Following the Michael Jackson Estate’s statement on Neverland being for sale, MJVibe would like to hear the fans on this matter!
Please share your thoughts, your feelings and memories on Neverland in the comment box below…
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It’s a really sad day and if anyone was able to make the decision to sell it, I wish it could have been Michael. Knowing how hard michael worked to save Neverland from foreclosure, it surprises me that Colony would let it go, but business is business. Logistically, Neverland is a nightmare so it’s understandable as to why they never opened it as a public attraction. Let’s hope whoever buys it is respectful of it’s rich history and not a celebrity out for attention
i love ypou Michael! I miss you so much! at least neverland will never be the same!
Response to NEVERLAND FOR SALE! Your thoughts!!!
http://mjvibe.com/Interactive/2014/07/31/neverland-for-sale-your-thoughts/
August 4, 2014
Hi, Pez. I’m relieved to finally finish this morning my interview draft and submit it for your review regarding Iconic Magazine’s upcoming special “Neverland” issue. This will be the first release of any publication that will feature responses from myself along with some of my fellow “Dream Team” members, such as Michael’s artist friend, David Nordahl, and Oliver “Brick” Price with WondWorks, another friend and close associate of Michael’s.
Brick was the first person to contact me in early June 1990 about the possibility of assisting a well known entertainer in acquiring a merry-go-round. Then Michael’s friend and Executive Director at MJJ Productions, Ms. Norma E. Staikos, called me a couple of days later confirming it was for Michael Jackson, and requested my support in bringing his fantasy “Neverland Dream” to reality. My recent book, “Maker of Dreams – Creating Michael Jackson’s ‘Neverland Valley Park,'” details a lot of the events that occurred during these first years working together on his Neverland Valley Park project during the early 1990’s.
One of our continuous challenges was repeatedly having to ask permission from County zoning officials for permission to proceed, virtually at every step of the way. They and some neighbors were not very happy about what Michael was doing inside his private 2,700 acre Neverland Valley Ranch, even though nothing was ever visible nor accessible to the outside general public. We were successful in obtaining permission for a lot of what Michael wanted to do, but without guidelines in the local zoning ordinances that pertained to an amusement park, either free or with a paid admission, we were always on shaky footing.
I personally attempted to contact Tom Barrack at Colony Capital earlier this year about discussing some potential ideas for saving Neverland Valley Ranch, but through an assistant I found him distant, unresponsive and unwilling to meet with me at Neverland, even though he lives nearby. Initially, I wanted to share a copy of my “Maker of Dreams” book with him, but that quickly changed to, “Why bother!”
If Michael’s “Neverland Valley Ranch” family residence is lost forever, it will be a tragedy felt for all eternity! Never in the HIStory of our World has someone’s home been so totally dedicated to something this beautifully created primarily for the beneficial healing found inside Neverland for underprivileged, handicapped and terminally ill children.
If any buyer is interested in acquiring Neverland Valley Ranch for use a “tourist attraction” like Graceland, I can assure your readers it will be blocked by the local County officials at every effort or request submitted. The only hope is for a buyer to maintain the same usually low profile Michael did, except when he wanted to host a party. These events grew in size over the years, and I’m sure became VERY disconcerting to the County officials who were probably in too deep by this time to do much of anything about it. Now, they will probably do all they can to prevent a repeat in the future.
Respectfully submitted for your readers, who may contact with questions about creating Michael’s “Neverland Dream.”
God Bless & L.O.V.E. – in Michael’s honor and memory…
Rob Swinson
“Maker of Dreams”
Neverland Park HIStorian & Author
Email: makerofdreams@cox.net
Website: http://MakerOfDreams.com/
I’m not surprised about it to be honest. I mean the upkeep of the grounds most be so expensive. All those fields and things won’t maintain themselves.
It can’t just sit there doing nothing. What irks me is the thought of some random celebrity buying it. No doubt some property developer will wanna buy it and build on it. Who knows maybe even Sneddon will try and buy it after all to use as a wine vineyard?
I would like to think that even though it’s being sold that it is used in a way that doesn’t change the site too much. I would hope that the new owners buy it for it’s current charm and HIStory and not as a publicity enhancer. No matter how we all feel about it business is business and a ranch of such size is wasted sat there doing nothing.
It’s the end of an era. Just a shame that we fans have no say in what happens or choice in the matter…
This is a really sad moment in the History of Michael Jackson! This is a part of pop-history / pop-culture but also was the house of happyness and joy for millions of kids!
Michael said:
“I will never sell Neverland, Neverland is me” – Michael Jackson
A place where you never grow up!Where you can see the child you hide in you…where you can run, play, climb trees and have a great time! A dream place I wanted so much to meet Michael Jackson, my Peter Pan…..Now watching empty photos of Neverland ranch I can see that it is so empty without Michael…the world is empty without Michael ……
“I think it’s the perfect hypothesis because I think people, when they come, they feel rejuvenated, they feel healed.. and I have seen it. It transforms people. It is nature and it is love. But it is the music that gets into the grass and makes the trees grow more beautifully and the birds come around. I keep that synergy going all the time. When you get children there you can touch it, you can feel the inocence. The deer come and I love all of that. That’s the world I live in.” ~ Michael Jackson’s thoughts on ‘Neverland’
Neverland is Michael, and it is the home from his children Prince, Paris and Blanket.
Can’t the fans all chip in and purchase it…? Or is that unrealistic?
I’ve taught of that too.
I guess a non- profit organization need to be in place first.
If all the fans chip on a dollar let’s say.
Yeah WE could own Nerverland. 😉
With a little bit more, we could buy the neighbor too.
Flip flop , I like it.
The Estate is not interested to buy back Neverland.
Why you ask?
They don’t want to bother with it.
They had Neverland, they Sold it probably the day he died to the neighbor.
They didn’t even want to wait for people to realize what the heck was going on ?
When We were crying for his death, they were selling his property.
From the Julian’s auction to Neverland.
Look at the date of those events, follow the money trail.
There was no need to sell, they just had tons of money from the auctions and….let’s not forget Michael life insurance!
For lawyers to joint venture with the neighbor in Neverland and to have the minority let’s say 49/51 .
That’s not great business. Unless you got the 51. Or and the first right of refusal in case of a sale.
Don’t be fool.
The estate will still make money and so will the lawyers.
They don’t care about us, we are pions.
Our feelings don’t count, we’re just there to buy tickets and cd.
They have all the controls over Michaels money, not even his mother can do anything!
Do not sell it, Should be a Museum, for the people of the wolrd!!!!
Ces honteux neverland musée! !!!! Honte à la famille jacksons
PLEASE DO NOT sell Neverland!!!!! Restore it to the way Michael had it and open it to the public!!!! That was his ONLY space he had away from everything and he loved it there, until the police violated it !!!! Furthermore it is where he raised his children!!! Neverland IS Michael Jackson, nobody else should live there EVER again, except his children if they wanted to….Please DO NOT SELL!!!!! Michael’s fans would LOVE to visit and show their continued love and support for him!!! Michael is, and always will be forever in our hearts!!! <3
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Bridgette Lewis says:
i love you Michael! I miss you so much! at least neverland will never be the same!
It’s a terrible shock for me and all the fans of Michael Jackson worldwide!
It’s really sad. I know Michael didn’t want to live there anymore, but he didn’t sell it. I think he wanted to keep it for his children, and THEY are the only ones who should decide what happens to Neverland. As far as I remember, Paris once said she wants to rebuild it one day. So I think they should let the children decide what to do with Neverland.
I am very sad about this news. But try to keep in mind that Michael did not want to live there the last years. He had there his best and his worst time of life. He abandoned it but still could not take the next step: to sell it and make an end with the past, to continue a new life…. but all these thoughts don’t make it easier to accept. It is the next loss, a next part if him is going away
I can not believe it. I’m so sad about this terrible news. Neverland was Michael’s paradise. And now it’s a memorial place for millions of fans around the world.
Neverland IS Michael, even if he left and said that he won’t live there anymore. That was not what he really wanted by choice, it was a decision forced by those ugly things that were going on… which he couldn’t influence. It’s still and forever a very special place, very unique, Michael once created it to connect everyone with his inner child, he created it for everyone to have joy and fun, it was a place created with love and standing for love. It’s not „just“ a property, it’s a symbol. For me it’s a significant part of Michael’s legacy because it was a part of his dream come true, he had plans to develop it until it came to that unlucky stop. And even when he was in financial distress he didn’t sell it – he still tried to keep it. To sell it now feels like stealing it from his kids. I think, they should decide what they will do with Neverland when they are old enough. Maybe they have their own plans… When it’s sold, it’s gone forever and with it a piece of their Daddy’s Legacy.
I know that Tom Barrack and Colony Capital tried to return Neverland to a place that memorializes Michael Jackson but they had a hard time with the zoning and the neighbors. I was hoping that if it could not become a fan destination, it could become a music school and allow people to go there on a limited basis and still feel the presence and the legacy of Neverland… but, this may not happen. It will always be important what Neverland represented. It was a place Michael built to give disadvantaged kids a refuge from their difficult lives and also a place where Michael could relive and continue his childhood. As with Never Never Land, it will live in our hearts and minds forever.
Thanks for this insight, Larry. Good to know this bit of background information.
I think it should be turn into a museum like Elvis house, Graceland.
I know Michael didn’t want to stay there in the last years of his life. However it is a big part of his life and he loved it at some point.
The estate should step in and turn it into a profit for the fans to have a place to remember him, and for his children.
If Elvis estate can turn a profit, so can this one.
The shame of it all, is that they sold just about everything including the gate.
That hurt me.
Food for taught:
If Neverland would be restore, it would not only create jobs for thousand of artists to recreate his beauty for for staff to maintain it.
Michael legacy could live on for generation to come for his present and future fans.
As an example, this is what Graceland is making a year.
Since opening to the public in 1982, Graceland has hosted millions of visitors from every state in the union and nearly every country of the world. Prior to Graceland’s opening, there was minimal tourism trade in Memphis. Graceland quickly became the cornerstone of the industry for the city and the region. The Memphis tourism industry has expanded greatly with the development of attractions such as the FedEx Forum, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Wonders Series exhibits, and with the continued growth and development of the Beale Street entertainment district, Memphis in May, and a host of other attractions, museums, and special events.
Graceland welcomes over 600,000 visitors each year, is one of the five most visited home tours in the United States, and is the most famous home in America after The White House. In 1991, Graceland was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The peak season for visitorship is Memorial Day through Labor Day. Attendance ranges from a few hundred visitors on a weekday in the dead of winter to 2,000 – 3,500 visitors per day in the spring and early summer, to over 4,000 per day in July at the height of the travel season. The total economic impact on the city of Memphis from Graceland visitors is estimated to be $150 million per year or possibly much more. A major part of that impact is that most Graceland visitors come from outside the city, bringing new dollars into the community, not only touring Graceland, but also patronizing other attractions in the area as well as area hotels, restaurants, shops and other businesses while they are in town. Further benefiting the city is the intense worldwide publicity that Graceland and the Elvis Presley phenomenon continually bring to Memphis. Contributing to the local impact is the fact that EPE employs approximately 350 people part-time and full-time year ’round, a number that swells to as many as 450 in the busy summer season.
Graceland visitors come from all walks of life, all ages, all musical tastes, all income levels, all educational backgrounds, and all parts of the world. The demographics are broad. Over half of Graceland’s visitors are under the age of 35. Graceland is a must-see for visiting dignitaries, touring Broadway show casts, touring rock stars, and people of virtually every description coming to Memphis.
This is really sad. I stood at that gate only a month ago thinking that some day I will get in there. I understand that it is difficult to keep and that the roads are not in good shape, but anyway… this was created for make the world a better Place. Right now so many Things tell us that it is not getting better. We need Neverland in this world. We need Michael’s spirit to give us some hope and for the children to be children. I hope it will become a place for children.
This distresses me greatly.Selling Neverland is like selling a part if Michael’s soul.We NEED to have a place where we feel that Michael still exists.”I will NEVER sell Neverland” those words came from Michael himself.Why can’t we honour his wish.Ge face so much to the world why can’t we give back for once.A part if Michael still resides in Neverland I’m sure of that.Why can’t we.. Us his fans…. Have a place to honour michael and when we wish to be close to him have a place to visit and show our love( just like Elvis in Graceland). It comforts me to know that such a place existed UNTIL NOW.If they take away Neverland they are just taking another piece if Michael away from us and its like losing him even more .Im so sad and know Michael would be too.The memories are to special to just erase as if he didn’t exist.I have tears in my eyes writing this.I love you Michael
This was inevitable, its a head over heart matter, and finance always comes first! Im so sad to hear this news today, to me Neverland is a spiritual sanctuary, a place of beautiful wonderment, but to the business man it is a financial drain and burden. Im not surprised this is happening and I fully understand why the estate have made this decision. Michael was no fool when it came to business, he appointed his estate, knowing full well hard finance will always rule over a hearts desire!
Neverland belongs to Michael Jackson PERIOD. AND IF ANYBODY is going to take it, it should be his children. Thats it. Dont sell it.
http://youtu.be/Mp6fKjYn7m0
I know the Estate is in charge.
But..did anybody ask the kids?
I don’t think it would be wise to sell.
Better to buy out the other party and decide later when the children are in age.
Prince will be 18 soon.
If the property appraised at 75 million now and he only paid 22.8 million 5 years ago and now want 100 million!
Even if he kept the maintenance on it let say at about 500,000 a year ( Michael use to paid about a million and he had full staff).
23 million
+ 2.5 million maintenance
He’s looking at about 75 million profit in 5 years.
Who ‘s going to pay 100 million for a personal residence all gutted I’m sure.
Better put a special addendum for misc. lol
Good luck with that!
Maybe if every fan of Michael would donate what she or he can miss we all could buy Neverland together and go live their is their a lawyer in the States who’s got the guts to start this kind of procedure?
If you sell Neverland, it is like you destroy Michael’s spirit. Michael loved that place, and if it gets in the hands of another person than thats like he never even lived there. I would guess that Neverland is the most beautiful place in the world. Michael created that beacuse he had his childood stolen from him, and if we let it be sold than its like we steal his childhood again. And that would be a disaster
My thoughts….. Leave Neverland to Michaels children !!!!! Where is the Jackson family ???? Why can’t you’s (Jackson family) all get together and purchase Neverland yourselves and keep it in the family ? then operate it like “Graceland” My point of view….. If you’s don’t (Jackson family) then “MICHAEL” must mean NOTHING to any one of you’s……… Disgusted MJJ fan if this is sold out of the Jackson family.
Neverland should stay in the hands of Michaels children.
They have so much memories of their childhood and the happy times they shared with their father.
I hope the estate buys the estate for the children.
The neighbors are opposed to turn Neverland into a Graceland.
They come up with all excuses. Zoning, city planning bla bla bla.
Meanwhile, guess who’s looking at the property?
No other than the brother in law of the D.A that try so hard to put him in jail.
About that!
I bet HE will get what he want…
There trying to throw pixie dust in our eyes.
Again…
I hope the ghost of Michael come and haunt them. Weehee!
All they have to do really, it’s declare it a historical site.
http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21410
They can then preserve it, restore it etc…
At lest that would stop any body from bulldozing it!
I was hoping that one day Michael’s children would own Neverland and bring it back to it’s former glory! Very sad news!
I agree in part to all of the afore mentioned comments. Just to think that there will no longer be a place called Neverland, a place that Michael loved and that inspired him so much, just breaks my heart. I don’t know much about the politics and procedures of preserving a place of such important and historical relevance, but here in the UK, it could be placed on the Listed property register or some other type of register that would ensure it could not be altered. In that way, Michael’s beloved home that was his and his children’s, would be preserved for all time. I know we can all speak til we are blue in the face and what will be, will be. If Elvis’ memory deserved a place for all time, Michael surely does. AFTERALL , he was THE greatest entertainer and Humanitarian that EVER lived. God bless your beautiful soul Michael, why did you have to leave?
“If you come to Neverland you´re bound to get wet!”
It makes me feel sad. At the same time I think with the right and respectful owner it could be OK.
For many years it´s been in a kind of limbo. I just hope and pray that not someone like Justin Bieber, or God forbid, Tom Sneddon buys it.
I, as many other people do, agree that Neverland is part of Michael, and to sell it is like selling his dreams away. I’d HATE to see someone else buy it and change it, or they just want to buy it just to say “Hey look, I bought Michael Jacksons’ property!” It’s too special for that. I also hope that Michaels’ children are getting a say in this too, surely Neverland belongs to them now? Maybe that’s what Michael wanted anyway; for his kids to take it, run it and keep it looking beautiful like the way it was. In a way, it would be carrying on their Dads’ legacy and soul.
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Please don’t sell Neverland!!!!!!!!!!! Neverland is Michael’s soul… you can’t sell Michael’s soul! It makes me very sad. It’s very sad for all the fans…Michael was already taken away from us, don’t take Neverland away from us! But if someone should buy it…it would be Michael’s children, than Neverland will be safe!
I have never been there for real, but in my thoughts I’m always there, and I had many dreams about it, and I wrote a poem about it…so Neverland gives me very much inspiration….And ofcourse Michael himself as well!-I love you!!
But even though they gonna sell it or not, Neverland will keep on living inside my heart and soul!!!!!
I BELIEVE in Neverland!!…..I will NEVER give up NEVERLAND!!
I personally feel that since MJ said he would never live at Neverland again because of Sneddon raiding Michael’s home I thought that this day might come (the sale of Neverland). Michael hasn’t live at Neverland since 2004. Now the Estate was trying to get permission from the county to turn Neverland into a Music school or a MJ tourist attraction like graceland but the county would not allow it. So Colonial who I believe have more percentage ownership of Neverland decided to sell it. It is sad but if the house is kept it would sit empty and cost Millions of dollars each year to maintain it and the Estate or Colonial Capital do not want to pay for maintenance. So I guess we will see if and when it is sold because Neverland should be lived in not sitting empty and barren.
I want Neverland to fans. I want when I have the opportunity to go there and pay my tribute, gratitude, my tribute, my admiration, my love for the personality that is in my life 33 years years.
I want Neverland to fans. I want when I have the opportunity to go there and pay my tribute, gratitude, my tribute, my admiration, my love for the personality that is in my life 33 years years
So sad. Gonna miss Neverland. Hope it goes to a good owner it’s not 100% bad, after all it wasn’t the same without mike anyway. So many magical moments at Neverland wow.
Been a fan of the jackson family all my life.their hard work paid off.they love each other no matter what.they should not sell his home.keep it as a museun.he worked for this now that he is gone.we should respect his wishes and his family members also.the fans who love them deserve respect it would break their heart to see that museum no longer mjj ranch to show their children he had talent and his family love him.that you teach someone to be great also.