We’ve all had a few less than pleasant encounters with neighbors, in-laws, and siblings. Some of us might have even given in to a petty squabble a time or two, but I bet none of us have taken things to the extreme of the people here on this list. Once you get real estate involved, you’re talking about dropping a lot of money for the sake of revenge. Was it worth it? You be the judge!
A “Monumental” Middle Finger
This extravagant skyscraper was constructed in Buenos Aires in the late 1930s by a woman scorned. Corina Kavanagh, a self-made American millionaire, fell in love and was engaged to the son of a very wealthy and powerful Argentinian woman, Mercedes Castellanos De Anchorena. Mercedes thought Corina and her new money were beneath her son. She believed Corina was unworthy of carrying the De Anchorena name so strongly that she broke apart their relationship before the two could get married.
Corina refused to drown her sorrows in chick flicks and a tub of ice cream, however. She made her millions off of real estate deals, so she knew that’s how she would get her revenge. The aristocratic De Anchorena’s lived in a decadent palace and had recently built a massive church across the street from their family home, known as the Holy Sacrament Basilica.
Corina, being the real estate mogul that she was, purchased a plot of land between the palace and the church, and built the tallest skyscraper in Buenos Aires at the time, for the sole purpose of blocking the De Anchorena’s view of their newly constructed church. Is it just me, or does the structure kind of look like a big middle finger? It would be fitting, wouldn’t it?
Candy Stripe House
Well, this is certainly one way to get your point across. This home is located in the upscale neighborhood of Kensington, London. The fact that this neighborhood is one of the most expensive places to live only makes the revenge that much sweeter, doesn’t it?
The owner of this townhome, Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, had plans to demolish her six-million-dollar home and rebuild it in 2016. Her neighbors, however, didn’t approve. Her application for construction was denied. So, what does she do to show them just what she thinks of their disapproval? Paint red and white stripes all over the front of her townhome, obviously.
Of course, the neighbors protested her actions and demanded that she change the outside of her home back to its former glory. Zipporah was having none of that, however. She took her case to court and after a lengthy 2-year battle, she won the right to demolish her home and carry out her original plans. Construction began in 2019 and is currently still underway. The plans include a massive, two-level basement with a gym, a theater, and an underground pool.
Close Quarters
They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but this is taking this a bit far, in my opinion. These homes are located in Nevada and are the product of a long-standing hatred between two silver miners in the 1950s.
No one knows for sure the origins of the great rivalry, but the pettiness between these two miners ran so deep, when one bought his dream home in Virginia City, the other bought the plot of land right next door. Strange, right? Not for the bitter silver miner. In fact, buying the property wasn’t enough. He relocated his existing home and set it down a mere 12 inches away from his rival’s new house, thus blocking sunlight, ruining the view, and bringing the property value down.
If we’re being honest here, I doubt the petty miner cared as much about the property value as he did about knowing he got the last laugh. Or did the other miner get the last laugh? It seems whatever revenge was dished out on one, was also dished out on the other, seeing as they now had two depreciating properties and a horrible neighbor.
Sibling Rivalry
This is the smallest house in all of Boston, and its origins are rooted in betrayal and sibling rivalry. Two brothers inherited land from their father when he died in the civil war. One brother was also at war, but when he returned, he saw that his brother had already built a huge home on the majority of what was supposed to be their shared property.
Not one to back down from a fight – or to give up what was rightfully his, the petty brother built the tiniest home in Boston. It’s a mere 10 feet wide. You’d think the two adjoined homes would have been merged at some point in time, or possibly demolished to make way for something a little more conventional. However, the narrow home has been occupied since 1886. In fact, it was sold in 2017 for nearly $900,000!
The Grudge
This may look like a wall built to block the view of the building behind it, but it’s actually a residence in and of itself. This home in Lebanon is simply known as “The Grudge.” The building is actually a wedge shape of sorts, with the widest end measuring 13 feet, and the narrowest end (pictured above) measuring just 2 feet wide.
Much like the previous petty property story, this one is rooted in sibling rivalry. Two brothers inherited a piece of land and couldn’t decide what to do with it. While all the squabbling was going on, a city popped up around the once barren land. The city’s buildings encroached on the brothers’ property, thus decreasing the space and value of their land.
One brother wisely and deviously purchased the plot of land behind the shared property, thus further enraging the other brother. When all was said and done, there was only a tiny scrap of land left for said brother to build one. Since the land was too small to use for anything else, he decided to construct a tall, oddly shaped structure that would block his brother’s million-dollar view of the ocean, thus getting the last laugh once and for all.