The Solar Drive mansion - haunted house?

  Standing, bold as brass in the Hollywood Hills, lies a butterscotch-coloured mansion some have nicknamed the 'wedding cake'.

  Through an arched window, in one of its seven bathrooms, snow-capped mountains can be clearly seen. The Hollywood sign is the view from the kitchen and a glorious view of Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean stretches out from the master bedroom.

  Yet 2450 Solar Drive, has been empty for 16 years and remains unfinished, having been dogged by endless building problems, divorce, gangs and drug-fuelled raves, a rumoured murder and some even more outlandish tales besides.

 

  'It has great views, but it is cursed,' David Tollefson, an airline attendant, told the New York Times, while hiking through Runyon Canyon by the house.

   'I’ve heard it’s an alien landing site. I’ve been asking everyone what this is, and no one wants to talk,' he added.

  'Have you heard about this being an Indian burial ground?' said Mr Tollefson's friend Jason Victor.

  The five-bedroom house, its 17acres of land - and legendary tales -, has recently gone on the market for just $15.6million. 

  There is also a 200-bottle wine cellar, six-car garage, stone floors, a pool and a jacuzzi with sunset views.

  The right person - with the right amount of money - seems to be looking at a veritable bargain for what estate agent, Richard Klug, calls 'the last big parcel in the Hollywood Hills'.

  Just as long as they can overlook the graffiti still visible on the walls, the fact that it is legally uninhabitable and the so-called hauntings.

  'I've never heard those rumours before,' Mr Klug told MailOnline. 'There are Indian burial grounds, but most of them are in Orange County.

  'It's silly, it's madness. I've sold two or three homes on that street and everyone loves it. Most of them (owners) are working behind the camera in the big studios but there are some pretty well known stars too.' 

  Interest for the Solar Drive property has so far come from one developer and 'one very serious private seller' Mr Klug said.

  'Whoever buys it will probably donate land to the city in exchange for some building rights,' said Mr Klug. 'You could probably build three more houses on the land and it would be fine.'

  They will also be looking at spending up to $1million in renovations he added, but estimated that, with the land the house could then sell for at least $20million.

  Current owner, Timothy Devine, a former executive at Columbia Records, has reportedly hired an armed guard to watch over the property, according to the New York Times.

  Kirk Morgan said he has seen off 250 people, including gangs and squatters, in the nine months he has been watching the house .

  And for good reason. According to police the mansion has previously served as a crack house, its floors covered with drug paraphernalia.

  'You would not believe it', Ralph Sanchez, the senior lead officer for the Hollywood Hills division of the Los Angeles Police Department, told the paper.

  'From gang members to Satanic worshipers. You name it. The doors were pried open, no matter how many times we nailed them shut.'

  The trouble started from the word go it seems.

  The house was originally built around 1993 by Tom Ego after plans were drawn up by Orange County architects Gregg Maedo.

  It is thought Mr Ego either built the house on spec for an Argentinian couple or sold it to them during the process of building it for himself. 

  The couple divorced and sold the house unfinished at which time Maedo left the project.

  It was then bought by Mr Devine in 2004 but became tangled in real estate disputes between him and a partner.

  After years of starting and stopping of building works the house is now legally uninhabitable as it exceeds the city's limits on height and lot coverage. 

  Neighbours have called it a 'monstrosity' and an 'eyesore' but despite all this it could be 'truly great', according to the property listing.

  It also adds: 'All sort of subdivision possibilities exist...so bring your developers/contractors and clients who want something rare and unique.'

  The new owners, whoever they may be, will be pleased to know that the rumoured murder, which supposedly took place on the pool table in the billiards room, never actually happened.

  Whether any of the other rumours are the stuff of legend remains to be seen.