A 46-bedroom Texas mansion that nobody wanted, sat abandoned for decades, and nearly got bought 20 times finally has tenants

The exterior of the mansion while it was vacant.

RE/MAX Top Realty

• A 63,000-square-foot mansion near Houston, Texas, has sat vacant for more than 20 years.  
• Owner Jim Youngblood tried to sell the vacant home more than 20 times, but every deal fell through.
• He finally decided to rent out chunks of space to small businesses and groups — and it's working.

A colossal mansion in Manvel, Texas, has sat vacant for more than 20 years — but it finally has occupants. 

In 2001, Ulysses Watkins, a physician, and his wife started building a 63,000-square-foot house in Manvel, a town 30 minutes south of Houston. Construction stopped about 80% through when the couple decided the house was too big, according to the current owner of the property, Jim Youngblood.

It sat in an empty field like a behemoth. No one ever moved in. 

In 2007, Youngblood, a partner at a local leasing and property management company, bought the abandoned mansion for $525,000. He then tried to get rid of it over and over again, for prices as high as $3.6 million.

Every buyer fell through. ("Everybody has these grand ideas," Youngblood told Realtor.com in 2016, "but they don't have any money.")

"I held onto it for several years and had it under contract over 20 times," Youngblood told the Houston Chronicle, "but nobody could get it closed." 

In 2019, he at last decided to change his approach. If no one wanted to live there, maybe a small business or an organization would want to rent an affordably priced office.  

He rezoned the property for commercial use and started remodeling, adding 180 parking spaces and fixing up the still-unfinished interior.

So far, it's working: Youngblood has been able to find a church and a daycare to occupy 10,000 square feet each. Two insurance companies are also listed as tenants on the listing advertising the additional space for rent at $20.40 per square foot per year.

Here's a look photos of the enormous and maligned building through the years, as well as a glimpse into its long, intriguing history.

The saga of this Texas megamansion began in 2001, when a doctor and his wife decided to build a 63,000-square-foot home in the suburbs of Houston.

The exterior of the mansion while it was vacant.

RE/MAX Top Realty

Originally, Ulysses Watkins, a physician, planned for so many rooms to house foster children, according to Youngblood.

But Watkins and his wife realized that their vision was too grand, so they abandoned the project more than halfway through.

It sat empty until 2007, when Youngblood paid $525,000 for the property. He's been trying to resell it ever since.

A hallway inside the abandoned mansion.

RE/MAX Top Realty

Even after Youngblood bought it, though, the mansion sat vacant and unfinished.

It was vandalized multiple times. 

"It's been an eyesore and a money pit for the last 10 years," Youngblood told ABC13 in 2019.

Taxes and insurance for the property cost Youngblood more than $100,000 a year — which is a lot, considering no money was coming in.

The mansion before it was renovated.

RE/MAX Top Realty

The annual cost of taxes and insurance was lower before Youngblood started renovating the mansion a few years ago.

Still, it's added up over the years.

"Since we have owned it, we have spent more than $750,000 for taxes and insurance," Youngblood said via email.

In 2017, Youngblood considered turning the vacant house into an assisted-living facility for veterans.

The exterior of the house before renovations.

RE/MAX Top Realty

That plan ultimately fell through when neighbors opposed the plan.

"We got completely outvoted," Youngblood said. "In order for me to obtain a light commercial permit, I had to take the veterans' housing completely off the table."

Youngblood still opted to convert the zoning for the house from residential to commercial, but he needed another use for the space.

An interior space before renovations.

RE/MAX Top Realty

Youngblood found a school that wanted to take up space in the building, but it went out of business before it had a chance to move in.

A hallway in the abandoned mansion.

RE/MAX Top Realty

"I went and found a private school that wanted to occupy the building," Youngblood said. "I started remodeling the building in accordance with their plan. And the school went out of business and went bankrupt before they were able to ever get in here."

Youngblood started renovations to turn the house into an office space for multiple businesses and organizations. It's still dubbed The Mansion.

The exterior still looks like a home, but it has a lighter brick facade in parts.

Jim Youngblood

The address of the property, formerly 2354 County Road 59, is now 11800 Magnolia Parkway, according to the real-estate listing advertising vacant space in the building.

The original home, which had 46 bedrooms, had a nine-car garage.

The nine-car garage of the original house.

RE/MAX Top Realty

The garage has since been turned into extra storage space for tenants of the office building.

Another view of the space originally built out as a garage.

Jim Youngblood

Youngblood swapped out the grassy yard for an 180-spot parking lot.

A night view of the facade of the mansion-turned-office building.

Jim Youngblood

Inside, it's barely recognizable as the unfinished mansion it used to be.

A grand entrance hall is a nod to the building's residential past.

Jim Youngblood

The original building had an elevator, but Youngblood spruced it up to suit an office.

The office space's upgraded elevator.

Jim Youngblood

In 2020, Youngblood was able to find a church and a daycare to take over 10,000 square feet each.

A renovated interior space.

Jim Youngblood

"The church is still hanging on," Youngblood said. "And thank goodness the church was able to find a daycare that would take up 10,000 square feet." 

The original home had high-ceilinged atrium and the beginnings of an indoor pool. Youngblood replaced it with an 8,000-square-foot metal structure that will be the sanctuary for the church.

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Youngblood said insurance companies, a pharmacy company, and even a salon are slated to move in soon.

The exterior of the office building.

Jim Youngblood

Renters Warehouse, a leasing and property management company where Youngblood is a partner, also has office space in the building.

He said he's still on the hunt for additional tenants.

"There are four spaces available downstairs, but upstairs I have up to 20,000 square feet of contiguous space not being utilized at all," he said. "I would like to find a couple of larger companies that need 5,000 or 10,000 square feet to occupy that."

The building is split into three different areas, according to Youngblood: the church, the daycare, and an area for businesses.

A renovated interior.

Jim Youngblood

"The daycare is completely separated from the businesses, so we won't be able to hear a bunch of kids playing," he said.

The daycare is now enrolling students for the fall of 2023, its website said.

A renovated interior.

Jim Youngblood

The church and the daycare are still securing certificates of occupancy, but Youngblood is hopeful that the Manvel mansion will soon graduate from an eyesore to an essential local landmark.

A renovated hallway.

Jim Youngblood

"Hopefully," Youngblood told the local ABC affiliate, "we can make it to where it's an asset for the community and the neighborhood as well."

Jim Youngblood

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