Every time we see this building, a lot of questions always pop up in people’s minds: Is this real? It looks shaky, are you sure it won't collapse? How was it built, by plane or crane? Who designed it and who made it? …
In a remote forest in Talkeetna, Alaska, USA, there is a wooden building with a strange shape and full of fairy tale feel. Because the style is so surreal, the locals call it "Dr. Seuss' House".
Dr. Seuss is a famous American children's writer with a rich imagination and has written many fantastic fairy tales. The wooden building is associated with him, which is not inconsistent at all, because this wooden building is so fantastic, it seems like it came out of Dr. Seuss's fairy tales.
In ordinary buildings with more than ten floors, each floor is mostly the same size and style, but this wooden building is "slender" like a tower.
The total height is 185 feet (approximately 56.39 meters), and each floor has a different style and size, more like a "Jenga" piece that has been pieced together randomly.
There are different opinions on the specific number of floors. Some people think it is 14 floors, while others think it is 17 floors. There are 8 platforms upstairs that can be used for viewing, so there are many people who say it is 9 floors.
It seems to be crumbling, but it has been standing there for 10 years. It is said that construction began in the early 1990s and was completed to its current scale in 2016.
The owner of the building is a lawyer named Philip Weidner, who is obsessed with architecture, and he designed it himself.
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According to him, at first he just wanted to build a two-story log house, a very ordinary kind. As he was building it, the idea of "Jenga" suddenly came to his mind - building one house on top of another.
He was immersed in this kind of fun and couldn't extricate himself, so layer by layer, the hut was built higher and higher, until it reached its current height. Had it not been for local airspace controls, his target would have been much higher than 185 feet.
As for how it was built so high, Weidner also explained that with the help of cranes, part of the building was completed on the ground and then lifted up for installation.
private land
According to Weidner's vision, the family would live here once the house was completed, and the building was planned to stand for thousands of years.
Such a house can best meet the needs of his family to enjoy the 360° view. One day, he will also install a telescope on the top and build an amateur radio station.
He does not recognize the title of "Dr. Seuss' House" and even hates the name. He believes that this building is real and calls himself "Goose Creek Tower", which is his "poetry to the sky."
Unfortunately, the construction of this building has been suspended since 2016 and has not been completed.
At present, only the frame has been completed, and there are no doors, windows, or interior decorations. There are no safety measures such as guardrails. The entire building is only connected by simple ladders.
The grapevine broke the news
Rumor has it that Weidner's lawyer was too busy working to build the building, and there are also rumors that it may be because he ran out of money.
In short, the building is still standing there, and the land around the house, including it, is private and not open to the public.
However, due to its reputation, it has attracted many tourists to come and check in. Naturally, it has also attracted many "invaders" with malicious intentions, and some places have been destroyed.
Chen Tianming’s “Castle”
at last
There is a similar fantasy "castle" in Guizhou, which was designed and built by the owner Chen Tianming himself. It has a total height of 23 meters and 10 floors.
It is said that it cost a total of more than 100,000 yuan. It was built on the basis of his ancestral home and took 6 years to build.
Because no professional organization participated in the construction and it did not pass the approval process, Chen Tianming's "castle" did not obtain a construction permit. In principle, it is an illegal construction and has safety hazards.
But it is well-known on the Internet and has attracted many people to check in in recent years. I checked the online blogger's check-in video and found that this "castle in the air" is still there and has not been demolished.