The story behind Midway’s unfinished mansion

UPDATE: The husband who died unexpectedly mentioned in this article has been tied to Summit County mother and author of book on grieving death charged with murder.

MIDWAY, Utah — A massive 22,000-square-foot mansion between Heber City and Midway has been unfinished for more than five years. The home is a bit of an eyesore in the valley and has been somewhat of a mystery to locals for the past half-decade. The Wasatch County property sits on 10 acres and was first constructed in 2017 at 106 N Legacy Way.

In 2017, Doug Roylance, the previous owner, started building the house there. The 22,800 square-foot house, which Roylance had intended to use as a communal space for rent and usage, had been initially valued at $7.6 million. Roylance was constructing a dream home with eight bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, two kitchens, a swimming pool, a golf simulator, and a rock climbing wall.

Two years later, in 2019, development paused, paperwork mounting, and the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that an “unattended death” occurred on the site in September. Since Roylance never meant for the property to be his primary residence, he lost interest in the project, and by the end of 2019, all work had stopped.

Roylance eventually put the unfinished mansion on the market and relocated to Guatemala, where he operates a philanthropic organization. The 10-acre property was purchased by a young couple relocating to the Heber Valley in January 2022 after spending nearly two years on the market.

The couple had intended to finish construction and move into the home until the husband unexpectedly passed away shortly after closing the sale on the property. Understandably, the current owner, now widowed, has been preoccupied for obvious reasons and has not resumed construction. She since re-listed the home and K Richins Realty LLC is the seller with an asking price of $4.75 million.

If purchased, the buyer has to continue construction at their own expense. Construction to finish the property would take roughly six months to a year, weather dependent. The house is listed by Rosewood and Fathom realty, and more information on the property can be found on their website.