extreme

the end of private property is not about to come

December 28, 2010

by Jeanne-Salome Rochat

body modification, extreme, fetish, reality, urban/street art

Mike Tyson’s abandoned Ohio mansion is not only one of the finest examples or early-American hyper-pimp, but it’s hard to find someone with 1) such exquisite taste and 2) with enough money to make such a masterpiece happen.

The property, a total of 60 acres, it has been sitting abandoned in this desolate area for years. Tyson’s former home is a considerable 20,000 sq. feet with 15 bedrooms. Indoor pool, lavish bathrooms, big chef’s kitchen, 6+ car garages, large entertainment room. As you can see, it’s very well appointed with zebra stripe carpet, gold plating and boasts a large facility for lions that Tyson used to keep as pets.

According to my vague cyber-research, the deserted property was purchased in 1999 by Paul Monea (in blue, who made much of his fortune from selling Billy Blanks’ “Taebo tapes”) for $1.3 million dollars and was seized shortly after by feds investigating him for money laundering issues.

If my sources are right, in January 2010, the mansion was then purchased by Ron Hemelgarn (in black, owner of the “Indy Racing League”) for only $600,000.

During the 10 years that separated the two owners, hundreds (thousands?) of curious, fans and fetishists penetrated the property and carefully documented the rotting and vandalizing processes. An amazing amount of images can still be found on the web, with detailed indications on how to access the house. (3737 State Route 534, Southington, Ohio)

Finally, what is “Iron” Mike Tyson up to these days?
He has a Twitter account and a few Facebook pages that he updates on a near daily basis. He was just recently included on ballot for class of 2011 Boxing Hall of Fame. And life goes on.