A Palace Was Built And Left To Decay In The Middle Of Texas’ Largest City

There are plenty of abandoned places in Texas that are both eerie and fascinating, but the Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace in Houston takes the cake. Left to decay in our state's largest city, the palace sticks out like a sore thumb with its 40-foot-tall golden orb. Just wait until you hear the tragic story behind it! One thing is for certain: this bizarre testament to one person's vision is an odd reminder of the things we take for granted.

If you've ever been to the Alief area in West Houston, chances are you've noticed the giant golden orb that sticks out like a sore thumb through the trees - but do you know the story behind it?

The orb sits atop Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace, also known as "The Palace of the Golden Orbs."

This roadside oddity is the work of Kwai Fun Wong, the leader of a Chinese Taoist organization.

She had a grand vision of a sprawling Taoist complex that would offer worship, daycare, retail, and residential living. She would build a castle, she decided, and people would come.

Wong began constructing her utopia in 1999; however, the process came to an abrupt halt in 2001 when she was deported for failing to secure permanent residency.

Only the temple itself had been completed by the time she left the country, and since that time, nature has been slowly reclaiming it. It never realized its true potential, and now it's a relic of the past.

Despite sitting abandoned for so many years, the palace is in surprisingly good shape.

Even from far away, its intricacy is unmistakable, and you can tell just how important it was to Wong.

How long the palace will remain standing before it succumbs to the elements is anybody's guess.

It won't be around forever, so next time you're in the neighborhood, come take a look! You'll be equal parts creeped out and fascinated. It's just about as cool as it is unusual.

Here's the location of the palace currently:

Did you know about the Palace of the Golden Orbs? What do you think about this unusual passion project? It just might be one of the eeriest abandoned places in Texas, we think! Tell us your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to poke around for more abandoned places in Texas that are sure to interest and amaze you.