Michael Jackson's estate

Jackson has 1,100 acres of land and 22 buildings on the property. The main house with an area of 1100 meters in the Tudor style got Michael from the previous owner. The interior of the singer did not change anything.

On the plot Jackson arranged a lake with a 5-meter waterfall. Zoo with giraffes, elephants, crocodiles and tigers. Built his own railroad with a replica of the station from Disneyland.

The estate got a 50-seat movie theater with a trapdoor on the stage for magic tricks. A basketball court. A stable. An amusement park. Amusement arcade. Ferris wheel. Massage center.

Jackson spent $35 million to build Neverland. It cost $3 million a month to maintain the park. 150 people worked there.

The golden gates at the entrance to the estate were decorated with the British royal coat of arms. On them is a motto in Old French: Honi soit qui mal y pense. It translates as "Shame on him who thinks ill of it."

In 1993, Oprah Winfrey interviewed Jackson right here. That's when the singer first explained his idea: "I can't go to Disneyland like a normal person. There's a lot of people there. So I'm creating my world outside these gates. Everything I love is here."

He regularly invited seriously ill and underprivileged children to Neverland. They came from hospitals, orphanages, and dysfunctional families. Michael believed that joy and play were the cure.

Then came the trial. In 2005, Michael Jackson was acquitted on all counts. But he never returned to Neverland. The ranch was empty.

In 2008, the investment fund Colony Capital took the estate for $22 million to cover the singer's debts. Jackson died a year later.

The foundation began preparing the estate for sale. All Neverland signs were taken down to get away from the reputation. The rides were dismantled. The zoo was closed. All of the singer's belongings have been removed. The foundation spent tens of millions of dollars to rebuild and restore the ranch.

The estate was put up for sale for $100 million. Silence. In 2017, the price was reduced to $65 milliononoa. Silence again.

In 2020, billionaire Ron Burkle spotted the estate from the air while flying by on other business. He ended up buying it for $22 million.

The story of Neverland turned out to be strange and beautiful at the same time. One man built himself a whole world that he couldn't get to in normal life. With trains, lakes, rides and animals. Where he could forget the crowds of fans, the cameras and the endless attention.