The Palm Beach mansion is spectacularly opulent. Situated just in front of a sparkling stretch of crystalline water, its red-tiled roofs, whitewashed walls, and manicured palm trees are elegant and exude wealth.
Or at least, they used to.
In the wealthy beachfront town's most expensive demolition in history, the mega-mansion was razed after being purchased for $110 million by billionaire William Lauder, heir to the Estée Lauder estate. There was no reason given for the destruction, leaving nearby residents and neighbors to speculate. Many of them felt irritated by the situation. During construction just years prior, the site had been an eyesore, and its demolition was just as much of a nuisance and a general portrait of wasteful extravagance.
One person, astonished by the situation, wrote on Reddit: "The amount of waste is unimaginable. I still don't understand how this makes financial sense."
Another agreed, chiming in with some more details.
"No one ever bought it, it was never lived in, then it was bought for like 50M in 2019 by some company and then sold for 110M a year later and demolished," they wrote. "Just rich people doing rich people s***."
When the demolition occurred, a reporter from the Daily Beast spoke with locals. One of them called the entire thing a "complete waste," saying, "I mean normal people don't do that. It's kind of gross."
Another Redditor pointed out that, while the waste and excessive spending feel unique to this day and age, there were "a LOT of more expensive homes demolished in history than that thing."
Not only do incidents like this become an eyesore for neighbors, but they also emphasize the division in consumption between the vast majority of Americans and the ultra-wealthy. Between private jets, veritable armadas of yachts, and mega-mansions that sit empty, the richest among us are responsible for a staggering amount of planet-warming pollution.
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"What a wasteful culture we live in," one person vented. "It's disgusting!"
However, some people are attempting to mitigate the environmental impact of these behaviors. For example, Canada has levied additional luxury taxes on jets and yachts, and celebrities, including Taylor Swift, are working to find effective ways to offset their carbon impact.
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