INTRO Think for a moment about the most unusual building that you have ever seen? Did it leave you awe inspired? Or were you just wondering, “What were they thinking?” Like them or hate them, you can’t deny that unusual architecture gets our attention. Think about it, would anyone notice the Leaning Tower of Pisa if it wasn’t leaning? Well, even though they didn’t intend for that tower to be odd, we are going to examine some other examples of intentionally unusual architecture.
SPITE HOUSES
We certainly hope that you are getting along well with your family, that peace and harmony exists between you and your neighbors, and that you are a happy and productive member of your community. These qualities all help to make life more fun and pleasurable, don’t they!
What’s that you say? You are in the middle of a squabble with your siblings over your inheritance? Your neighbor’s dog barks and keeps you awake all night? Your town council wants to take some of your property by imminent domain? We know that you may be tempted to take the law into your own hands, but before you do anything rash that may cause you to spend time behind bars, why don’t you consider building a Spite House instead.
What is a spite house? According to a website called thecraftsmanblog.com a spite house is a structure built with the primary purpose of annoying or inconveniencing someone else. These unique buildings are often constructed in response to a dispute or disagreement between neighbors, family members, or even entire communities. Spite houses come in various shapes and sizes, but they all share one common trait: they are architectural expressions of resentment.
Spite houses in America date back to the 1700s. During the early years of our country property disputes and feuds were common, and individuals resorted to building spite houses as a form of revenge. These structures were designed not for practicality but to vex and irritate their intended targets, which they did quite effectively. Let’s look at some examples.
If you ever visit Boston and take a walk along the Freedom Trail, you will notice an extraordinarily skinny house located at 44 Hull St. near the Old North Church. The house is four stories tall but only 10’ wide at its widest point. Evidently back in the 1860s a gentleman died and left his property to his two sons. While one of the sons was off fighting in the Civil War, the other son decided to build himself a big fancy house on the land that they co-owned. Evidently, he was banking on the idea that his brother would get blasted by a Rebel. When the veteran brother returned, he was outraged to see that most of the land had been taken up by his brother’s house. On the scant space left, the offended brother built the tall skinny house in such a way that it would block his brother’s light and views. The house is roughly 10 ft wide, 32 ft deep, and four stories tall. In 2017 the house sold for $900,000.
Then out on the West Coast in the Oakland suburb of Alameda, California we find the unusually shaped Froling Spite House. Back in 1908 a fellow named Charles Froling inherited a plot of land where he planned to build his dream house. However, the city had different ideas. They lobbed off a sizeable chunk of Froling’s land in order to widen the street. Froling then turned to his neighbor and attempted to purchase some land from him, but the neighbor would not comply. So, Froling set about getting his revenge on both the city and the neighbor. He built his home a tall - light blocking - two stories, ten feet wide and fifty-four feet long. The second floor actually overhangs the sidewalk a couple of feet to give a bit of extra space. Moral of the story? Don’t make the Froling family angry.
Now let’s go to the quaint town of Frederick, Maryland and learn about a visionary named Dr. John Tyler. OK, I’m using the term visionary a bit loosely here as Dr. John Tyler was the nation’s first ophthalmologist. Dr. Tyler was not pleased when in 1814 he learned of a plan to extend a road straight through one of his properties. But he had a solution: Local law in Frederick stated that roads could not be built on land where a building either already existed or was in the process of being built. So, he found a contractor who could begin work immediately and the night before the road crew was set to begin work, the foundation for the house was dug. The road crew arrived the next morning to find a large foundation hole right in the path where their road was supposed to go. Sitting in a chair overlooking the work was the spiteful, yet self-satisfied Dr. John Tyler. The house still sits today at 112 W. Church Street right at the point where Record Street comes to a T.
Now back out west and up north a bit we find the beautiful city of Vancouver, BC in Canada. Back in 1912 the city of Vancouver decided to widen a main avenue. In the process they took up 80% of the property belonging to a Chinese businessman named Chang Toy. It appeared that the tiny strip of land left, only five feet wide, was not usable for anything. Someone made a bet with Chang that he could not build a structure on the strip that could provide commercial use. Chang took the challenge and hired an architect who designed a two story steel building with a basement that would actually extend under the street. The second story expands out to 6’ wide with the use overhanging bay windows across the expanse adding some extra space. Known as the Sam Kee Building the unique structure is now home to an insurance company.
And finally, up in the state of Maine we find the expansive McCobb Spite House. This house was the result of a family squabble. Back in 1806 sea captain Thomas McCobb came home to Phippsburg, Maine to an unpleasant surprise. His stepmother had violated the written will of family patriarch, James McCobb, and claimed the family homestead for her own family, the Hills (Novercal: the word dealing with stepmothers from our ODJ S5E10) “I’ll show you!” exclaimed Thomas McCobb. And he did too. Immediately next door to the family home, McCobb built an enormous house that literally overshadowed the domain claimed by his stepmother. I mean this house was big! Built in a grand Federal stye three stories tall capped by an octagonal cupola with a widow’s walk. The stepmother’s home looked like an outbuilding by comparison. So there, take that! In an odd twist, Thomas McCobb never married and didn’t produce any heirs. So when he died, ownership of his spite home was granted to – his stepmother’s family; the very people he was angry with.
WORLD’S LITTLEST SKYSCRAPER
As you probably know, we are coming to you from the greater Cut & Shoot area which is geographically located in southeast Texas just to the north of Houston. Texans have a reputation for bragging. The phrase, “Everything’s Bigger In Texas,” speaks volumes about the state’s bravado. It is true, Texas is big, and a lot of big things are located here. But up in Wichita Falls, Texas the locals boast about something little.
In the early 1900s oil was discovered in Wichita County. Overnight thousands of residents became instant millionaires. Mineral rights deals were being made on street corners and in the shade of quickly erected tents that served as oil company headquarters. There was a serious need for office space, and a Philadelphia promoter named McMahon seemed to have the answer.
McMahon arrived in town and presented a set of blueprints to city leaders promising to build a multistory office building that would grace the city’s downtown area. He sold $200,000 worth of stock in the project, each investor signing off on the blueprint. But there was a problem. Had the investors taken a closer look at the blueprints they might have noticed that extra little mark.
McMahon had clearly labeled the height of the new building at 480. But instead of 480’ it was 480”. That’s inches as in two apostrophes after the number, not just one. Thus, what the investors got for their money was not a high rise office building, but rather more like a forty foot tall elevator shaft. The stairway on each floor took up about 25% of the space.
By the time construction was completed, McMahon was nowhere to be found. Angry investors unsuccessfully tried to chase him down. A lawsuit was filed against McMahon’s company, but the investors were told they had no case. McMahon had built exactly according to the blueprints they’d signed off on.
Oil companies crammed desks into the little building and tried to make the best of the situation, that is until the boom went bust and the little building was boarded up. However, locals continued to refer to it as the world’s littlest skyscraper. This got the attention of Robert Ripley who was featured in our S1E9. Ripley featured the building in one of his Believe It Or Not pieces.
By the year 2000 the building was in bad shape and the town was considering tearing it down. That got the attention of the architectural firm of Bundy, Young, Sims & Potter. They were intrigued with the building and its story and so decided to invest $180,000 into renovating and stabilizing it. Today the building hosts an antique store on the ground floor and an artist’s studio on the upper floors.
And locals still refer to it as The World’s Littlest Skyscraper.
This information came from a publication called texascooppower.com
WITCH WINDOWS
Vermont is one of our smallest states ranking in area 45th out of 50. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in beauty and character. You might recall our S4E15 titled Missing Persons. In the late 1940s there was a string of strange disappearances near the town of Bennington, Vermont, so much so that the area became known as the Bennington Triangle.
You also might recall our S4E12 called Odd Churches. In that episode we were dealing with unusual church buildings and structures, not the practices there in, though that could be a fun episode for another day. In that episode we featured two different unusual houses of worship in the state of Vermont. One was a church with sixteen sides (so as not to give the devil a corner to hide in) and the other was a chapel completely dedicated to dogs. The walls are adorned with photos of beloved dogs that have passed on.
Well Vermont is also home to some other interesting architecture too. One specific feature that has caught our attention is the phenomenon of the witch windows. Now this is difficult to describe without actually seeing a picture of it, but we will do our best.
Imagine a house with the peak of the roof running horizontally the full length of the house. Now imagine that you make an addition to one end of this house with a similar horizontal peak, but not quite as tall as the original roof. The new addition will butt up against the gabled end of the original, but some space will be left uncovered on the original end. Perhaps there might be a three-foot strip on the gabled end of the original house that is above the roof line of the new addition but still below the original. Now imagine that a window has been installed on this gabled end that is parallel to both the sloped roof lines. In other words, the window is at a slant. That is a witch window. If you can’t picture it in your mind, then just google witch window.
These windows are relatively common features on older homes in Vermont. What is the purpose of putting in a window at a crazy angle? Well, if you have added on to the end of your old home, you have likely closed off windows and blocked out light. The witch window serves the purpose for allowing more light into the house.
Fine, you say, that makes sense. But why is it called a witch window? Devin Colman, who works for Vermont’s Division for Historic Preservation, says there’s superstitious lore behind the name, "witch window." "The story is that a witch on a broomstick can’t fly through a crooked window opening, which I guess physically is true," says Colman. Why the witch doesn’t just go into one of the ordinary windows then is unknown, but who are we to mess up some good lore by asking common sense questions?
The peculiarly angled windows can be seen throughout Vermont, and some have come to call them simply Vermont Windows. This information came from vermontpublic.org
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URBAN TUNNELS
Earlier this year in our S5E1 titled Underground we mentioned the very well-known system of sewers and tunnels under the city of Paris. We also covered the abandoned subway tunnels in the city of Cincinnati. But it appears that urban tunnel systems are actually quite common. Many cities have extensive tunnel systems that you have never heard of.
Not far from the greater Cut & Shoot area is the very modern gleaming city of Houston, Texas. Houston is a major center of energy production as well as medical research. Its gleaming skyscrapers soar upwards of 90 stories and give the city a dynamic appearance. But what many outsiders may not know is that those towering structures are connected by a series of underground air-conditioned tunnels. The fact that the tunnels are air conditioned is a huge bonus during the hot humid Texas summers as workers can move about in comfort. In addition, dozens of restaurants, shops, newsstands, banks, and other businesses operate in the Houston tunnels. The entire Houston tunnel system is currently some six miles long and is continually being expanded.
Another interesting feature of underground Houston is the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern. This was an old public works reservoir that once held some 15 million gallons of drinking water. According to Atlas Obscura the cistern is some twenty-five feet below the ground and has an 8 inch thick concrete roof which is supported by 221 concrete pillars. The pillars are remarkably attractive and have a Roman Column appearance, quite remarkable in that they were never intended to be seen by the public. A leak caused the cistern to be decommissioned in 2007, but the park system decided that it was too unique to dismantle, so now it is open to the public.
Now out on the west coast of the U.S. we find another gleaming modern city, Los Angeles. Did you know that L.A. has a unique tunnel system? It certainly does, and it dates back 100 years to the height of the prohibition era. While the rest of the country was going dry, the party never stopped in the Los Angeles Tunnel System.
The mayor of LA during that period, one George Edward Cryer through his various underworld connections kept a steady supply of booze flowing to dozens of speak-easies and basement saloons connected by the tunnels. The flappers and dapper gents of the city’s roaring party scene got from one bar to the next without hassle.
One famous establishment called King Eddy’s Saloon which had been in business before the beginning of Prohibition transitioned their street level area into a piano showroom while the bar moved to the basement. Today King Eddy’s is an official saloon once more, its basement still remains part of the tunnel system, littered with crumbling brick lines and graffiti murals. Officially the tunnel system is closed to the public, but people in the know have ways of exploring it.
Now you have all likely heard of the Kremlin, the massive fortress complex in the center of Moscow. But what you may not be aware of is the equally massive tunnel system that exists beneath the red bricked structure. In fact, nobody really knows the extent of the tunnel system, because tunnels have been constructed there for the past thousand years.
Let’s talk about the Kremlin itself first. The Kremlin is not just one building but rather a group of buildings that serve as the seat of the Russian government. The red brick walls vary from 16 to 62 feet in height and stretch for a mile and a half encompassing some 70 acres. Within the Kremlin’s walls are four cathedrals, five palaces, and numerous state offices. The walls are adorned with 20 towers, the tallest of which is about 260 feet high.
The site where the Kremlin sits has been recognized as the center of government since the year 1156. The iconic red brick walls were built in the 1400s. That was when Tsar Ivan III brought in Italian architects to design the complex that he referred to as a New Rome. The red bricks were specially brought in from Italy. The Italians erected two of the cathedrals within the complex as well as the fabulous Palace of the Facets which was a venue for celebrations and state affairs during the reign of the tsars.
As mentioned earlier, the Kremlin sits atop a labyrinth of secret passageways. Some of these are known such as the haunted Neglinnaya River tunnel, for example, and the Syani stone mines where the city sourced limestone for construction. But dozens of other tunnels that have been found don’t appear to lead anywhere. Do you remember Ivan III that we just mentioned? Well, it is believed that he began a secret library underneath the Kremlin. Later his grandson Ivan the Terrible greatly expanded and added to his grandfather's library. But no one knows where it is. Dozens of attempts have been made to locate the lost Library of Ivan the Terrible, even as recently as 2018, but all they find are tunnels. Endless tunnels in crazy directions that go nowhere. Actually they did find two dungeons thought to have been used by Ivan the Terrible, but no library. The library is still thought to be down there, along with its priceless collection.
There are dozens of other cities with interesting urban tunnels that we could have selected, but this one especially caught our attention. We are all likely familiar with the WW II event known as the London Blitz. When German bombers were detected then air raid sirens went off and Londoners were urged to seek shelter under ground in the maze of subways and other tunnels that spread beneath the city streets. Among the other tunnels was a 23 mile rail line built by the British Postal Service which was simply used to move mail throughout the city.
One series of abandoned tunnels have surprisingly been converted into farms. You heard that right. Farming without sunlight? It sounds like an impossible idea. But Growing Underground—a hydroponic, vertical, pesticide-free farm—is proving otherwise. Located in an old air raid shelter, the farm provides a model for a very creative use of underground space. Growing Underground uses about 2 ½ acres of space. Produce is grown from vertical racks in a soil free environment. Plants are grown on recycled carpets and use LED lights to mimic the sun's rays. The controlled environment is free from pests and weather, and it can produce up to 60 harvests per year. Growing Underground also uses 70% less water and fertilizer than typical agriculture. The produce from Growing Underground is sold to restaurants and also to consumers in nearby markets.
There are so many urban tunnels that we may come back and revisit this topic in the future.
WATER TOWERS
If I were to say “Water Tower” to you, you might envision a hulking large metal structure supported by a framework of crossed beams. Maybe it might have the name of your town on it. While many water towers are simple in design—you might even say mundane—others stand out as wonders of art, architecture, and engineering. With a little help from atlas obscura we are going to examine a few of the more interesting.
Our listeners in the southeast part of the United States are familiar with a grocery store chain called Publix. The company is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. In the early 1980s a new water tower was needed to supply the needs of the newly opened dairy processing plant, frozen food warehouse, and expanded bakery plant. Since it was the company’s fiftieth birthday Publix decided to build a birthday cake water tower for itself. The water tower resembles a three tier pink birthday cake sitting atop a 146 foot pedestal. Eleven huge candles adorn the top with the center candle functioning as a beacon light. The cake can be seen for miles around and has become an important symbol for Lakeland.
Now let’s travel up north to Rochester, Minnesota. Rochester is most known for being the location of the famous Mayo Clinic. But in 1931 it was also the home of the Reid Murdoch and Company cannery. Of course, being in the Midwest, they were canning a lot of corn. When they needed a new water tower, the company decided to have one made in the shape of a gigantic ear of corn. The corn ear itself is some 60 feet tall and it sits on a metal platform that rises 151 feet above the ground. Spotlights light up the giant corn at night. The cannery went out of business in 2018, but the Corn Tower is still there, now owned by Olmstead County.
Then back here in the great Lone Star State of Texas the town of Luling is famous for two things. First it is the home of the world’s largest Buc-ees. (Explain Buc-ees) But Luling is also famous for growing watermelons. Watermelon themed artwork adorns many of the town’s buildings and the last week in June Luling hosts its annual festival called the Watermelon Thump complete with a seed spitting contest. But overseeing all of this face slurping fun is the town’s water tower. And yes, you guessed it, it is in the shape of a giant watermelon with green stripes that make it look delicious. By the way, thumping is the way that you can tell if a watermelon is ripe. If you hear a dull sound, it’s not ready. If you’re met with a deep, hollow sound, you’ve found a ripe melon.
Now let’s go to the center of the country. In 1898 a Kansas farmer named E.K. Taylor was fortunate to own a large parcel of land where a large deposit of natural gas was located. Mr. Taylor divided half of his property up into lots and created the town of Gas, Kansas. Though the boom days are long gone the town still boasts a population of some 475 people. In the 1970s, the local water tower was built, and the city council wanted to celebrate it with something fun and eye-catching. The tower was painted red to resemble a gas can, and the words “GAS KAN” were written across it, creating a play on words, and thus, the World’s Largest Gas Kan was born. The large red tower can be seen for miles across the plains. Hoping to attract visitors the locals have come up with a slogan. “Don’t pass Gas, stop and enjoy it.”
Let’s go out west to the state of California. In the 1870s, a group of Swedish immigrants formed a settlement along the Central Pacific Railroad, which in 1908 officially became the town of Kingsburg. In the 1980s, the town decided to take an extra step to honor its founders by remodeling the old water tower. And what could be more Swedish than a giant Swedish coffee pot? (Swede’s love coffee) It’s a shame this enormous coffee pot doesn’t hold actual java. If the 122-foot-tall coffee pot could tilt, it could pour 1.28 million cups of coffee.
It’s also a shame that the coffee pot isn’t in Stanton, Iowa. This lovely Midwest town sports a water tower that is in the shape of a beautifully decorated Swedish coffee cup. Why would Stanton erect a giant coffee cup water tower. Well, the town is the birthplace of an actress named Virginia Christine. Never heard of her? Virginia Christine didn’t have a wide array of roles, but from the 1960s through the 80s she had one continuously recurring role that was seen by millions. She played Mrs. Olsen on Folgers Coffee commercials. “Mountain Grown, it’s the richest kind!”
PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
Thinking about unique water towers puts us in mind of some other unique forms of public infrastructure. While many municipalities make their instruments of public works with unremarkable construction, others decide to add some flair.
This first one actually is a water tower too, but it’s different from the ones described above. In 1869 the city of Chicago installed a large piece of pumping equipment that was designed to pump water into the city from Lake Michigan. The equipment was efficient, but ugly. So stone masons were employed to construct an attractive towering encasement for the pump. The tower combines elements of a European castle with an Arabian minaret. It is constructed of limestone and rises 182 feet above Michigan Avenue. It is one of the few structures to survive the great Chicago fire of 1871. It is a demonstration that public work projects can be interesting and attractive.
The people over in Nuremberg, Germany evidently had this in mind recently. Of course, that city is famous, or more correctly infamous, for being the site of Nazi rallies in the 1930s. Today’s citizens of Nuremberg work hard to distance themselves from that dark past. Part of the new Nuremberg is represented in an interesting bronze sculpture. An article from fastcompany.com describes the sculpture this way. “The sculpture features sets of larger-than-life bronze figures arrayed around a low pool that depict the ups and downs of domestic married life. From young love to the death of a spouse, the vivid scenes on this “marriage merry-go-round” capture a lifetime of joys and sorrows, passions and pains.” Okay, so it’s a nice sculpture. But what may not be obvious to the casual observer is that the sculpture actually functions as an exhaust vent for a subway line.
The world’s first subway tunnels were constructed in London in 1863. Engineers knew that proper ventilation was essential for the safety and comfort of passengers. This first subway was engineered using a cut-and-cover approach with this in mind. The ground was dug up to lay tracks and then covered back over except in select segments left open for ventilation. However, in some posh neighborhoods it was not going to be allowed to leave an unsightly gaping hole over the subway that would spoil the aesthetic quality of the surroundings. A solution was found when engineers proposed construction of a façade in front of the ventilation space. The façade would match the style of the homes on either side of it. From the street it looks like another four story Georgian home, but when you enter through the door there is nothing but a ventilation shaft.
Engineers in New York borrowed this idea from their British cousins when subway lines were constructed through the boroughs. Even today if you stop at 58 Joralemon Street in Brooklyn, New York, it would be easy to dismiss the three-story brick structure as just another Greek Revival residence in a row of similar homes. It has many of the same features as its neighbors: its height and proportions are similar, and there is a staircase leading up to a distinctively framed front door. This building is, in fact, a ventilation shaft for the subway line running underneath it as well as an emergency exit for passengers should something happen on the train below. In this case, the building is real, but it has been gutted and repurposed.
Now you might recall our Edison / Tesla episode from a few weeks ago. In that episode we mentioned how Tesla’s alternating current system made it possible to harness power from Niagara Falls and provide power to Buffalo, NY and also to Toronto, Canada. In 1911 the power from the massive new generators at Niagara Falls first lit up Toronto’s downtown streets. New substations were needed to connect this natural powerhouse to people’s homes and convert raw energy into usable power for consumers along the way. Now if I were to say to you “electricity substation” you might imagine a squat concrete building buzzing with wires and activity. The people of Toronto didn’t like the idea of these ugly structures marring their neighborhoods even if they did bring electricity with them, so a series of architects were hired to develop alternatives. They hit upon the idea that electric substations could be grand structures that might mimic museums and contain decorative flourishes.
Then after WWII with the spread of suburbs around Toronto, smaller substations started to proliferate and take the form of more modest houses that fit naturally into domestic surroundings. Several different base models were utilized to fit into the neighborhood where they were being placed. Everything from ranch style homes with front porch railings to Georgian mansions with gabled roofs and triangled plinths above their doors. Inside the homey building a series of breakers and dials were located in the main room. The heavier equipment was located in a brick structure in the back. The only giveaway that this wasn’t a regular neighborhood home was the continued presence of utility trucks in the driveway.
Information in this section came from an article on fastcompany.com
DUCK ARCHITECTURE
We are going to conclude this episode with some information from architecturaldigest.com. It involves something called Duck Architecture.
In 1931 Martin Maurer who was a duck farmer on Long Island, New York commissioned an architect to build a structure near the road that runs past his farm that would be in the shape of a duck. Martin wanted to sell duck eggs from the building to passersby. The duck was built, and it did attract a lot of attention. Two of the people who saw the duck building were architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. They coined the term “duck architecture,” which was used to describe buildings that represent items or activities that happen within them. Not only does Martin’s Big Duck carry this honor, it’s also listed in the National Archives of Historic Places.
An example of Duck Architecture occurred in Newark, Ohio when the Longaberger Company had their factory constructed in the shape of a giant wicker basket. You guessed it, the company manufactures baskets of all varieties.
Another example would be the Niimi Building in Tokyo, Japan. Niimi is a Japanese wholesaler of kitchenware. The headquarters is a five-story building. The balconies on each floor are shaped like coffee mugs.
Then in Baku Azerbaijan you won’t have to guess twice when you take a look at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum. The building is designed to look like a rolled up carpet.
And finally in Hyderabad, India if you happen to visit the National Fisheries Development Board you won’t have trouble finding it. The elongated six story building is shaped like a giant fish.
Well, we hope that you have enjoyed our examination of some strange architecture. We have come nowhere near to even scratching the surface of this topic and will likely revisit it again.
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O U T R O |
Phil here reminding you to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages @RemnantStewPodcast. Drop us an email at StayCurious@RemnantStew.com just to say hi or to let us know about any topics you would like to hear us cover in an upcoming episode.
Remnant Stew is part of Rook & Raven Ventures and is created by me, Leah Lamp. Steve Meeker researches and writes each episode that we then host together. Our audio producer is Phillip Sinquefield. The Oddity Du Jour is brought to you by Sam Lamp. Theme music is by Kevin MacLeod with voiceover by Morgan Hughes. Special thanks goes out to Judy Meeker. For a complete list of sources for this episode please see this episode’s transcript, there’s a link in the show notes.
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Until next time remember to choose to be kind…AND ALWAYS STAY CURIOUS!
--SOURCES ----------------------
https://thecraftsmanblog.com/the-6-best-spite-houses-ever/
https://www.treehugger.com/uniquely-annoying-spite-houses-4868534
https://texascooppower.com/legend-of-the-worlds-littlest-skyscraper/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_littlest_skyscraper
https://www.vermontpublic.org/vpr-news/2017-07-12/whats-the-history-of-vermonts-witch-windows
https://downtownhouston.org/experience/downtown-tunnels
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/buffalo-bayou-park-cistern
https://www.toptenz.net/10-hidden-cities-and-tunnel-networks-youre-not-allowed-to-see.php https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Kremlin
https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/water-towers-of-the-world
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Water_Tower
https://www.fastcompany.com/90558115/hiding-in-plain-sight-how-cities-camouflage-infrastructure-with-buildings-that-blend-right-in
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/12-strange-buildings
