Bill Gates’ $132 million Xanadu 2.0 was meant to use rare old-growth timber, but a tiny owl changed his mansion plans and led him to use reclaimed wood instead

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, whose net worth was almost $4 billion in 1991, wanted a home that represented his status. In 1988, Gates bought the Medina land for $2 million, and to find a worthy architect in 1989, he ran an international architectural competition. When construction finally began on the Medina mansion in 1990 under architects James Cutler and Peter Bohlin, a hurdle popped up- the northern spotted owl crisis.

Bill Gates’ 66,000-square-foot mansion was going to need a huge amount of wood because it was designed in a Pacific Lodge style, which uses a lot of timber.