Interior transformation of Michael Jackson’s crumbling Neverland ranch with eerie new photos of resurrected rides
NEW photos have emerged showing the transformation of Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch as the rides on site are resurrected.
Jackson – who died aged 50 in 2009 from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol – bought the California property in 1987 for around $19.5 million.
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The 2,700-acre property near Santa Barbara was known for its large-scale and over-the-top attractions.
The 12,598 square foot main house had five bedrooms and eight bathrooms and it was not the only building on the property.
During Jackson’s ownership, the ranch had a train station, Ferris wheel, giant statues, and swan boats, to name a few.
Other amenities included a 14-foot lagoon-style swimming pool, 50-seat movie theater, dance studio, and tennis court.
He sold the infamous ranch to Colony Capital for $22.5 million before his death in 2009.
The ranch was later bought by billionaire businessman Ron Burkle for $22 million in December 2020, although it was initially priced almost four times as much.
A spokesperson for Burkle said in December 2020 that the businessman viewed the purchase of the ranch as a land banking opportunity.
Now it looks like Burkle is resurrecting chunks of the property – including some of the aforementioned attractions.
While the property reportedly fell into chaos after Jackson sold it, it now appears that work has been carried out to restore the land.
New photos show fairground stalls that appear to have been relocated, along with some sort of playground and teepees.
A new attraction called “Hook’s Revenge” is seen in the photos, featuring a broken pirate ship with Captain Hook and his rival crocodile.
The petting zoo that was once on site also appears to have been restored, and the station and train tracks have remained intact.
The giant pools that were previously drained also appear to be refilled.
Despite the property’s renaming to Sycamore Valley Ranch, the famous Neverland Gardens and basketball court graphic still bear the old name.
Jackson’s ranch has become infamous over the past 20 years after allegations surfaced accusing the pop star of child abuse.
Cops raided the property ahead of Jackson’s 2003 child molestation trial and found nude child photos and other pornographic content in a triple-locked closet in his bedroom, according to Radar Online, which obtained what appeared to be the case documents in 2016.
“The vast majority of the photos were of teenagers and/or young adults,” a Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department investigator wrote in a report at the time.
Jackson was cleared at his 2005 trial and left the ranch, saying he felt he had been “too much raped” by police during the raid.
Then, in the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, Wade Robson and James Safechuck claimed that Jackson sexually abused them as children at Neverland Ranch.
Jackson’s family and estate criticized Leaving Neverland, calling the film one-sided, and Jackson strongly denied the sexual abuse allegations made against him before his death.
Another documentary, Searching For Michael Jackson’s Zoo With Ross Kemp, claims that two giraffes were nearly burned to death, elephants were whipped and the chimpanzee Bubbles was beaten at the ranch.
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