1988 Items Tagged

Architectural Oddities

After the destruction caused by Hurricane Andrew, in 1992, five new lifeguard stations were created, striking colorful, geometric figures on the waterfront. Another wave of these buildings appeared in 2015.

See Miami's Waterfront Through Its Midcentury Modern Lifeguard Stations

Pack your sunscreen, George Jetson.

Isaac Schultz February 3, 2020

Reality Checkpoint

Cambridge, England

Reality Checkpoint

An ordinary lamppost situated in the middle of Cambridge has an unusual moniker and history.

Barbara Hutton's Japanese palace, in the shadow of the volcano Popocatépetl.

Jiutepec, Mexico

Camino Real Sumiya

The tragic heiress Barbara Woolworth Hutton built her seventh husband this Japanese-inspired palace in Mexico.

Tattingstone Wonder.

Tattingstone, England

Tattingstone Wonder

An 18th-century estate owner thought these cottages were an eyesore, so he artfully disguised them as a church.

Backyard.

Casa Figueroa

This "cursed house" features secret rooms, hidden vaults, and dark escape tunnels.

Drumheller, Alberta

The Little Church

A six-person chapel in the middle of Alberta's badlands.

San Diego, California

Hotel del Coronado

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

Cycling Through Water.

Cycling Through Water

This bike path was sunk below water level for maximum wonder.

The Big Worm.

Brasília, Brazil

The Big Worm

This kilometer-long university building is an unexpected architectural delight.

Universidad 1601.

Mexico City, Mexico

Universidad 1601

Legend says the building's unusual features were added at the request of a paranoid president.

Permanently Closed

Johnson Creek, Wisconsin

Gobbler Theater

This supper-club-turned-concert-venue still serves drinks at its original rotating bar.

Monadnock Building.

Chicago, Illinois

Monadnock Building

The last masonry skyscraper ever built reveals a transitional moment in architectural history.

San Jose, California

Mark's Hot Dogs

For roadside fast food, pull over at the giant orange.

The view of the hotel from Brown Bart Gardens.

London, England

The Beaumont Hotel

This five-star hotel was originally a swanky parking garage.

Front view.

Nafplio, Greece

Church of Agioi Pantes

A staircase made of gravestones leads up to this church built into a giant rock.

The Hermit House.

Herzliya, Israel

The Hermit House

This marvelous work of outsider architecture is built into the cliffs of an Israeli beach.

Ring of Life.

Ring of Life

The massive steel ring looks like it could be China’s first Stargate.

View from across the street.

Guelph, Ontario

The Petrie Building

This building's metal facade is the last of its kind in all of Canada.