Mere minutes after setting out from my hotel to explore Chiang Mai I stumbled upon a bizarre building in a mostly empty lot just inside the old city walls. I swear I don’t always go looking for abandoned places—sometimes they find me instead. And in this case I couldn’t very well say no, now could I? I walked up the stairs to take a closer look at this ostentatious ruin, the House of Success.
Often it requires little effort to determine the purpose of the buildings I explore. At other times I am left guessing, formulating hypotheses as I go. And then there are times like this when I am completely bewildered by what I am seeing. I roamed through three floors of ersatz European-style architectural flourishes and bare Asian concrete and simply couldn’t figure it out. What was this place?
Fancy abandonments in Asia often turn out to be former karaoke bars, hotels, or restaurants—but this place didn’t have a kitchen, a bar, or a selection of private rooms. All it had was several chambers filled with a spare assortment of mysterious objects. I couldn’t find much evidence for any of the guesses I made as I strode from room to room.
The room on top really takes the cake. I had to step through a broken door and shimmy my way up a spiral staircase to reach this rooftop sanctuary. The ceiling is low, about five feet, so I had to hunch over sideways as I slipped through a glass antechamber into the musty room pictured above. Air conditioning and a fake tiger rug. A lover’s nest? But what about the shrine at back? Stranger and stranger…
It wasn’t until I returned to the entrance that I noticed the words emblazoned above the door: “House of Success”. I was completely dumbfounded. Not knowing what else to do I continued my exploration, turning up little else of interest in the main building itself.
The House of Success is one of three in this palatial style—but the other two weren’t accessible. One is occupied by what looks like squatters and the other appears to be an operational business of some kind—a medical clinic, if the green cross on the sign out front is any indication. I took a few shots of the other buildings for context and went on my way. (Update: I returned to the site and have since published a sequel about the White Lion House.)
By now I’m sure you’re curious—what exactly was this place? Having done a bit of reading here, here, and here, the story that emerges is one of an eccentric millionaire building a bunch of showpiece buildings to act as sales centers for upscale real estate developments twenty years ago. Apparently they were never occupied. Much of this seems to be based on the description of this photo on Flickr but “Tycoon Jack” is a real person if this news story is to be believed.
Based on some of the photos shared in other explorations of this ruin it would seem that some effort has been undertaken to redevelop the property. There is no longer a pool on site; the area outside of the House of Success is bare earth now. Few of the statues that used to stand watch outside remain, though a few seem to have been secreted away to nearby properties. What the future holds for such a strange abandonment is beyond knowing—but I am very glad I chanced upon this place before it disappears forever.
Update: as of 2019 both the White Lion House and the House of Success have become a boutique hotel. The exteriors remain about the same, but you’ll have to be a guest to see inside!
Great story – and pictures. During my visit a few years ago all doors were closed. http://goteilos.blogspot.com/2013/10/house-of-success-ingen-succe.html. Last week they were open – for renovation. Before I had my camera ready I was asked to leave this private area. Reconstruction is on its way for a boutique hotel.