Would you live in any of these?
Do you know what a spite house is? 12 odd architectural jewels in America
Image: Adrian Hernandez
Not all of the U.S.’s historic homes are created equal; some of them are downright weird, with strange origins, one-of-a-kind features, and supposed spirits lurking on the premises. From labyrinths built for ghosts to"revenge houses", these places mix architecture with folk tales, tragedy, and much more. Here are 12 truly bizarre examples.
1
Winchester House (San Jose, California)
Starting in 1884, Sarah Winchester, the heir to the rifle fortune, spent almost four decades expanding her Victorian mansion into a behemoth 160-room maze of doors to nowhere, staircases into ceilings, and windows facing walls .
Haunted (perhaps in more ways than one) by the deaths of those killed by Winchester rifles, it is said that she had the structure built nonstop day and night to thwart the spirits of those victims. Today, the house is a popular tourist attraction, with tours through secret passages included.
2
Whaley House (San Diego, California)
Built in 1857 on the site of San Diego’s old gallows, the Whaley House blended a family home, a store, and a courthouse under one roof. Soon after moving in, the Whaleys reported h eavy footsteps they believed belonged to James "Yankee Jim" Robinson, a tall outlaw hanged on the property years earlier .
Over time, the house became a museum and one of America´s most haunted homes, complete with official recognition as a historic site.
3
Amityville House (Amityville, New York)
This quiet Long Island house became infamous after a 1974 murder case in which the DeFeo family was killed by one of their own. A year later, new owners George and Kathy Lutz claimed they were driven out by violent paranormal activity , which, in turn, inspired the book The Amityville Horror and a popular movie that spawned a franchise.
Over time, lawyers and witnesses have called parts of the haunting story a hoax, and later, residents reported no supernatural trouble at all. But the fame of the house lives on.
4
Bissel Mansion (St. Louis, Missouri)
Built in the 1820s for Captain Lewis Bissel, this is believed to be the oldest brick house in St. Louis. Over the years, it has been a family home, a restaurant, and a murder-mystery dinner theater.
An episode of HGTV’s Scariest House in America highlighted its bricked-up cave entrance, which was once said to be a secret escape route, and its long history of odd happenings , such as ghostly children, a woman in white on the stairs, and items moving on their own.
5
William Westerfeld House (San Francisco, California)
Another Victorian building in our list, this house was built for a wealthy German baker in 1889. Over the years, it served as a Russian immigrant social club and brothel nicknamed "The Russian Embassy," a jazz-era boarding house, a 1960s hippie commune , and a rumored hub for occult-themed film shoots and rituals.
Today, this 28-room mansion is privately owned but remains a popular landmark, with a reputation as a haunted time capsule, surrounded by a mix of verified history and neighborhood lore about ghosts, secret rooms, and wild parties.
6
House of the Seven Gables (Salem, Massachusetts)
Captain John Turner built this waterfront house in 1668, and it was later owned by Susanna Ingersol, who welcomed her cousin Nathaniel Hawthorne. The legendary writer penned his famous novel, The House of the Seven Gables, inspired by the mansion .
In the early 1900s, the house was restored and reshaped as a museum, even adding a secret staircase to match the haunting mood of Hawthorne’s novel.
7
Biltmore Estate (Asheville, North Carolina)
Built between the years 1895 and 1898, George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore House is America’s largest private home, but its grand halls hide multiple secret doors and passageways. Concealed panels in the library and breakfast room allowed servants and guests to slip between rooms unseen .
Visitors on modern tours sometimes miss these disguised doors unless guides point them out. The effect is not unlike one of those mystery mansions where someone presses a bookshelf and a secret door opens.
8
Lizzie Borden House (Fall River, Massachusetts)
This modest home was the scene of a 1892 double murder in which Andrew and Abby Borden were killed with an axe. Their daughter Lizzie was tried and acquitted, but her notorious reputation lived on .
The house now functions as a museum and an overnight destination with carefully restored rooms and guides who walk tourists through evidence, theories, and reported ghost activity.
9
Octagon House (Washington, DC)
Despite its name, this mansion is not a perfect octagon, but its story is particularly unusual, to say the least. As it turns out, President James Madison and his wife briefly lived in it after the British burned down the White House in 1814.
Later, stories emerged of mysterious bells ringing long after the servant-call wires were cut, and ghostly figures appearing on the spiral staircase . The most famous legend claims that two girls died on those stairs, though there is no evidence that this actually happened.
10
Villa Montezuma (San Diego, California)
In 1887, spiritualist, pianist, and author Jesse Shepard moved into this mansion, filled with art glass, elaborate woodwork, and a music room specially designed for his dramatic concerts.
Over time, stories began to be told about Shepard’s performances, summoning more than just applause. The presence of ghosts in the towers and odd sounds in empty room s became common talk among the visitors. These days, the mansion can be visited, and the mysterious house can be explored by the curious and the fearless.
11
Montlake Spite House (Seattle, Washington)
So, "What is a spite house?" you might very reasonably ask. Wedged into Seattle’s Montlake neighborhood, this 1925 Spanish Revival cottage is about 15 feet wide at one end and just 55 inches at the other. The architectural equivalent of a wedge of cheese .
Local legend says that it was built by a scorned ex-wife who received a skinny strip of land in a divorce and used it to block her ex-husband’s view.
12
Alameda Spite House (Alameda, California)
Yes, another spite house. Around 1908, Charles Froling planned his dream home in Alameda, until the city used eminent domain to slice off most of his lot for a street, leaving a sliver of land .
Annoyed with both the city and an unhelpful neighbor, Charles responded by building a two-story house, only about 10 feet deep but 54 feet long along the remaining strip . The narrow revenge house still stands at Broadway and Crist, and its peculiar proportions can be viewed by anyone passing by.
