Pablo Escobar's Former Miami Beach Home Demolished by New Owner

The pink mansion sits on 175 feet of waterfront property on Biscayne Bay.

ByABC News
January 19, 2016, 8:26 PM
A bulldozer demolishes the waterfront mansion formerly owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, Jan. 19, 2016, in Miami.
A bulldozer demolishes the waterfront mansion formerly owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, Jan. 19, 2016, in Miami.
Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

— -- A pink mansion once owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was demolished today in Miami Beach.

The house was razed to make room for a more contemporary home on waterfront property, the owner, Chicken Kitchen founder Christian de Berdouare, told ABC News today.

Pablo Escobar originally bought the Miami Beach home on North Bay Road in his own name, as seen on the deed signed in 1982.
Christian de Berdouare

De Berdouare, who owns two other properties on the same street, plans to build a modern mansion that will include up to eight bedrooms, a movie theater and at least one pool, he said. The property features 175 feet of waterfront on Miami's Biscayne Bay, perfect to house a yacht, he said.

Pablo Escobar's former home features 175 feet of waterfront in Miami Beach with views of downtown Miami.
Christian de Berdouare

De Berdouare gave a simple reason for why he bought the aging, fire-damaged home in May 2014 for about $9 million from a private owner.

"I'm an entrepreneur," the real estate mogul said, adding that he expects the property value to skyrocket up to $40 million once construction on the new home is complete.

PHOTO:Chicken Kitchen restaurant owner Christian de Berdouare, who purchased the property in 2014, talks with the news media outside of the waterfront mansion formerly owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar,  Jan. 19, 2016, in Miami.
Chicken Kitchen restaurant owner Christian de Berdouare, who purchased the property in 2014, talks with the news media outside of the waterfront mansion formerly owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, Jan. 19, 2016, in Miami.
Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Escobar bought the home in his own name, a 1982 deed for the property shows. He allegedly showed up to the closing with a bag full of cash, De Berdouare said.

"It was before people knew his name" he told ABC News.

The government seized the property in 1987 and it was purchase by a private owner in 1990, the Associated Press reported. De Berdouare said he hired professional treasure hunters to comb through the structure for traces of when it was owned by Escobar.

A graffiti-type wall painting is featured in the living room of Pablo Escobar's former Miami Beach home.
Christian de Berdouare

There was "nothing remarkable" worth saving in the home's original structure, De Berdouare said, adding that he was glad to erase a part of Miami's "dark history."

“I want nothing to do with someone like him," the 59-year-old said of the home, calling it "the house of the devil."

PHOTO:An excavator demolishes the waterfront mansion formerly owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar,  Jan. 19, 2016, in Miami Beach, Fla.
An excavator demolishes the waterfront mansion formerly owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, Jan. 19, 2016, in Miami Beach, Fla.
Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

U.S. authorities said it's unclear whether Escobar ever lived in the house and that his men likely used it as a hideout, AP reported.

De Berdouare, who currently lives in one of his other properties on the ritzy North Bay Road, has not decided whether he will use the home for his own family or sell it to an interested buyer.

"Sometimes people will make me an offer I can't refuse," he said.

A bulldozer demolishes the waterfront mansion formerly owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, Jan. 19, 2016, in Miami.
Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Escobar is known as one of the world's most-feared drug lords and played an integral role in facilitating the drug wars that made Miami notorious for violence. He was killed in a shootout with Colombian National Police in 1993.