Since 1976, motorists on I-280 passing through the Bay Area town of Hillsborough have been captivated by an unusual house with a rounded design that is perched atop a hill. The Flintstone House—as the eccentric structure is known—has been perceived as a beloved roadside attraction by travelers and a garish eyesore by residents of Hillsborough…
In 1948, enterprising shoe salesman Mahlon Haines decided that the best way to increase sales at his ever-expanding collection of shoe stores was to build a giant shoe-shaped house in York, Pennsylvania that would pique the interest of passing motorists. Haines reportedly requested that an architect build a house that looked like a work boot…
San Francisco, California, has long been celebrated as a haven for writers, musicians, and artists in search of a creative community. When beatniks started to drift into Northern California in the 1940s, some of them crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and landed in Sausalito, where a community of bayside floating homes that they helped popularize…
When Antoni Gaudi graduated from architecture school, the official who handed him his diploma famously remarked that Gaudi was either a genius or a fool. Gaudi’s fantastical Casa Batlló—which is the most distinctive house in a row of eccentric homes in Barcelona, often referred to as the “Island of Discord”—proves beyond a shadow of a…
From serving as suitable scenery for scary movies to keeping real-life secrets within its walls, the famous Sowden House knows how to attract both film enthusiasts and amateur detectives. In 1926, skilled architect Lloyd Wright designed this masterpiece of a house for painter and photographer John Sowden, who the Mayan-style residence is named after. The…
Artist and trash hauler Arthur Beal—who was also known as Captain Nitt Witt—lived by the old adage that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Captain Nitt Witt spent decades constructing a home in Cambria, California out of beer cans, bullet casings, and other natural and synthetic materials that he found along his garbage route….
For history buffs and architecture enthusiasts, the Germantown White House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a must-see destination. This historic site was once the home of President George Washington, who made it his temporary headquarters during the Revolutionary War. As the oldest presidential residence still standing, Germantown White House offers visitors a unique glimpse into America’s…
These days, there is an Airbnb in every corner of the world, including a gorgeous stretch of the Navajo Nation in the Arizona desert. For $150 a night, travelers can stay in an authentic Navajo hogan—which is a small dwelling fashioned out of earth. This petit hogan is fairly rustic, with two small beds, and…
