Experience the Kellogg Mansion: Virtual Reality Tour of the Former Home of Cereal Mogul

Taking a look inside the Kellogg Mansion is like stepping back in time. William Kellogg, the founder of the Michigan-based cereal company only spent three winters in the massive home before his death in 1951, but the home is legendary.

Who is William Kellogg?

William Keith Kellogg was born in 1860 in Battle Creek, Michigan, and as a young man began his professional life selling brooms in his hometown.

Kellogg and his brother, John Harvey Kellogg formed the Sanitas Food Company around 1897, making whole-grain cereals. However, the brothers disagreed about adding sugar to their cereals, and William Kellogg founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, which eventually morphed into the Kellogg Company.

Kellogg was known for his philanthropy, investing millions to found the W. K. Kellogg Child Welfare Foundation in 1930. The Kellogg Company was the first to put prizes for children inside cereal boxes and one of the first to put nutrition labels on food packages.

The Kellogg Mansion

The massive, 7,600-square-foot mansion was clearly ahead of its time when it was built in 1925. the home had five bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and two half baths, staggering numbers for the era.

You'll get a feel for how posh the home was in the pictures below, but the photos truly don't do it justice.

Kellogg passed away in 1951, and the home eventually succumbed to structural damage. It has since been demolished but before its demise, the University of South Florida's digital heritage team captured every inch of the mansion digitally in order to create a virtual reality experience.