1988 Items Tagged

Architectural Oddities

Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Catacombs of Washington, D.C.

Franciscan monks created a facsimile of the Holy Land for North Americans who couldn’t afford the trip overseas.

Yangzhou Shi, China

Yangzhou Zhongshuge

Mirrored floors and arched shelves create the illusion of an infinite tunnel of books.

Paraty Casa de Cultura

Masonic Symbols of Paraty

This Brazilian town built by Freemasons is full of colonial Masonic architecture and symbolic imagery.

Wall South at Veterans Memorial Park.

Pensacola, Florida

'Wall South' Vietnam Memorial

Florida’s half-sized replica of the Vietnam Veterans Wall.

Permanently Closed

Joyxee Island.

Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Joyxee Island

One man's fulfilled dream of living on an artificial island made of recycled plastic bottles.

Washington, D.C.

Senate Corncob Capitals

Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.

The Underground House.

San Luis Obispo, California

Poly Canyon - Experimental Structures Lab

A deserted hodgepodge of experimental structures designed by nearby university students.

Incredible exterior of Lego House

Billund, Denmark

Lego House

An enormous playhouse designed to look like 21 stacked Lego bricks, with another 25 million colorful Legos inside.

Brock Commons

Vancouver, British Columbia

Brock Commons Tallwood House

The "plyscraper" is the world's tallest building made predominantly out of wood.

Re-chiseled swastika

Copenhagen, Denmark

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Ghost Swastikas

The art museum is decorated with creatively remodeled pre-Nazi swastikas.

A vacant shell in 2017 awaits future tenants.

Washington, D.C.

Embassy Gulf Service Center

Behind an abandoned storefront is an example of pioneering 1930s gas station architecture.

The two Frost Bank logos make up the eyes of the "Owl Building."

Frost Bank Tower

Locals dubbed it the "Owl Building" because of its bird-like appearance.

Air Crash.

Air Crash

A whimsical brother of the nearby Fallen Angel statue takes the falling part quite literally.

Al Bidya Mosque.

Al Bidya, United Arab Emirates

Al Bidya Mosque

The oldest surviving mosque in the UAE has mysterious origins and unusual architecture.

Permanently Closed

Coffee Pot Art Studio Gallery.

Lexington, Virginia

The Coffee Pot

The oddly shaped, steam-spewing building is now an art studio and gallery.

Houses with eyes.

Sibiu's Houses with Eyes

Something's watching you.

The Knife Edge is on the right.

Washington, D.C.

Knife Edge

Architecture lovers won’t stop touching the National Gallery's 19.5 degree marble prow.

The Tombstone House.

Petersburg, Virginia

The Tombstone House

A home built with marble tombstones from the graves of 2,200 Union soldiers buried in a Virginia cemetery.