Is Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch the Next Soho House?
Michael Jackson's infamous Neverland Ranch in Los Olivios, California has finally found a buyer after being on the property market for five years.
Rechristened as Sycamore Valley Ranch (its original name) by the property's co-owners, the sprawling 2,700 acre site was purchased by American billionaire and former acquaintance of Jackson Ron Burkle for $22 million, considerably less than the original $100 million price tag. Reports indicate that Burkle, co-owner of Soho House, sees the new purchase as a land banking opportunity and fortunately not the next destination for the swanky private members club.
During Jackson's residence the property was known for its various amenities including three railroads, a pirate ship, rollercoasters, a ferris wheel, a four-acre lake with a five-foot waterfall, and a zoo that was home to orangutans, an elephant, and several alligators and a crocodile that were eventually sold to Joe Exotic of Tiger King.
The property was prominently featured in 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland, which made numerous accusations of child abuse levied at Jackson, resulting in the Michael Jackson estate suing HBO for $100 million for breaching a 1992 confidentiality contract.