas purchased the Alamo, but the convento, or Long Barrack, was sold to make room for a new hotel in 1903.
San Antonio teacher and preservationist Adina de Zavala raised $75,000 through "the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT), a heritage group committed to honoring the men and battlefields of the 1836 revolution," and the convento was bought. The Texas legislature reimbursed the DRT two years later.
6. Liberty Bell
The replica of the Liberty Bell displayed at The Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has stood as a symbol of American freedom since July 4, 1776, when it rang to announce the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The original bell was recast twice, first in 1753 after cracking during a test in London, and again to improve its sound.
Seventy years after its second recasting, the bell came close to being sold as scrap metal. It was spared only because removing “the one-ton behemoth from its four-story perch in Independence Hall” would have cost more than the $400 that city officials were asking for. “It’s pretty much a miracle that the thing still exists,” said Gary B. Nash, UCLA professor emeritus of history.
5. Monticello
Though Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) never received formal training as an architect, he was an avid reader of architectural books. Instead of choosing a pre-designed plan and hiring a contractor to oversee construction on the land he inherited, Jefferson took on both the design and supervisory responsibilities himself in 1768.
After serving as ambassador to France following the death of his wife, Martha, in 1782, Jefferson returned to Virginia to redesign Monticello. He expanded the original house, nearly doubling its size, and enriched its gardens with fruit trees and vines.
His extravagant spending left his daughter, Martha Randolph, with overwhelming debts, forcing her to sell the estate. In 1836, Uriah Levy, a real estate speculator, acquired Monticello. He and his nephew, Jefferson Monroe Levy, worked to restore and preserve the estate.
In 1923, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, a nonprofit organization, purchased Monticello. Today, the site operates as a museum and an educational institution.
4. Bran Castle
In 2007, Romania’s former royal family placed Bran Castle on the market. The fortress, perched on a cliff near Brasov, is a renowned landmark, historically used to defend against the Ottoman Turks. It is famously linked to Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula.
The grand structure served as the royal residence from 1920 to 1948. However, following its confiscation by the communist government from Princess Ileana, the castle was restored in the late 1980s and gained fame as ‘Dracula’s Castle,’ attracting tourists ever since.
In 2006, the property was returned to Princess Ileana’s son, Archduke Dominic Habsburg, who was then 69 years old. It now functions as a museum, as local authorities declined his proposal to sell the castle for $80 million.
After the failed sale, Habsburg once more attempted to sell the castle. His representative estimated that an offer of $135 million would be made for the estate. Yet, no buyers have come forward as of now.
3. Stonehenge
In September 1915, the British publication Country Life featured an ad declaring Stonehenge was up for sale as part of a 6,400-acre estate. From the Middle Ages until the early 1800s, the land surrounding the iconic Stonehenge monoliths was privately owned by the Antrobus family of Cheshire, who had purchased it in 1824. Prior to that, the land had belonged to various owners.
During World War I, the only heir to the Antrobus family was killed in France, leading to the sale of their estate. No buyers were found for the entire property, which included a mansion, farmhouse, and gardens, so the land was divided into 89 individual lots and sold separately.
Lot 15 contained the Stonehenge stones. Although the landmark was famous, there was little interest in purchasing it. The lot sold for just £6,600, or about $8,700, which was much lower than the expected price.
Cecil Chubb, the buyer, gave the stones to his wife, who was unimpressed by the dilapidated state of the monument. In October 1918, the couple gifted the site to the United Kingdom, and Chubb was honored with an honorary knighthood. '[Stonehenge is now] under the guardianship of English Heritage and is safe forever,' said Heather Sebire, a curator.
2. New Scotland Yard
In 2014, New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of London’s renowned Metropolitan Police Service (the Met) and one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, was sold to an Abu Dhabi investor for £370 million ($580 million), £120 million more than initially expected. The buyer intended to transform the police headquarters into high-end apartments.
As a consequence of the sale, artifacts once housed in a private 'Black Museum' will now be relocated to a public museum. Among these items are 'the ricin-laced pellet shot from an umbrella that killed Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov on a London bridge in 1978' and 'the cooking pots used by a serial killer to prepare his victims.' The Metropolitan Police's new headquarters will be situated in a neoclassical building on the River Thames, near the British Parliament.
1. London Bridge
In 1968, industrialist Robert McCulloch sought to draw tourists to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, which at the time was a sleepy, humid town. He bought the iconic London Bridge and had it transported stone by stone across the Atlantic and the United States to be reassembled over the Colorado River.
In the 1960s, it was discovered that London Bridge was sinking at a rate of 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) every eight years. The costs of restoring it were deemed too high, so the 305-meter (1,000-foot) granite bridge was dismantled in favor of a new construction. Before it was scrapped, City Councilor Ivan Luckin suggested that perhaps an American might be interested in buying it.
McCulloch offered to pay twice the $1.2 million it would cost the city to take the bridge apart, plus an additional $60,000 to sweeten the deal. The bridge was his. Each stone was labeled with its specific location, span, and row. The dismantled pieces were packed, shipped to Long Beach, California, and transported by truck to their new home.
The pieces were then carefully reassembled, with the central structure reinforced using steel-reinforced concrete. The entire process of disassembly, transportation, and reconstruction cost McCulloch an additional $7 million, but London Bridge turned out to be exactly the tourist draw he had hoped for. The arrival of the famous landmark led to a significant growth in Lake Havasu City’s population.
