A Tiny, Beloved Home That Was Built for Spite The New York Times

Table Of Content

• Frequently Asked Questions About Spite Houses
• Which is the most famous spite house?
• Potomac Yard was supposed to be a sports fan’s paradise. Now a rental car company wants to put up a parking lot
• Where to Take Mom for Mother’s Day Brunch
• Comparison to Traditional Homes in Alexandria, VA
• Hollensbury Spite House

However, because of the glorious power of Ex Post Facto law, the spite house has been grandfathered into the modern building code, and is presently occupied part of the year. From inside the living room you can still see the spots where wagons smashed against the brick walls and incited the fury of John Hollenbury. At just six feet wide and 1000-square-feet, this dark blue skinny house in London is one of the city’s well-known attractions. Wedged between a walk-in clinic and a hair salon, this home is sought out by both tourists and locals alike.

Frequently Asked Questions About Spite Houses

While this is the newest of these homes in Alexandria, the late 1800s was a common time alley houses were built, according to Historic Alexandria Virginia Street by Street. Despite the fun story of the Spite House, alley houses were built for convenience more often than out of anger. Scotland-native John Carlyle was a city founder and merchant whose restored manse models Georgian architecture in the Palladian style.

Which is the most famous spite house?

The culprit, possibly an unsettled gambling dept, an unfavorable personal review, or even some untruths told or rumors started about Mr. Hollensbury, nobody really knows, but everyone suspects it was simply that damn carriage. While it is fair to say the first story is the most popular, and probably the most likely, we will likely never have definitive proof of why the Hollensbury Spite House came into existence. What we do know, is that in 1830, John Hollensbury paid $45.65 for the lot and built the 7-foot wide, 25-foot deep house. Alexandria Spite House, also known as Hollensbury Spite House, is a 7-foot-wide house located at 523 Queen Street in Alexandria, Virginia. It is believed to be one of the skinniest houses in the United States of America and has even been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

Potomac Yard was supposed to be a sports fan’s paradise. Now a rental car company wants to put up a parking lot

These quirky structures have withstood the test of time, continuing to fascinate and entertain those who encounter them. When he was turned down by the neighbor he set about getting his revenge on both the city and the neighbor. The Alameda Spite House, situated in Alameda, California, is a testament to Charles Froling’s determination to get revenge on his city and an unhelpful neighbor. Built in 1908, this spiteful structure is only 10 feet wide but astonishingly stretches 54 feet in length. The Hollensbury Spite House, as it’s called, has two stories but only 325 square feet. The current owner purchased it for $135,000 in 1990, and real estate records show it hasn’t been on the market since.

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Where to Take Mom for Mother’s Day Brunch

The Spite House also reportedly served as an experimental abode for a couple with aspirations of circumnavigating the globe on a cruise ship. Opting to test their tolerance for confined living spaces, they rented the property, adding yet another distinctive chapter to the residence’s eclectic narrative. Navigating the challenge posed by the diminutive front door, Sammis had to curate smaller furniture selections from local antique stores, lending a unique character to the Spite House’s interior. And finally, a third rendition of the tale suggests a more familial motivation behind the Spite House’s construction. In this version, Hollensbury purportedly built the dwelling as a playhouse for his two daughters, with one of them eventually residing in the house as an adult. According to legend, it arose when a mid-19th-century feud between two brothers over inherited land reached its pinnacle.

John Hollensbury, owner of one of the adjacent houses, built it in 1830 to keep horse-drawn wagons and loiterers out of his alley. The Hollensbury Spite House is a spite house located at 523 Queen Street in Alexandria, Virginia. The narrow building measures 7-feet 6-inches (2.3 m) wide and is often called the skinniest house in the United States. The house has drawn international attention, being covered by numerous news outlets, and was once featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. It is frequently visited by tourists who often pose in front of the building and is also included on local history tours.

Replica Playhouse of Alexandria’s Famous ‘Spite House’ to Go to a Lucky Winner

As society evolved, spite houses continued to pop up, taking on various forms. While the reasons behind their construction remained rooted in petty spite, the designs grew increasingly imaginative and complex. Some spite houses were designed to block scenic views, others to steal sunlight, and some simply to create a visual eyesore. I write a lot about different forms of historical architecture on this blog, but today I want to share one of those unusual architectural styles from the dark side.

Strangely Made Houses In The United States

More historic homes and architectural experiences await in Alexandria, where there’s always more to explore. It’s the most miniature mansion in historic Alexandria, Virginia, and its backstory explores the creative and obscure side of a neighborly grudge. In fact, clever storage is a running theme upstairs, with cupboard space even found for a stacked washer-dryer. The bedroom at the front of The Spite House has just enough space for a double bed, pushed against the wall. At the back of the house is a bathroom with a handsome roll top, freestanding bath. The kitchen and utilities are a shining example of efficient use and organization of limited space.

Hollensbury Spite House

The house is 350 square-feet (32.5 sq m) but also includes an outdoor patio and garden, providing additional entertaining space. Because of its narrow front door and small interior space, the house is decorated with smaller furniture pieces and antiques. The building's namesake, John Hollensbury, reportedly built the house in 1830 to stop people loitering in the alley adjoining his house and to prevent wagon-wheel hubs from damaging the house's exterior walls. This is the most commonly known story as to why the house was built, but there are also two other possibilities, the first being due to a dispute with his neighbor, and the second as a gift to his two daughters.

In the annals of spite houses, the “Skinny House” in Boston, Massachusetts, is a notable exemplar. While it may be annoying to have a neighbor intentionally build property on their land to irritate you, they can do whatever they want on their own land as long as it’s in line with the building laws of your state. The exterior of the skinny house at Thurloe Square almost looks like an optical illusion. Its narrow width makes it immediately recognizable to tourists and locals alike. The red brick and white trim give the house a decidedly European look, almost like something straight out of a Sherlock Holmes film.

But he wasn't building the house to gain more space for a growing family... Instead, he built it to block the alley that ran between the houses so that careless horse-drawn wagon drivers whose wheels had already damaged the exterior walls his homes would no longer have access. The concept of spite houses dates back centuries, with some of the earliest examples dating to the 18th century. During this time, 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 as you’ll see below. Alexandria, VA, boasts a rich history, and within its historical tapestry, the presence of spite houses adds an intriguing layer.

The next time you are exploring Old Town, stop by these houses to marvel at their character. They are still fun to see, even without an interesting story of spiting a neighbor. Note in the photo below the similar framing above the front door and window. She’s Unique, a boutique at 205 King St., operates out of one of the alley houses. Only a couple blocks up from the water, it is commonly passed by but not noticed as one of the alley houses. The Queen Street Spite House exhibits distinct architectural features, including an unusually narrow façade and an interior layout optimized for efficient use of space.

As the features reporter for WTOP, he's always on the hunt for stories that provide a unique local flavor—a slice of life if you will. Beyond the kitchen is a pretty patio garden, accessed through French doors. Yes, we're shifting gears from the largest home in Old Town to the smallest house in Old Town (and actually one of the smallest homes in the United States. "Imagine you hate the neighborhood drunks so you build a house in your alley," one Instagram user wrote about his recent visit to the Spite House. The man in question here was a local brickmaker and city council member, John Hollensbury. From his nearby home on Queen Street, Hollensbury had a front row seat to a chaotic alley scene of loitering ruffians and dangerous cut through traffic.

In 1908, Francis O’Reilly attempted to sell the land the house is built on to his neighbor. However, his neighbor wasn’t interested in buying his land, which sent O’Reilly into rage. You would be hard-pressed to find someone in Alameda who doesn’t know about this spite house.

The “original” Spite House, located at 523 Queen Street in Alexandria in what was once an alley, measures only 7’6” wide, is approximately 25 feet deep, and is less than 350 square feet. The bright blue house, about 7 ft. wide, is famous for being one of the narrowest homes in the world. It's also famous for supposedly being built out of spite by John Hollensbury, who was tired of horse-drawn carriages flying down the alley and hitting the walls of his house. Delving into the history of spite houses in Alexandria, VA, unveils a tapestry of human emotions and interactions that transcend mere architectural curiosity. The tales of conflict, creativity, and resilience resonate with visitors and locals alike, offering a deeper understanding of the city’s cultural evolution.