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For several summers, O'Day and his family enjoyed the estate during the warmer months, entertaining society’s elite on the Delaware coast. However, tragedy struck in 1906 when Daniel O’Day fell seriously ill while traveling in France, succumbing to a hemorrhagic stroke at 62.
After his death, the estate changed hands in 1914 when William B. Ahnelt, a businessman, purchased it. He renamed the estate “Ahnelt Hall” and used it as a summer residence. Tragically, on a quiet morning in June 1935, a devastating fire engulfed Kildesart, destroying much of its intricate wooden and stone structure. No casualties occurred, but the mansion’s stunning tower and large atrium were decimated, leaving only the charred ruins exposed to the sky.