Bizarre Buildings

All over the country there are weird houses, funky hotels, and bizarre buildings. Some you can tour, some you can shop in, and some you can even sleep in. So here's to some of America's most unique architecture!

Winchester Mystery House - San Jose
In 1884 a fortune teller told heiress Sarah Winchester (yes, Winchester like the rifle) that she was haunted by evil spirits, but that if she would build a great house for them and never cease work on it, she would be safe. And so, for the next 38 years, Sarah had continual construction on her house.Legend also holds that Sarah held nightly seances to converse with the spirits and be sure they approved of her building plans. Thanks to the "spirits' instructions" there are stairs that go up into a ceiling, doors that open to reveal a walls, and even upside down columns. When Sarah did die in 1922 the house had 160 rooms, 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 47 fireplaces, 40 staircases, and 3 elevators.


The Miner's Hat and Hat 'n' Boots Gas Station - Kellogg, Idaho / Seattle, Washington
Why not make a building out of a big ol' hat? The Miner's Hat sitting in Silver Valley was originally a drive-in restaurant. Since the 1960s it has been home to Miner's Hat Realty. Out in Seattle, alongside Route 99 (Route 66's sister road) a giant cowboy hat held a service station while the restrooms were inside of large boots. It closed in 1988 and was restored and moved to Oxbow Park in the 1990s.

Teapot Dome Gas Station - Zillah, Washington
This little teapot is said to be one of the oldest operating gas stations in the country. Alongside I-82, this 15 foot tall teapot was originally built as a comic statement about the Teapot Dome oil deals of the 1920s.


The Beer Can House - Houston, Texas
John Milkovisch, drinking a six pack of bear a day, for 18 years saved up 39,000 beer cans. He even had a purpose. In 1968 he began cutting off each end of the cans and flattening them, then using them to side his house. A metal coated house takes in a lot of sun, so John used the lids, bottoms, and pull tabs to create curtains and fences.

Petrified Wood Gas Station - Decatur, Texas
In 1935 E.F. Boydston decided to cover the gas station, cafe, and motor court that he owned with petrified wood. That's pretty much the end of the story. These days the buildings are in the hands of one of E.F's grandchildren. Gas is no longer sold, but the cafe still sells food.


Haines Shoe House - York, Pennsylvania
Mahlon Haines, a shoe tycoon, knew how to market his product, and it helped him make a fortune. His most  notable scheme was to build a two-story, three-bedroom house in the shape of a shoe. There was even a shoe shaped dog house in the back yard. The shoe was rented to newlyweds and elderly couples at its open, but it is now a museum.


Hood Milk Bottle - Boston, Massachusetts
This 40 foot tall, milk bottle shaped building could hold 58,620 gallons of milk...but it doesn't. It was originally built alongside the Three Mile River in the 30s. In 1977 the bottle was transported via barge across the Boston Harbor where it currently stands as a snack bar.