Emmy- and Tony Award-winning star Kristin Chenoweth will take the stage on July 16th for the world premiere of Queen of Versailles. This new musical tells the story of real-life American Jackie Siegel and her family’s enormous Florida mansion, Versailles. Construction on the house began in 2004, but due to financial difficulties, work has continued on and off for the past 20 years.
Inspired by the Palace of Versailles in France, this multi-million dollar, 90,000-square-foot home is one of the largest houses in America. Among its many amenities, the home features 14 bedrooms, nine kitchens, five pools, two tennis courts, a two-story movie theater, a baseball diamond, and a bowling alley. Although intended as a private residence for the Seigel family, this house goes far beyond the average American home. (These are the Most Affordable Housing Markets in America.)
But despite its grandeur and expansive size, the Siegel’s Versailles mansion isn’t even the largest in America — it only ranks at number 10! During America’s Gilded Age, wealthy families like the Vanderbilts and the du Ponts built many enormous luxury homes that easily outrank Versailles.
To identify the largest houses in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed information from sites like Explore, Family Handy Man, and Largest.org. Although each house originally functioned as a private residence, some now serve as museums and reception halls.
Why We’re Covering This
Source: Ivan Cholakov / Shutterstock.com
At 24/7 Wall St., we focus a lot on finance, so it’s natural to explore the homes of the wealthy and elite. Unsurprisingly, many of the houses on this list are owned by top executives or owners of publicly traded companies. This list gives us a unique look at how the top 1% of the top 1% really live.
15. Woodlea
Source: Ɱ / Wikimedia commons
- Size: 70,000 square feet
- Location: Briarcliff Manor, New York
- Number of rooms: 75
- Date completed: 1892-1895
- Original owner: New York State Bar Association founder Elliot Fitch Shepard and his wife Maggie
- Special features: Carved wood and marble fireplaces
- History: The family heirs sold the home to the Sleepy Hollow Country Club. By 1911, the house was fully converted.
14. Idle Hour
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 70,000 square feet
- Location: Long Island in Suffolk County, New York
- Number of rooms: 110
- Date completed: 1882
- Original owner: William Vanderbilt and family
- History: After William Vanderbilt died in 1920, the house went through various owners and financial troubles. After a bankruptcy auction in 2017, it was purchased by Mercury International LLC for $26.1 million.
13. Pensmore
Source: Eggventura / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 72,215 square feet
- Location: The Ozark Mountains in Missouri
- Number of rooms: More than five stories tall with 14 baths, 13 bedrooms, and 12-inch thick walls.
- Date completed: 2016
- Original owner: American millionaire astrophysicist Steven Huff
- Special features: Designed to survive tornadoes, bomb blasts, and earthquakes.
- History: Huff has gone on record believing the house will survive at least 2,000 years.
12. Indian Neck Hall
Source: TommyG33428 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 75,000 square feet
- Location: Great South Bay in Oakdale, New York
- Number of rooms: 110
- Date completed: 1897
- Original owner: The president of Singer Manufacturing Company, Frederick Gilbert Bourne
- Special features: It was the largest house on Long Island when it was built.
- History: After Bourne’s death, his children sold the estate. In 1926 it was re-opened as the La Salle Military Academy. Today, the home is now owned and used by St. John’s University.
11. Florham
Source: Trinitarian Creek / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 80,000 square feet
- Location: New Jersey
- Number of rooms: 110
- Date completed: 1893-1899
- Original owner: Florence Adele Vanderbilt
- Special features: The house is believed to have cost around $5 million or $146 million in today’s money.
- History: The estate was broken up in 1955 with the mansion and 178 garden acres sold to Fairleigh Dickinson University.
10. Versailles
Source: 350z33 / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 85,000 square feet
- Location: Windermere, Florida
- Number of rooms: 14 bedrooms
- Date completed: TBA
- Original owner: Westgate Resorts founder David Siegel and his wife Jackie
- Special features: 20,000-bottle wine cellar, 9 kitchens, three indoor pools, and a video arcade
- History: Although construction began in 2004, it is still under construction due to a series of financial headwinds. The house is expected to cost over $100 million.
9. Meadow Brook Hall
Source: Wm. Chris Rowland, II / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 88,000 square feet
- Location: Rochester, Michigan
- Number of rooms: 110
- Date completed: 1926-1929
- Original owner: Matilda Dodge Wilson, heir to the Dodge Motor Company
- Special features: For $4 million, the house and its surrounding property accounted for almost 15,000 acres in the 1920s.
- History: Matilda donated the house in 1957 to the state of Michigan to found Oakland University. Today, it stands as the fourth largest historic museum mansion in the U.S. and is classified as an American castle.
8. Shadow Lawn
Source: Zeete / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 90,000 square feet
- Location: West Long Branch, New Jersey
- Number of rooms: More than 130
- Date completed: 1927
- Original owner: Hubert T. Parson, president of the F.W. Woolworth Company
- Special features: In 1916, the house served as a summer home for President Woodrow Wilson. It was also famously used as the home of Oliver Warbucks in the movie Annie.
- History: One of the largest homes built before the Great Depression, Shadow Lawn became part of Monmouth University in 1956. Later in 1985, it was named a National Historic Landmark.
7. Winterthur
Source: Derek Ramsey / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 96,582 square feet
- Location: Winterthur, Delaware
- Number of rooms: 175
- Date completed: 1937
- Original owner: Henry Francis du Pont
- Special features: Winterthur is a testament to du Pont’s love for collecting American furniture and decorative materials. In total, the home is said to have more than 90,000 different trinkets across 175 rooms available to view as part of its current status as a museum.
- History: The house became a public museum in 1951.
6. Arden House
Source: Peter Bond / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 97,188 square feet
- Location: Harriman, New York
- Number of rooms: 97 guest rooms
- Date completed: 1909
- Original owner: Railroad magnate Edward Henry Harriman
- History: The house is now owned by the nonprofit Research Center on Natural Conservation. Today, it operates with 97 guest rooms and a conference center.
5. Whitehall
Source: James Castle / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 100,000 square feet
- Location: Palm Beach, Florida
- Number of rooms: 75
- Date completed: 1902
- Original owner: Henry Flager, one of the founders of Standard Oil.
- History: The home now operates as the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum and gives year-round guided tours. It is also used to host a variety of local galas and balls.
4. The One
Source: Wallace Lin / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 105,000 square feet
- Location: Bel Air, California
- Number of rooms: 21 bedrooms, 42 bathrooms, and a 5,550-square-foot primary suite.
- Date completed: 2014-2021
- Original owner: Nile Niami
- Special features: A 30-car garage, a four-lane bowling alley, and five swimming pools.
- History: Richard Saghian, the owner of Fashion Nova, bought the house from its original developer for $126 million.
3. Oheka Castle
Source: OhekaCastleNY / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 109,000 square feet
- Location: West Hills, New York
- Number of rooms: 127
- Date completed: 1914-1919
- Original owner: Otto Khan, a financier who worked in various industries, including railroads.
- Special features: Oheka Castle remains the largest home in New York. It cost around $11 million to build. Accounting for inflation, this translates to around $158 million in today’s dollars.
- History: Oheka Castle is now an upscale hotel owned by Long Island Developer Gary Melius.
2. Fair Field
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
- Size: 110,000 square feet
- Location: Sagaponack, Long Island, New York
- Number of rooms: The main house offers a total of 29 bedrooms, 39 bathrooms, 3 pools, and a 164-seat theater.
- Date completed: 2003
- Original owner: American billionaire Ira Rennert
- Special features: The estate is 63 acres, and the house is so large that it has its very own power plant.
- History: It is believed the house will be worth about $500 million in 2024. The home is locked in battle with Oheka Castle to be the largest home in New York state.
1. Biltmore Estate
Source: Courtesy of David Beren via Flywheel Publishing
- Size: 175,000 square feet
- Location: Just outside Asheville, North Carolina
- Number of rooms: 250
- Date completed: 1889-1895
- Original owner: George Washington Vanderbilt II
- Special features: 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces
- History: The home is still privately owned by the Vanderbilt family.
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