Oregon ‘mega-mansion’ sits unfinished 30 years later

WEST LINN, Ore. (KOIN) — For some 30 years, locals and boaters along a popular spot on Oregon’s Willamette River have been staring at a 50,000-plus-square-foot home, unsure of what to think.

It’s unfinished, fenced in, and the open-air structure towers over 31 acres that include 2,700 feet of prime riverfront in an area affectionately called “Peach Cove.”

“Being a kid, I would drive the boat and look at it from the river,” said Jason Mendell.

The high-profile realtor never thought he’d actually list the home, yet now he’s fielding calls from all kinds of folks trying to figure out the property’s potential.

“Entrepreneurs, pro-athletes, business owners, and people trying to figure out what you could do with this,” he told Nexstar’s KOIN on a recent summer day.

The home’s specs are massive, and Mendell said if it’s ever completed, it would be the largest mansion in Oregon by far.

The listing includes nine bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, multiple garages for dozens of show cars and other toys. There’s a massive gymnasium or event space, too, which could include a full-size basketball court. Original plans called for two pools.

“There’s obviously only a certain amount of people that can afford a home like this, and they’ve got to have the vision to be able to finish it off,” says Mendell.

Ask around, though, and it doesn’t take long to learn there’s much more to the larger story.

“He said, ‘Would you like to build a home for me?’” says Tom Avgerakis.

The longtime home builder is referring to Mark Wattles, the founder and one-time boss of Hollywood Video, which grew to be the second-biggest video store chain in the country in the 1990s and 2000s.

Avgerakis remembers when Wattles first showed him the architectural sketches.

“He rolled them out, and I went ‘Oh, okay.’ The challenge was thrown out, and we can do it,” he said.

At first, Avgerakis said construction moved swiftly, with 50-plus workers on site moving dirt and using high-grade Oregon lumber to erect the frame.

Then, as 1996 became 1997, construction stalled, and “We anticipated a short amount of time off, but it just grew and grew and grew.”

He said that as the owner moved on to other businesses and eventually moved away, they kept up general maintenance and even planted acres of berries.

The property was eventually unloaded at auction, and it has changed hands a couple of times over the years, but no one has ever fully built it out.

“It’s a diamond in the rough. It’s just incredible,” said Avgerakis.

He hopes to be involved if the project is ever completed, and said much of the original woodwork remains in good condition even if other elements have deteriorated over the years. The current owner recently installed a new roof.

Mendell said they’re talking to potential buyers about “what could be,” whether it’s a private estate, high-end senior living facility or even a vineyard.

“It’s 31 acres of prime real estate that’s unique,” he said.

The asking price is $4.7 million.

The property is deemed Exclusive Farm Use (EFU), according to Clackamas County records.

A spokesperson told Nexstar’s KOIN that it’s approved for the one home but that anything like a larger care facility wouldn’t be allowed unless there was a zoning change.