Oddest homes in America include octagonal ‘Goth home’ and the ‘Flintstone House’

Real Estate

There are some one-of-a-kind homes in America that stick out from the millions of properties that still stand today.

Here are 11 unusual homes in the United States and beyond.

These include the “Flintstone House” in California and a jail cell-equipped house in Ohio. 

Recently, a school in Iowa that was turned into a massive mansion had hit the market.

Interestingly, four of the homes on this list are in Illinois and Michigan.

‘Ultimate man cave’ in Michigan has 2 urinals in kitchen

A three-bedroom ranch-style home in Ferndale, Michigan, made headlines in December 2022 for having two urinals in its kitchen after social media users shared photos of the odd property’s real estate listing.

“This property has definitely been generating a ton of interest,” Heidi Wilson of Keller Williams Advantage, the property’s real estate agent, told Fox News Digital at the time. 

“The white structures are urinals. The current owner had them installed because he renovated this to be his ultimate man cave house, so why not?” 

The home has only one full bathroom, while the urinal-integrated kitchen has a wet bar that leads to a spacious fenced backyard complete with its own basketball court. 

The solo bathroom includes a television hookup for the shower, so games can be watched while showering. The home’s living room also has a removable platform perfect for stadium seating.

“Although some of the features are a bit unique, there has been great attention to detail put into the home, and it has many features that are perfect for the sports enthusiast,” Wilson told Fox News Digital. 

“It is located in a prime location close to Downtown Ferndale and Royal Oak.”

The ‘Jurassic Retreat’ in Washington

A three-bedroom and two-bathroom house in Washougal, Washington, is home to a collection of life-size motion-controlled dinosaurs. 

The unique and immersive single-family home has served as an investment property and pays homage to the 1993 film “Jurassic Park.” 

Short-term renters who visit the “Jurassic Retreat” are treated to custom dinosaur décor, paleontological details, a lush green landscape and a themed jeep.

The ‘Skinny House’ in Illinois

An extremely slim home in Deerfield, Illinois, has been dubbed the “Skinny House” for its three-foot-wide construction.

The long side of the two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house measures nearly 20 feet, Fox News Digital reported.

An unusually slim house in Deerfield, Illinois has been called the “Skinny House.”
Alan Berlow/VHT

The Skinny House was built in 2003 and measures over 1,600 square feet and includes a finished basement. 

It sits on a 3,920-square-foot triangle lot and has been referred to as the “Pie House” by locals. 

The unusual wedge-like home went viral on TikTok in August 2020, and the video that contributed to its online claim to fame has garnered more than 1.4 million views.

School-turned-massive mansion in Iowa

The 22,000-square-foot property — nicknamed the “Prairie Castle” — has hit the market for $1.75 million.

Friedrich Iowa Realty listing agent Luke Jensen detailed in an interview with Fox News Digital how the original 1923 township school was converted into a private residence.

An old school in Nevada, Iowa has been converted into a “Prairie Castle.”
Google Maps

The school district educated K-12 students in the building until 1991, when it was consolidated into another school.

The three-level, four-bedroom, six-bath home includes other amenities such as a hot tub, two fireplaces and multiple porches, both enclosed and open.

Ohio home with 2 jail cells connected to 1930s gangster

A four-bedroom and four-bathroom home in Celina, Ohio, includes two jail cells that once belonged to the Allen County Jail in Lima, Ohio. 

The jail cells are integrated into the home’s closed floor plan and are situated between the kitchen and the great room. 

The home’s former owner reportedly purchased the jail cells after hearing the barred rooms were connected to John Dillinger, a Great Depression-era gangster, and built the two-story house around the cells in 1972.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports that Dillinger committed a series of robberies and jailbreaks in the Midwest from 1933 to 1934.

The ‘Smurf House’ in Michigan

A seven-bedroom and eight-bathroom home in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, has long been nicknamed the “Smurf House” for its striking blue Cotswold cottage-style roof. 

A home in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan is known as the “Smurf House” thanks to its blue roof.
Google Maps

The property’s distinct coloring and cottage-like exterior have reminded many locals and social media users of the Belgian comic franchise and animated television series, “The Smurfs.”

The ‘Goth Home’ in Illinois

There is an octagonal home that has an all-black interior and exterior in Lincoln, Illinois. The striking home was nicknamed the “Goth Home” in December 2021 by Zillow Gone Wild, a multi-platform social media account that shares unusual real estate listings.

The previous owner of the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home told Fox News Digital that he does not identify himself as gothic, and he initially chose to paint the roof black, but he eventually extended the color throughout the rest of the property. 

The home’s many windows and unique shape allow natural light to enter and brighten the interior.

The 1,547-square-foot home was originally built in 1993. The home found a buyer in March 2022 and the sale is currently pending, according to multiple listing service data.

House in the middle of a cemetery

A chapel-turned-home will be available for sale in a few weeks — but those interested can get a sneak peek of the chapel-turned-home ahead of the expected bidding war. 

The former chapel is not in the U.S. Located in Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales, United Kingdom, it’s on the market for nearly $73,000 — and is in the middle of a cemetery.

A house is for sale in the middle of a cemetery in Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales.
Paul Fosh Auctions / SWNS
The house is on sale for $73,000 starting next month.
Paul Fosh Auctions / SWNS

The property goes up for sale on Tuesday, Nov. 7 — and bidding will end on the evening of Nov. 9. 

The ‘Flintstone House’ in California

A three-bedroom home in Hillsborough, California, is known as the “Flintstone House” for its rounded architecture, vibrant colors, dinosaur props and metal sculptures modeled after characters from “The Flintstones,” a popular cartoon series from the early 1960s.

The town of Hillsborough sued the homeowner, Florence Fang, in 2019 for making alterations to her property. 

The Flintstone House in Hillsborough, California.
AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File

Fang responded to the lawsuit with a counterclaim. Both parties reached a settlement in June 2021 with Hillsborough agreeing to pay Fang $125,000 and Fang agreeing to apply for building permits, according to the Associated Press.

‘Cave house’ reminiscent of ‘The Flintstones’ in Ohio

In other “Flintstones” real estate news, a unique home in Concord, Ohio, which is built into a cave-like sculpture, just hit the real estate market for $400,000.

The 3,597-square-foot house has five bedrooms and three bathrooms tucked within its cave walls.

Some say it resembles the dwelling where Fred, Wilma and Pebbles resided.

‘Legally’ haunted house in New York

A home in New York that was legally declared haunted in 1991 by a New York Supreme Court ruling reportedly housed poltergeists who shook beds and slammed doors. 

A Victorian house in Nyack, New York was legally declared haunted.
Frank Kirwin

The homeowner who purchased the three-story, 4,600-square-foot Queen Anne Victorian house in Nyack in 1989 sued the previous homeowner for not disclosing the ghostly inhabitants, and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the buyer.

The home was originally built in the 1890s and faces the Hudson River.

It was expanded to include expanded seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. 

Fox News Digital previously reported that the old home has housed several high-profile inhabitants who say they haven’t experienced a haunting, including director-screenwriter Adam Brooks, Jewish rapper Matisyahu and singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson.

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