Ruinous Riches: Unbelievably Costly Abandoned Constructions

8. The Marconi Conference Center, Marshall, California

Location: California's Marshall 1913 is the year. Cost: $1.95 million for 2008 renovations The same Marconi who invented the radio also designed and constructed the Marconi Conference Center in California. Numerous people have resided in this abandoned hotel in the past, including radio employees, military personnel, and members of the Church of Synanon, a violent cult.

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Marshall, California's Marconi Conference Centre, @atlasobscura/Pinterest Following its takeover in the 1960s, the Church of Synanon instituted numerous bizarre rituals, such as obligatory vasectomies and female head shaving. By 1980, the leader of Synanon was under investigation for attempted murder and weapon hoarding. After the organisation was closed down and the land was turned over to the state, the Conference Centre was rehabilitated and put on the path to a hopefully brighter future after years of abandonment.