The Story Behind The House on the Rock, Wisconsin’s Quirkiest Building

When you grow up in Wisconsin, there is one place that elicits an air of mystery—a place so shrouded in legends and stories, it sounds almost supernatural. In truth, it's more of an eclectic hodgepodge collection of both the unusual and the mundane. The House on the Rock is an architecturally complex maximalist project and, undoubtedly, the strangest building in Wisconsin. It is also one that I'm not sure enough people really appreciate, let alone know about. Knowing how much work went into the fascinating structure makes you appreciate it all the more.

The Story Behind The House on the Rock

As far as weird architecture in Wisconsin goes, you don't get much weirder than this place. Beyond its myriad collections, The House on the Rock is an architectural wonder created by Alex Jordan Jr. He chose to build a Japanese-style home atop Deer Shelter Rock, a sandstone chimney formation. Jordan was likely inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's design style, whose home and studio, Taliesin, is also in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Jordan began work on his home in 1945 and finished it in 1959. Particularly in the original house section, elements such as the low ceilings and the use of dark wood and stone are reminiscent of Wright's work. Contrary to the popular rumor, one I believed for a time myself, Jordan did not build the home to spite Wright. In fact, they didn't even know each other personally.

Even so, the endeavor of building a home literally on a rock was so interesting to people that Jordan reportedly charged onlookers a fee to come by. So the location's reputation as a tourist attraction started even before the building was complete. Interest in the structure was so great that it became Jordan's primary source of income over time.

While some would say Wright's style was on the clean and minimalist side, Jordan's was anything but. The home grew from the 13-room original house into an expansive, meandering building with add-on after add-on, eventually housing massive collections. After the original house came the gate house, followed by the mill house, the "Streets of Yesterday" section cropped up a few years later, and so on. The "house" on the rock, over the course of a few decades, became The House (plus a bunch of other areas) on the Rock, as it remains today.

Despite spending much of his life designing, curating, and building his home, Jordan only spent four nights there. He eventually sold it in 1988 to his associate Art Donaldson, who continued building the collections and the structures. Jordan died the following year, and his ashes were spread over the property to which he had dedicated his life.

Photo Opportunities at Wisconsin’s Weirdest Building

Without question, the most iconic photo spot at House on the Rock is the Infinity Room. This mind-boggling hallway makes you feel as if you are walking into forever, surrounded on both sides by the landscape around (and beneath) you. As you go further and further into the room, the hallway becomes suspended over the tree canopies below. It is a bit unnerving if you, like me, are afraid of heights.

If you prefer to stay firmly on the ground, there is another prime photo spot that is just as dizzying—for an entirely different reason. House on the Rock is home to the world's largest carousel, which is both eerie and beautiful at the same time. With 269 animal figures and over 20,000 lights, you're sure to snap a photo that intrigues, even if it's blurry from the movement.

If you want a little more Weird-sconsin in your life, be sure to read up on Haunchyville or drop in on one of these touristy spots I tried to hate, but ended up loving.