The beauty of architecture is often in the eye of the beholder, as these controversial cribs prove. Whether they’ve led to fierce legal battles, or been condemned to the wrecking ball, these controversial homes are sure to leave an impression. From the one-of-a-kind house dubbed America’s ugliest to an opulent 27-storey mansion built on the cusp of Mumbai’s biggest slum, these eye-catching abodes are notorious and notable in equal measure. Click or scroll on for more…
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Mezhyhirya Residence, Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine
Big, beautiful and full of bling, the Mezhyhirya Residence in Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine, was solely funded by ill-gotten gains. In 2007, the country’s then-president, Viktor Yanukovych, decided to claim Ukraine’s official summer house as his own, gradually taking ownership of the 340-acre estate. The former leader, who was found guilty of high treason and sentenced in absentia in 2019, demolished the original Soviet-era building and replaced it with a 6,700-square-foot luxury mansion.
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Mezhyhirya Residence, Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine
Yanukovych, who was elected president in 2010, splurged ridiculous sums of taxpayers’ money on the remarkable five-storey palace, which was designed by the Finnish architectural firm, Honka. The former president reportedly ordered gilt and crystal chandeliers at a cost of $100,000 (£77k) each, $64,000 (£49k) doors, and marble staircase cladding for a jaw-dropping $430,000 (£333k). Yanukovych’s expensive tastes can be seen in glaring detail throughout the home.
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Mezhyhirya Residence, Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine
The disgraced politician not only forked out for the finest construction materials but also opted for rather unnecessary extras to be added to his newly acquired abode. Standout features include an underground shooting range, a $3 million (£2.3m) golf course, a cryogenic sauna, an artificial salt cave, a bowling alley and several tennis courts. Yanukovych also decorated his many bathrooms with the most expensive gold fixtures that (other people’s) money could buy.
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Mezhyhirya Residence, Novi Petrivtsi, Ukraine
The opulence doesn’t stop there, either. Yanukovych also installed a private zoo complete with peacocks and ostriches, a private fire station, a 3D movie theatre, and extravagant artworks. There’s also an extensive vintage car and motorcycle collection located in a colossal garage, and a science lab where the president’s meals were tested for poison before being served. The iconic property is now a state museum.
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15 Clerkenwell Close, London, UK
Despite being an award-winning piece of architecture, 15 Clerkenwell Close is also considered highly controversial. So much so that in 2019 it was only just saved from demolition. The property was completed in 2017 and designed by architect Amin Taha, who was hired to create a building where offices and apartments could merge together across column-free floors. The property also needed to blend into its setting, inside the boundary of an 11th-century Norman limestone abbey.
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15 Clerkenwell Close, London, UK
Spanning seven floors, the property was acknowledged with a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) National Award in 2018, but that didn’t stop Islington Council ordering Taha to demolish the structure, following a long dispute over its finished appearance. The council argued that planning consent was only granted for a plain brick façade and that Taha had changed the design to a raw quarried limestone finish without prior approval.
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15 Clerkenwell Close, London, UK
Taha upheld that documents were supplied that addressed the alterations, but Islington Council claimed otherwise. Finally, in August 2019, the authorities were forced to admit that the missing paperwork had been found, containing details of Taha’s proposed changes to the exterior. Their demolition notice was overthrown, and according to claims Taha made to Dezeen, the responsible enforcement officer was charged with editing the approval documents, which revealed the building’s finished design.
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15 Clerkenwell Close, London, UK
Despite being saved from the wrecking ball, the courts did order Taha to make some amendments to the façade, including adjusting the stone to make it more uniform. The architect was also advised to shorten one of the property’s solar chimneys and complete the interior office floors that were sitting unoccupied. Despite local council objections to the design, Taha is said to have received support from over 4,000 people, praising him for the unique building.
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Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo, Japan
The Nakagin Capsule Tower was designed in 1972 by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, who wanted to create practical and compact accommodation for travelling businessmen working in Tokyo. Extremely innovative for its time, the building was the world’s first piece of capsule architecture and is one of the last remaining examples of Japanese Metabolist architecture. Built in just 30 days, the tower wasn’t well-received due to its unique form that was likened to a stack of washing machines.
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Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo, Japan
Yet the controversy around Nakagin Capsule Tower was not solely to do with its appearance. Formed from 140 capsule boxes, each unit was connected to a concrete core using four high-tension bolts. Kurokawa’s vision was for a sustainable, adaptable and recyclable building, where the blocks could easily be replaced as needed. Sadly, none of the pods were ever changed since they proved too costly to manufacture. Left to deteriorate, the building is now considered an eyesore.
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Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo, Japan
Each capsule was manufactured in a factory in Shiga Prefecture before being transported to the site on the back of a lorry. Each interior pod was then hoisted into position by crane before being fastened to the concrete core. Spanning 14 storeys, the capsules measure just 107 square feet and were designed to accommodate one person. Each preassembled interior was furnished with the basics, including a built-in bed, storage, appliances and an aeroplane-style bathroom.
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Nakagin Capsule Tower, Tokyo, Japan
Over its almost 50-year lifespan, the tower hasn’t been well maintained, leading to drainage issues and damage to water pipes. The building now stands mostly vacant. When Kurokawa passed away in 2007, the building’s remaining residents voted to replace his lifework with a contemporary apartment block, but the 2008 stock market crash pressed pause on their plans. Still in a state of disrepair, we fear Nakagin Capsule Tower is destined for demolition.
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Flintstone House, California, USA
Designed by William Nicholson in 1976, the Flintstone House is a unique piece of architecture that has, for obvious reasons, caused a fair amount of drama. The freeform property can be found in the upmarket Californian town of Hillsborough, a place once associated with enviable mid-century modern homes and lavish hillside mansions. Offering distinctive curves and eye-watering colours, the property has become one of the world’s most iconic examples of bubble architecture.
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Flintstone House, California, USA
Inspired by Fred and Wilma’s fictional Bedrock home, the 2,700-square-foot residence not only comes with a ‘Yabba Dabba Doo’ sign but 15-foot dinosaurs and Flintstones figurines decorating its yard. The experimental house was created from balloons and steel mesh sprayed with liquid concrete, making its aesthetic entirely unique. In 2017, media mogul Florence Fang purchased the property for $2.8 million (£2.2m) and opted to paint the exterior orange and purple.
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Flintstone House, California, USA
Sadly for Fang, Hillsborough’s residents were not quite as enthralled with the property as she was. In March 2019, the town filed a complaint, declaring the house an eyesore and a nuisance. They also claimed that Fang carried out modifications without necessary permits. Not taking the lawsuit lying down, Fang countersued the town for racial discrimination and won the right to take the matter to trial. Their very public legal battle continues, but Fang has refused to remove her dinosaurs…
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Flintstone House, California, USA
As unique as its façade, the home’s interior features textured whitewashed walls, Jerusalem stone floor tiles and the odd 70s shag pile carpet. Splashes of orange and purple nod to the home’s iconic exterior, while curved back-lit alcoves and a spaceship-themed kitchen add to the home’s lovable quirks. Though not to everyone’s taste, we can totally see why Fang is so enthusiastic about this rare and wonderful abode.
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Mohamed Hadid’s Bel Air mansion, California, USA
Another Californian resident that isn’t making any friends is the multimillionaire real estate developer Mohamed Hadid. Father of supermodels Gigi and Bella, Hadid has been locked in a fierce legal battle with the Los Angeles authorities due to his rather adventurous self-build project. Positioned on a precarious hillside in Bel Air, the sprawling mansion has been under construction since 2011, when Hadid first purchased the plot.
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Mohamed Hadid’s Bel Air mansion, California, USA
Hadid apparently initially intended to build himself a 14,000-square-foot mansion but by 2014 the project had grown significantly. When the city of Los Angeles discovered that the house was 70 feet tall and six storeys high, they revoked Hadid’s building permits. Despite this, the property tycoon is rumoured to have carried on regardless, adding an extra floor underneath the basement level and installing an unauthorised second swimming pool.
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Mohamed Hadid’s Bel Air mansion, California, USA
The 30,0000-square-foot mega-mansion should have been demolished as soon as the permits were revoked and in 2017, the multimillionaire was sentenced to 200 hours of community service for illegal construction. Then, in 2018, Hadid’s neighbours rallied together and brought a lawsuit against him over fears the hillside on which the house stands was on the brink of collapse.
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Mohamed Hadid’s Bel Air mansion, California, USA
After a six-year legal battle, Hadid finally lost his case in June 2020 when California’s Supreme Court reportedly declared the pad a “clear and present danger”. Sat unfinished for almost a decade, the house is due to be demolished, but no date has been confirmed for its demise. Hadid’s doomed property proves that even real estate developers get it wrong on occasion.
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Palatul Primaverii, Bucharest, Romania
In the 1980s, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu imposed an austerity policy in order to pay back the enormous debt that the country had racked up. The harsh measures led to food rationing and extreme poverty for Romania’s citizens, but not, unsurprisingly, for Ceaușescu himself. In fact, the communist leader lived a life of luxury in his opulent Bucharest mansion…
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Palatul Primaverii, Bucharest, Romania
Known as Palatul Primaverii or Spring Palace, Ceaușescu’s home was a showcase of his excessive, ill-gotten wealth. The luxurious abode was completed in 1965 and Ceaușescu kitted the interior out with ornamental materials in a neo-classical Renaissance style. Every room was extravagantly dressed, with gilded furniture, endless marble, rare artworks, crystal chandeliers and priceless Persian carpets.
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Palatul Primaverii, Bucharest, Romania
The dictator’s master bedroom was decorated with copious gold detailing and furnishings inspired by Versailles, along with a valuable Murano glass mirror that was custom-made in Italy. Ceaușescu also commissioned a striking indoor swimming pool and hired Bucharest’s best artisans to adorn the space with thousands of mosaic tiles and ribbons of exquisite marble.
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Palatul Primaverii, Bucharest, Romania
Yet perhaps Ceaușescu’s most ostentatious choices can be found in this inordinately expensive bathroom. From the taps to the toilet roll holders, every fixture in this suite was made from solid gold. Unsurprisingly, the Romanian people didn’t much like Ceaușescu’s approach to rule and the dictator and his wife were executed by firing squad on Christmas Day in 1989. In 2016, the Romanian government turned his former residence into a museum.
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Robbie Williams’ planned basement, London, UK
Entertainer and former Take That star Robbie Williams is definitely no stranger to scandal. His outrageous behaviour and devil-may-care attitude have often landed him in hot water, but in 2013 the singer found himself in the middle of a celebrity property feud. Williams’ neighbour, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, took him to court over the proposed modifications the ‘Angels’ singer wanted to make to his historic London home.
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Robbie Williams’ planned basement, London, UK
Williams purchased Woodland House, a Grade II-listed property in London’s glitzy Holland Park, in 2013 for a reported $22.7 million (£17.5m). The 46-room mansion formerly belonged to the British director Michael Winner and Jimmy Page has lived in the property next door since 1972. Not long after moving in, Williams hired OWAL Architects to design him a ‘super basement’, a subterranean space that would include a state-of-the-art gym and a 30-foot swimming pool.
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Robbie Williams’ planned basement, London, UK
When Page discovered Williams’ plans, he was quick to plea with the local authorities to deny the singer planning consent on the basis that the vibrations from the construction work could cause irreparable damage to his own Gothic Revival mansion. Page’s Grade I-listed residence was designed in 1875 by William Burges, one of the greatest architects of the 19th century. It’s now considered one of the most important houses in London – something that Page was keen to protect.
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Robbie Williams’ planned basement, London, UK
Though it was reported that Page attempted to meet with Williams to discuss the issues, the former Take That star is said to have refused, fuelling their row by stating that Page was “obsessed” with him, comments which he later publicly apologised for. After a five-year fight, Williams’ colossal project was given the green light in December 2018 and he’s said to have tried to make amends with his rockstar neighbour by sending a handwritten apology.
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Pazo de Meirás, Galicia, Spain
Built in the late 19th century in a Revivalist style, Pazo de Meirás once belonged to the Pardo Bazán family before it was taken over by a local Nationalist group in 1938. The supporters gifted the manor house to the government for use by the country’s future heads of state. When Franco came to rule over Spain in 1939, it became the dictator’s summer retreat.
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Pazo de Meirás, Galicia, Spain
In 1941, paperwork was drawn up stating Franco’s ownership of the home, however, the validity of the legal document has since been undermined. Following Franco’s death in 1975, his family claimed the estate as their own. In 2018, Franco’s grandchildren even attempted to sell the country pile, placing it on the market for a remarkable $9 million (£6.9m).
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Pazo de Meirás, Galicia, Spain
In 2019, state officials decided it was high time they took back ownership of the palatial property. After a year in court, a judge finally ruled Franco’s property deed null and void and ordered his family out. They appealed for compensation for maintaining the property for over eight decades, but the judged ruled against this too since it was clear that the state had been covering most of the upkeep.
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Pazo de Meirás, Galicia, Spain
An important piece of Galician history, Pazo de Meirás is kitted out with spectacular traditional décor. Every room boasts crucifixes and religious paintings, fine crystal chandeliers and priceless treasures. A gilded ship hangs from one of the ceilings, while the estate’s private chapel features an intricately carved wooden altarpiece and antique statues. Though it’s likely to take years for the authorities to get their hands on the estate, Pazo de Meirás highlights the importance of perseverance.
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Antilia, Mumbai, India
You’d be forgiven for thinking this skyscraper was a lavish apartment building but in fact, Antilia is the home of one extravagantly wealthy family. The colossal 27-storey mansion belongs to Mukesh Ambani, a billionaire business mogul and the managing director of Reliance Industries. Ambani began work on the house in the heart of Mumbai, India in 2006, not too far from the city’s largest slum. Reputed to have cost between $1 billion (£775m) and $2 billion (£1.5bn), the house has long been shrouded in controversy.
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Antilia, Mumbai, India
According to a 2011 census, an estimated 42% of Mumbai residents live in slums, a statistic that only adds to the controversy surrounding this overtly opulent house. Thought to be the second-most expensive residence in the world after Buckingham Palace, Antilia soars above the skyline of Mumbai and stands proud at 567 feet tall. While the exterior features endless sheets of glass, the interior is draped in high-end materials, such as crystal, marble and mother-of-pearl.
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Antilia, Mumbai, India
Designed by Chicago-based architects Perkins and Will, Antilia is said to have been inspired by the lines of the lotus flower and the sun. According to Vanity Fair, it boasts 400,000 square feet of inside space and every floor is said to be the same height as an average two-storey building. As well as sporting a rather unusual façade, the property also harbours a host of lavish amenities, including a beauty salon, an ice-cream parlour and a six-floor garage capable of storing 168 cars.
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Antilia, Mumbai, India
Built to withstand earthquakes, Antilia boasts three helipads and its own air traffic control facilities. The pad is also home to a 50-seat theatre, a ballroom, nine high-speed elevators, a swimming pool, a spa, a dance studio and a temple with a mammoth Buddha statue. There’s even reputed to be a snow room, which spits out man-made snowflakes for the entertainment of the family. It’s no wonder that this elaborate private home is considered spectacularly gratuitous.
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Dolphin House, Indiana, USA
While some pieces of architecture divide audiences, others are downright disliked by the masses and Dolphin House in Indiana, USA, is certainly one such abode. Dubbed “the ugliest house in America” by the New York Post, the OTT building has prominent gargoyles, endless balconies and a mismatched exterior.
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Dolphin House, Indiana, USA
The property was originally built as a modest three-bedroom ranch in 1953 but local entrepreneur, J Hostetler, purchased it and the surrounding properties in order to expand it into one gigantic mansion. Now spanning 30,000 square feet, the unsightly house boasts 11 bedrooms, eight bathrooms, an 80,000-gallon outdoor swimming pool, and one of the most eye-watering entrance halls we’ve ever seen.
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Dolphin House, Indiana, USA
For obvious reasons, Hostetler’s neighbours were not particularly pleased with the monstrous mansion, which was constructed from five houses cobbled together. In fact, one is said to have planted three trees outside their home in order to block Dolphin House from view. The flamboyant Hostetler added life-sized mermaids, gorillas and polar bear statues to the garden, and decorated the home’s interior with textured ceilings, rough rock walls, ornate columns and multicoloured glass blocks.
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Dolphin House, Indiana, USA
After Hostetler passed away in 2006, the foreclosed property was listed for sale, but understandably, no one bought it. Foreclosure owners Atkinson and Folkening began offering the abode as an Airbnb rental for anyone keen to spend the night inside America’s most notorious home. In 2018, Dolphin House was on the market for the eighth time in five years for $1.2 million (£924k), but yet again it failed to sell.
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