House on the Rock, Wisconsin

The vision of Alex Jordan Jr., a local tinkerer, inventor, and builder, House on the Rock is an architectural compound and tourist attraction near Spring Green, Wisconsin. In 1945 Jordan began building a 14-room house atop and around Deer Shelter Rock, a large sandstone formation, intended to be used for personal weekend retreats and to display his eclectic collections of exotic artifacts and electronic displays. The house has Japanese influences, and some say is informed by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose Taliesin compound is nearby. (It is rumored that Jordan had wanted to work for Frank Lloyd Wright but was turned away.) Word caught on about the architectural curiosity, and Jordan began charging admission to tour the unusual house, using the income to finance expansions on the house and grounds. In 1988 the house was sold to Art Donaldson, a longtime associate of Jordan, who continues to expand on the visionary compound, which now includes the Infinity Room (a long, narrow room that extends an unsupported length of 218 feet, 156 feet high), the World’s Largest Carousel, gardens, and a resort.