Image via YouTube
Colorado: Deaton Sculptured House
Also known as the Sleeper House, the Deaton Sculptured House on Genesee Mountain in Colorado was built by architect Charles Deaton in 1963. (You might also recognize it from Woody Allen‘s 1973 film, Sleeper.) The five-story home features five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a top-level master suite.
According to Deaton, he built the home to feel and see the earth simultaneously. “On Genesee Mountain, I found a high point of land where I could stand and feel the great reaches of the Earth. I wanted the shape of it to sing an unencumbered song,” he told authors Thames and Hudson.
Connecticut: Gillette Castle
Originally built by actor William Gillette (famous for playing Sherlock Holmes on stage), this castle was occupied from 1919 until 1937—and was eventually purchased by the state of Connecticut after Gillette’s death. But, it turns out, the castle was never structurally sound.
The walls, for example, were constructed similarly to a stage set and lacked reinforcements in critical places. Additionally, some of the castle’s insulation included seaweed and paper. Fortunately, the stunning estate was restored in 2002.
Delaware: The Milton Futuro House
Throughout the ’60s, people thought that Futuro Houses, designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen, would be able to end the world’s housing shortage. This one, in particular, was built in 1968 and is one of two Futuro Houses in Delaware—and one of just 96 ever built.
Located in Milton, it stands at the edge of an airfield tarmac and appears as though it might have just landed. The saucer is currently owned by a man named Rich Garrett, who says the only drawback of this home is its lack of closet space.
Image via Zillow
Florida: The Dune House
The Dune House in Jacksonville was built in the ’70s by architect William Morgan, who saw an opportunity to create an environmentally-friendly home in a sand dune created after Hurricane Dora in 1964.
Taking the blank canvas that nature left behind, Morgan insulated the home using the surrounding earth—which inevitably camouflages the home to onlookers. The Dune House was also built using no right angles—just curves.
Georgia: Guitar House
This fun home, built by country-western singer Elvis Carden in Fayetteville, inspired his album Living in an Old Guitar. And it’s certainly a sight to behold, especially by air. At one point, the home was on sale for a minuscule $160,000.
