#architectural oddities

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Bath arena. Meet me on the poop deck.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Somebody got whimsical here.

[randomtimes-com]

The world’s narrowest house is in Peru and it is only 63cm wide! 👇🏼

The world’s narrowest house is in Peru and it is only 63cm wide!

[randomtimes-com]

Two very green residential towers cleaning the air in one of Europe's most polluted cities 👇🏼🌳

Bosco Verticale: a vertical forest in the middle of Milan's urban jungle

[biglisbonnews]

Gold King Mansion in Mohave County, Arizona The Gold King Mansion sits in the Hualapai Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona. Construction on the mansion began in 1930, shortly after a strike had been made on the land in April 1929 and a claim was made to it in July of the same year. Progress was swift; a camp and road connected to the county highway were built to support the growing operation. As the mine grew, so did expectations as the mine operator, P. M. Woods, reported the company was to install a “big hoist,” “a big gas engine and a compressor… sufficient to operate the drills and pumps,” and an onsite ore mill. The prospective growth of the mine was enticing to financiers who rushed to invest.  At the end of August 1930, the company announced the building "the first of a series of model bunk houses, using reinforced concrete construction." The houses were, according to the mine superintendent, to "contain an adequate sleeping room to accommodate several miners, a modern bathroom, and be provided with electric light." Multiple of these bunkhouses was intended to be constructed but come October 1930, the mine found a large workforce unnecessary as the mine resulted in only one of the buildings being constructed. In 1933, a local rancher John Odie visited the mine and found that the mansion was not used to shelter miners as originally intended. Odie claimed the owners “would take prospective stock buyers up there and wine and dine them and put them up in the house." The estate was also furnished less like a miner's quarters and more akin to a resort with elaborate crown molding, copper screen windows, and a concrete fishing pond off the east side of the building.  The mine was not nearly as successful as it once was projected to be as their starting capital of $1 million in 1930 was whittled down to $700,000 in 1933 when the last of the mining took place for the decade. Despite inactivity between 1934 and 1941, interest in the mine resurged with the beginning of WWII and P. M. Woods resumed operation with a small crew in October 1942. The mine continued to operate through the war and produced gold, silver, lead, and zinc in small quantities. The mine was in use until 1947 but due to economic changes post-war and the death of P. M. Woods in 1948, the property was in limbo. In 1972, Mohave County historian Roman Malach described the condition of the property and that all doors, windows, and wooden trim had been pilfered but that the ornate fireplace still remained. In 1980 another historian, Joe Blackstock, returned to find the fireplace stolen. Vandalism has remained an issue for the property but Site Stewards and the BLM have taken steps to maintain and preserve it. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gold-king-mansion

[biglisbonnews]

Elliðaey Island Lodge in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland It's a sight that piques the imagination: a small, white building, contrasted on all sides by flat green grass, and, beyond that, treacherous, Seussian cliffs.  It's difficult to ascertain which photo was the original, iconic glimpse into this isolated piece of Iceland. However, by 2010, multiple shots of the scenic isle were proliferating across the internet. Spread by social media accounts dedicated to travel and "interesting facts," by 2012, it was widely misbelieved that the island was the home of Icelandic Singer-Songwriter Björk. Although former Icelandic prime minister David Oddson had indeed offered exclusive use of an island named Elliðaey to Björk in February of 2000, as she had "...done so much for the country," the island in question was located in the bay of Breiðafjörður, west of the Icelandic mainland. (She formally declined the offer in 2004, in light of public outcry and concerns regarding tourism-related over-exploitation.)   Elliðaey (our Elliðaey, that is) is located off Iceland's rural southern coast, part of the Vestmannaejyar (or Westman) Islands. The history of the island is somewhat murky, due in part to misattributions like the one described above. However, at some point, a small hut was built on the island, which stands today and is used for storage and as a workshop. In 1953, the larger white structure seen in the images was built by the Elliðaey Hunting Association. This building, which is apparently powered via propane gas and lacks water except that collected via precipitation, serves as a rustic lodge for anyone daring (or bored) enough to make the journey by boat to the rocky beach on the island's eastern side.   This trip can be made only from the Vestmannaejyar archipelago's principle town, also called Vestmannaejyar. It has a population of about 4,000. There's not much to do except admire the puffins and the scenery, but that's exactly why some people come.  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ellidaey-island-lodge

[biglisbonnews]

Santa Fe Depot in Shawnee, Oklahoma Built between 1902 and 1905, the Santa Fe Depot in Shawnee, Oklahoma, was a train depot until 1973. Often compared to a lighthouse or castle, the building was designed by Charles Whittlesay, an architect for the Santa Fe Railroad.  His idea for the "Romanesque" style of the depot came from buildings he had seen in Scotland. The depot used to house the Pottawatomi County History Museum.  The museum moved to its collection to a new building not far from the iconic structure and has temporarily closed the inside of the depot to visitors.  The real beauty of the building is the outside structure, though, and visitors are welcome to walk around it and take pictures to their hearts content. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/santa-fe-depot

[biglisbonnews]

It Lân Skip in Workum, Netherlands The remarkable farm is situated behind the sea dike near Hindeloopen and Workum. It has the same shape and size as a traditional farm, but upside down with the ridge on the ground. The reasons is primarily practical. The owners wanted to be able to look over the dike and see the IJsselmeer from the farm. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/it-lan-skip