Once upon a time Alex Jordan had a dream. His architectural aspirations were formed in part with great admiration of Frank Lloyd Wright. Over time Mr. Jordan's visions of a grand home that would blend with nature, enhance it and grow from within it, began to take shape. As legend has it, there was a circumstance where Alex met Frank. (Note: There's more than a bit of truth stretching going on surrounding everything about this place). At that encounter (sometime between 1915-1923), Mr. Wright was less than impressed -- "I wouldn't hire you to design a cheese crate or a chicken coop. You're not capable." The feud was on. Alex was disheartened but not one given to surrender, set out to prove the God of American Architecture wrong. Not long after that, Alex found a piece of property and the process of creating "The House on the Rock" began. It's a long and convoluted story that includes Mr. Wright purchasing land just across a valley for his eponymous Taliesin. He often complained to authorities about the "crackpot's" nearby project. The two allegedly never spoke after that first conversation.
The House on the Rock started out as a private home but after numerous requests from onlookers, Alex finally gave tours and eventually asked for a fifty cent contribution for such a privilege. This led to a shift in mission and the impressive edifice officially opened to the public in 1959; it was constantly expanded up until his death in 1989 with new buildings added to hold his growing collection.
Part home, part roadside attraction, part museum and part sculpture, this place is hardly a small hidden treasure. The local economy is significantly impacted by both HOTR and Taliesen. Hotels/motels within an hour are perpetually booked. HOTR also offers a large resort and golf club. This is not a secret nor is it inexpensive; $28.50 each but a bargain compared to snooty Taliesin with the Estate tour costing $80 plus a $5 reservation fee (we were pre-warned by many that it really is not worth such an investment).
The House on the Rock is not really a museum and does not present itself as so. It started off as a small collection of curiosities then became a monumental accumulation of things far beyond any sane person's imagination. The presentation is one of visuals than information. Very few objects have the accompanying label of provenance. There is an ongoing debate about "authenticity" of some of the items found within the walls of this very unique world. The truth lies in that many of the things one sees there are obviously genuine and others are hard to really know. Many have accused the purveyors of fraud but it seems more like a case of P.T. Barnum-ism than crime. Kind of more myth than proof and, ultimately, it really doesn't matter. Anyone who allows such doubts to taint their House on the Rock experience is pitiable because few places can force more childlike mouth agape reaction than this overthe-over-the-top wonderland. Wow!
We spent over six and half hours inside this crazy place. If one confines themselves to following the not so straight path, you will walk over 3.5 miles. You know us better than that as we wandered back and forth, up and down with the eyes of 10 year olds (well except for the myopic and geezer vision) that backtracked and looked for good photo angles we covered far more ground than the average visitors. It is room after room after room filled to the brim with stuff of all sorts. There's a city street, a garage a hangar and endless display cases.
The calliopes (if that's what you can call these creations) are huge. Each and everyone of them makes Disney's "It's a Small World" seem very small indeed. Everything about the place is in excess. The things seen are so overwhelming that it is completely impossible to describe. Below you will find a smattering of images gleaned from the over 450 photos R. took. There will be three separate messages sent to you Oddasee faithful to give you a sense of the place. Many of the photos were worthless as the general lighting is intentionally dark and dramatic.
House on the rock is AWESOME, ARDUOUS & ABSURD! A must-be-seen-to-be-believed journey into what can be found nowhere else.
The most amazing for me was the gigantic room full of a single sculpture which one walked around, up, down, all the while "trying to make some sense of it all but I can see it makes no sense at all" -- one man's vision; it is an awe-full-some notion to wander within. What an interesting mind this man had!
With love from your over-stimulated traveling companions,
Rodney and Susan
ps. Note: This first HOTR message features sights found with the house itself and the grounds around it. If this is quite enough, just skip the next two messages as they will cover the adjacent cavernous structures.
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