An over-the-top Tampa Bay home that once belonged to W.K. Kellogg, the wealthy cereal magnate who invented Corn Flakes, will soon meet the wrecking ball.
After seven years on the market, the home was most recently listed to sell for $4,599,000, but according to the Tampa Bay Times a permit to demolish was filed on April 23, following a recent closing date, which is set for May 15.
While incredibly cool, in the end, its quirkiness sealed its fate. With high-end waterfront property selling at a premium in Tampa Bay, the house would've required a very specific type of buyer willing to take on the project, according to the paper. On top of this, an eleventh hour push for historic status fell through, ultimately dooming the eccentric home.
Located at 129 Buena Vista Dr S, in Dunedin, "The Kellogg Mansion" was built in 1925, at the peak of the Roaring 20s, and as you can see from the photos, the styles pretty much vary from room to room.
The 7,667-square-foot home comes with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, as well as a game room with an antique bar and glass-domed ceiling, a private roof top terrace, a hot tub, a deep water dock, and 300-feet of seawall along St. Joseph's Sound.
The home was purchased by Kellogg after his company successfully weathered the Great Depression, and according to a 1934 article obtained by Tampa Bay Times, the home was the biggest real estate transaction in the area.
Kellogg, who died in 1951, was said to have invented Corn Flakes while working at his family's sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. The flakes were made in secret, but he allowed sanitarium guests to observe his process, including a guy named C.W. Post, who , as the story goes, later stole his idea and founded Post Consumer Brands, which became General Mills.
The Kellogg Mansion was last purchased in 2003 for $2,500,000, according to records.
Photos via Realtor.com
