A special thanks to
Bonnie&Clyde for geeking out with me about all the places in Lake Elsinore! I really hope we can explore together soon, I would never have known to look here without you.
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Up winding, country roads and over ever continuous hills sits a mansion that sadly over looks the 15 freeway and all of Lake Elsinore. What once was a proud home sits in ruins, overlooking a city that continues to grow while the home sits still in time, waiting for the unknown to occur.
The house was believed to once be owned by Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Johnny Weissmuller when, in the 1930s/1940s, Lake Elsinore was a haven for celebrities. Despite his place on the Olympics, Weissmuller came to even greater fame acting in the main the role of Edgar Rice Burrough's version of the Tarzan movies throughout the 30s and 40s. Though, some say that maybe the house wasn't even owned by Weissmuller and that the property has no historical significance.
Although the history of the home is a mystery, the city has argued on what to do with the property. The mansion had been saved many times from being demolished, and many argue that it can be saved while others believe that the property is far too destroyed to be fixed.
Squatters, teenagers, and explorers are drawn to the site, many leaving behind their own pieces of history in the now gutted home. What remains inside are two chimneys, what was once a beautiful bathroom, a helicopter pad, and a separate bathhouse with a pool now filled with dirt. The diving board is still up to this day, and even though the future remains of the mansion on the hill stuck in time, it will continue to look over the beautiful, ever growing population of Lake Elsinore as it continues to progress.
by