What Happened To The Iconic Magnum, P.i. Mansion?
For a few years in the 1980s, Americans tuned in every week to follow the adventures of Thomas Magnum, a private investigator in Hawaii portrayed by Tom Selleck (per IMDb). As is often the case with TV shows (and movies), the setting of the show became as much a part of the cast as, say, Selleck and his legendary mustache. In this case, it was "Robin's Nest," the mansion which Magnum's employer, the mysterious and never-seen novelist Robin Masters, owns. Magnum lives in a guest house on the grounds, and is constantly at odds with the by-the-book caretaker of the mansion and its environs, who doesn't care for Magnum's freewheeling ways.
Robin's Nest was a real place, used for exterior shots. According to Hawaii News Now, the complex was built in 1933. The mansion measured 8,900 square feet and was a frequent location for Hawaii-based film projects. However, the real-life buildings that stood in for Magnum's pad are no more.
Robin's Nest fell into ruin, was demolished
In 2015, Hawaii's KHON2 News (posted on YouTube) reported that the Oahu mansion and the three acres that stood in as Magnum's digs had been sold; Honolulu Magazine said the deal closed for $8.7 million, after having been in the same family for almost a century. At the time, rumor had it that none other than Barack Obama had been involved in the multi-million-dollar sale. Two years later, an urban explorer visited the property and documented its ruined state on YouTube (a screenshot from his exploration is posted above): overgrown vegetation, mildew growing on exterior walls, windows and doors boarded up.
By 2018, however, the buildings had been leveled. As Hawaii News Now reported at the time, a demolition permit had been issued for the site, and drone footage later revealed that no structures were left standing. In 2019, Pacific Business News reported that permits were issued for three houses on the property. The land had been subdivided into two parcels. In 2020, American Luxury reported that the Obamas intended to build a residence on the site. ProPublica also reported in 2020 that the property was being developed for the Obamas.