Spreckels Mansion: Shacknai Death House Part of San Diego Lore

The house in southern California where two bizarre deaths have occurred in the past week, Spreckels Mansion in Coronado, is a historic property with a long history.

On Sunday, the current owner of the mansion, pharmaceutical company tycoon Jonah Shacknai said that his 6-year-old son, Max, has died from a fall he suffered on Monday. Just prior to death, Shacknai’s girlfriend Rebecca Nalepa was found dead in what San Diego police officials are describing as a suicide. Her body was found hanging from a balcony with hands and feet bound.

Shacknai is the founder and chief executive officer of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp.

According to Luxist.com, the 27-room estate currently owned by Shacknai is located on Coronado Island in San Diego Bay. It was built by John D. Spreckels, a millionaire businessman who fled San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.

In Sam Diego, he eventually owned the Hotel del Coronado, the water company, the trolley system, and the San Diego Union and San Diego Tribune newspapers.

He also built another house in Coronado called the Glorietta Bay Inn.

Spreckels, who owned an array of businesses, was at one time the wealthiest person in Sam Diego.

He died in 1926.

Luxist states: “The Spreckels estate is the main house and a guest house totaling 27 rooms including a northeast wing with two apartments and a six-car garage. The mansion is a mix of Italian Renaissance and Beaux-Arts architecture and is full of special details like a finished exercise room and ballet studio in the attic and a basement with two wine cellars.”

In addition, the “mansion has six bedrooms, a living room with a carved marble fireplace and built-in bookcases, sun room and plenty of areas for taking in the ocean views.”

The house was listed at $16.9 million.