The antonyms for the phrase "took residence" include "left", "vacated", "abandoned", "evacuated", "relocated", and "displaced". These words imply that someone has moved from a specific place, whether it's a house, a town, or a country, and won't inhabit it anymore. Generally, antonyms top off the context as they portray the opposite meaning. It often used to explain the opposite in the sentence, phrase, or notion related to a given word. In this case, the antonyms of "took residence" convey the idea of leaving or abandoning a place which is familiar to many of us while one takes up residence in a new location.