My wife and I recently went to the Biltmore Estate. In case you are not familiar, it is the largest privately owned house in the United States at over 175,000 square feet.
I found it amazing that the Vanderbilts, who are an incredibly wealthy family who built the estate, were unable to afford to maintain their estate during the Depression. In order to raise funds, they opened their house for tours. In 1956, the family relocated and turned the house into a museum that charged for admission, presumably because the maintenance cost was too high.
As I learned more about this house, I thought of my past post about living within your means.
It looks like no matter who you are, you have to be careful with your finances and live within your means.