The haunted home is a cross-cultural phenomenon: old and abandoned structures in communities all over the world become receptacles for communal anxieties and neuroses. The Baron's Palace is no different. Cairo residents claim that the remains are haunted. An urban mythology hangs on its deteriorating arches. A phantom elevator carries visitors to other floors - but there are no other floors. The palace was built in 1910 by the French as a gift for the son of Egypt's Khedive (Prime Minister) Ismail. However, the young man died before he could use the apartment buildings. After the boy's death, his father had neither the time nor interest to maintain the property. By 1920, it was abandoned. In 1960, after Egyptian independence from Britain, the palace became the headquarters for Egypt's new government. But even this use did not last long because few officials were willing to move into such a famous site. In fact, it was not until 1985 that it was finally acquired by the state and given to the city of Cairo. Since then, it has been under restoration to help pay for its maintenance. Some people say they have experienced strange things while inside the palace. Lights have been reported moving by themselves, windows have been found open when nobody has been there, and footsteps are said to be heard at night.