Kanye West’s hopes of expanding his church offerings in Los Angeles seem to have taken a hit after a building he purchased in 2023 burned to the ground.
In January 2023, West purchased a single-story home in LA’s San Fernando Valley for $1.5 million, but the building burned down in October 2024, The US Sun reported on Monday.
West — who recently announced the return of his Sunday Service sessions — reportedly purchased the building from the Cornerstone Christian Church, which is located near the property.
The 47-year-old rapper doesn’t appear to have ever done anything with the property after snapping it up, and photos taken in December 2023 suggested that it had been left abandoned and untended for.
DailyMail.com has reached out to a representative for West to request comment.
According to The Sun, neighbors of the Northridge property had been complaining about the lot’s dirty, unkempt status before it was set ablaze.
Kanye West’s hopes of expanding his church offerings in Los Angeles seem to have taken a hit after a building he purchased in 2023 burned to the ground; seen in March 2024 in LA
In January 2023, West purchased a single-story home in LA’s San Fernando Valley for $1.5 million, but the building burned down in October 2024, The US Sun reported on Monday; seen at Sunday service at Coachella in Indio, Calif., in 2019
Prior to the purchase, over 12,000 detractors signed a petition urging Cornerstone not to sell the property to West due to his offensive statements and antisemitic tirades, but that didn’t appear to sway the Cornerstone Christian Church from selling the property to him.
However, it appeared to be a foregone conclusion, as the controversial performer had become friends with the church’s former pastor Ronald Nagin, and the church had previously rented out rooms in its main building to him.
It was Nagin who previously resided at the home that West bought.
He had reportedly intended to convert the lot into more space for Donda Academy, his private Christian school.
However, the academy abruptly shut down in late 2022, leaving parents and students in the lurch.
West may have hoped to use the new space to continue the project, but it doesn’t appear to have been revived amid the rappers escalating controversies in recent years.
The BBC’s documentary The Trouble With Ye previously featured claims that West had commandeered part of the Cornerstone Christian Church to run his presidential campaign, and he allegedly had workers sewing his Yeezy clothing in an area at the back of the church’s property.
Neighbors were particularly outraged by the state of the property West bought, which had boarded-up windows on the main house, while the grounds were littered with abandoned shopping carts and trash that had been dumped surreptitiously.
Thousands signed a petition for the Cornerstone Christian Church not to sell the property due to West’s offensive statements and antisemitic outbursts
Neighbors were particularly outraged by the state of the property West bought, which had boarded-up windows, abandoned shopping carts and trash dumped on the lawn. It’s pictured above prior to falling into disrepair
The property is on the backside of the Cornerstone Christian Church (pictured). West bought it from the church’s former pastor after befriending him
‘I had no idea Kanye bought it but … it’s not a good look for the neighborhood,’ one resident told the publication around when West bought the property. ‘He needs to clean it up, you don’t want a bum breaking in and living there.’
Photos taken sometime after the blaze show that the house had been completely destroyed, with just the foundation remaining, though much of the building debris and ashes had apparently been carted away already.
Other photos documented the trash that still littered the property, along with multiple trash bins that appeared to have been left unattended.
The property is now set off by a tall fence that has since been covered in graffiti, and an inner wall separating one side of the property is also covered with spray-painted designs.
The current state of the property is a stark contrast from Google maps photos apparently taken before West’s purchase.
The ranch-style home on the property was once tucked away with plenty of shade from trees hanging over it, while a line of palm trees separated it from the main Cornerstone property.
But West’s property had already begun to sour by late 2023, and the recent photos suggest little to no attention has been paid to the area.
The first that overtook the building reportedly began on October 14, 2024, just after 12:45 a.m.
The first that overtook the building reportedly began on October 14, 2024, just after 12:45 a.m., and authorities said it may have been due to arson; pictured with Bianca Censori on Feb. 2 in LA
According to The Sun, West was hit with a tax lien on the home in December for outstanding 2024 taxes of around $19,525; seen in February 2024 in Milan
Authorities indicated that the fire may have been started as the result of arson, though no details have publicly emerged about a potential culprit.
Firefighters reportedly worked for around half an hour to put out the blaze, which spread to some of the trees next to the house, those most appear to have survived the fire.
Around the time of the fire, KCAL News reported that no one was injured in the fire, but a home nearby suffered some superficial damage due to the extreme heat of the flames.
So far, the Los Angeles Fire Department hasn’t commented on the matter.
According to The Sun, West was hit with a tax lien on the home in December for outstanding 2024 taxes of around $19,525.
However, the property doesn’t appear to have been sold, and the hitmaker hasn’t rented out the property.
