House on the Rock (1945)
Artist Alex Jordan built a weekend retreat house on Deer Shelter Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. His 13-room haven was strange, with low ceilings, spaces that turned inward rather than taking advantage of the scenery outside, and full of his personal artistic collections. The design of the house, just minutes from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin, drew curious spectators. Jordan requested 50-cent donations. More visitors came. The donations Jordan requested were used to add to the collection or to expand and maintain the house. The money was enough that Jordan didn’t need additional sources of income. Jordan’s collections grew, and the retreat expanded to house and display them. The House on the Rock is now a popular tourist destination, with bizarre rooms full of curiosities like a giant carousel where none of the seats are horses, a faux historic Main Street, and musical instruments that play themselves.
