The average American home measures 2,014 square feet, so for most of us, it’s hard to imagine living in a house that’s five times bigger — let alone 50. But the biggest homes in the country exceed the imagination, ranging from 90,000 to 175,000 square feet. This translates to dozens of bedrooms, more bathrooms than you’d ever want to clean, and at least one bowling alley or movie theater. Ranging in size and style, these mansions were built across the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Check out six of the most massive homes in the United States.
Versailles – Windermere, Florida
Dubbed Versailles for its size and grandiosity that recalls the famous French palace, this 90,000-square-foot mansion was built by businessman David Siegel and his wife Jackie. Work on the project began in 2000 to house the family’s eight children and adopted niece, and the sprawling Florida estate has been under construction ever since. In 2022, it was impacted by Hurricane Ivan, costing the Siegels about $10 million in damage.
Though the mansion isn’t quite finished, the Siegels have left no stone unturned in terms of luxury. Versailles — located outside of Orlando — features 13 bedrooms, 23 bathrooms, two elevators, a two-story movie theater, a roller rink, a bowling alley, and a 30-car garage. Jackie Siegel has even installed a replica private jet so that she can enjoy her caviar from the simulated vantage point of 30,000 feet.
Shadow Lawn – West Long Branch, New Jersey
The original Shadow Lawn was an American Colonial-style mansion famously leased by Woodrow Wilson in 1916. After burning to the ground in 1927, it was rebuilt into the mammoth Tudor Revival-style mansion that graces the Monmouth University campus in New Jersey today. Spanning approximately 90,000 square feet, the mansion cost $10.5 million to build in 1929 (about $190 million today). The original design included luxurious amenities such as a bowling alley, indoor swimming pool, and a three-story entrance hall.
However, the Great Depression meant that Shadow Lawn’s heyday couldn’t last forever, and by 1939, the owner had lost his fortune and his home. It became a private girls’ school until it was eventually incorporated into Monmouth University, where it became known as Woodrow Wilson Hall.
Winterthur – Winterthur, Delaware
After inheriting a 12-room Greek revival manor house in the 1880s, businessman and former U.S. Senator Henry Algernon du Pont began to expand the estate, with renovations that included adding rooms and raising the roof. But it wasn’t until his son, Henry Francis du Pont, acquired ownership that the grand vision of Winterthur came to be.
This sprawling 96,582-square-foot estate marks the completion of duPont’s longtime vision: to transform his family home into a grand museum that housed artifacts of American style and craftsmanship. Today, the home remains open to the public, with 175 rooms showcasing a range of historic and decorative American pieces, including paintings, furniture, and ceramics. The total collection preserves around 90,000 objects so that future generations may appreciate them.
The One – Bel Air, California
This 105,000-square-foot mansion in Bel Air, an affluent residential neighborhood in Los Angeles, took over 10 years to build. The project was funded by Nile Niami, a film producer and real estate developer who originally hoped to sell it for $500 million. But after constant delays and construction challenges, the home was put up for auction and purchased by Fashion Nova CEO Richard Saighan for a cool $141 million.
With 21 bedrooms and 49 bathrooms, the distinctly modern home features floor-to-ceiling windows, rotating sculptures, and lavish amenities such as a salon, a movie theater, a nightclub, a bowling alley, and a 4,000-square-foot primary suite.
Fair Field – Sagaponack, New York
Built in the late 1990s by junk bond billionaire Ira Rennert, this mansion in the Hamptons has had its fair share of controversy. The sprawling estate measures a total of 110,000 square feet, a number that includes a 64,000-square-foot main house, two pool houses, a playhouse, a bowling alley, a basketball court, a 164-seat theater, and a 100-car garage.
With 29 bedrooms and 39 baths, the estimated value of Fair Field is between $248 and $500 million. Despite the home’s value, Rennert fought tooth and nail to have it built, first battling legal disputes with neighbors and then paying $213 million in damages to investors who claimed he used company funds to construct the lavish estate.
Biltmore Estate – Asheville, North Carolina
The grand vision of George Washington Vanderbilt, this Gilded Age mansion has been the largest private home in America for 135 years. With a footprint of 175,000 square feet, Biltmore Estate is akin to a French Renaissance castle, with 250 rooms, 35 bedrooms, and 43 bathrooms. Set on 8,000 acres, the estate’s grounds and gardens were designed with the help of landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted of Central Park fame.
Built with the intent of hosting the upper echelons of society, the mansion contains several hidden doors and passageways to allow both staff and guests to navigate the house silently and efficiently. On self-guided and docent-led tours, visitors can spot these hidden oddities throughout the home — like the secret doors in the Breakfast room and Library, or the trap door in the Winter Garden.
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