email: roadarch@outlook.com

Special Places

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This is an archived section. It is no longer linked to the Home Page of my website. Too many sections, too many topics pulling me in different directions. So, I will leave this section be and not remove the pages because I hope folks that land here will find the information and photos useful. But I won't be actively updating or adding things here.

This section focuses on unusual buildings, structures, and spaces. Many include concrete statuary and/or recycled building materials. These creations are often referred to as folk art, visionary art or outsider art. Most of the builders had little or no formal architectural training and no connection with the art world. A few constructions by "schooled" artists and architects are included in this section as well. There are also some large-scale religious grottos here as well. If you have any recommendations of other places, I'd love to hear from you. Enjoy!

The following pages are listed alphabetically by state/city:
Ave Maria Grotto (Cullman, AL)
Louis Lee's Rock Garden (Phoenix, AZ)
Sunnyslope Rock Garden (Phoenix, AZ)
Queen Califia's Magic Circle (Escondido, CA)
Sunken Gardens (Fresno, CA)
Watts Towers (Los Angeles, CA)
Salvation Mountain (Niland, CA)
Tio's Tacos (Riverside, CA)
Mark Walker's Cement Figures (Willits, CA)
Old Trapper's Lodge (Woodland Hills, CA)
Holy Land USA (Waterbury, CT)
Coral Castle (Homestead, FL)
Our Lady of Sorrows Grotto (Cedar Rapids, IA)
Porter House (Decorah, IA)
Martha Timm Memorial Rock Garden (New Hampton, IA)
Grotto of the Redemption (West Bend, IA)
Rockome Gardens (Arcola, IL)
LaFleur Grotto (Byron, IL)
Warmack's Grotto (Chicago, IL)
Providence Home Geode Grotto (Jasper, IN)
Glenn Stark's Statues (Kingman, KS)
Garden of Eden (Lucas, KS)
UCM Museum (Abita Springs, LA)
Kenny Hill's Sculpture Garden (Chauvin, LA)
Paper House (Pigeon Cove, MA)
Can House (Silver Spring, MD)
Heidelberg Project (Detroit, MI)
Trail of Tears (Jerome, MO)
Vollis Simpson's Whirligigs (Lucama, NC)
Warren's Shangri-la (Prospect Hill, NC)
Palace Depression (Vineland, NJ)
Thunder Mountain Monument (Imlay, NV)
Bob Smith's Place (Liverpool, NY)
Opus 40 (Saugerties, NY)
Mushroom House (Cincinnati, OH)
Hartman's Rock Garden (Springfield, OH)
Totem Pole Park (Foyil, OK)
Petersen's Rock Garden (Bend, OR)
Griglak's Zoo (Perryopolis, PA)
Zagar Murals (Philadelphia, PA)
Corn Palace (Mitchell, SD)
Porter Sculpture Park (Montrose, SD)
Max Hauk House (Wall, SD)
Wickham Stone Park (Palmyra, TN)
Beer Can House (Houston, TX)
Orange Show (Houston, TX)
Gilgal Sculpture Garden (Salt Lake City, UT)
Tombstone House (Petersburg, VA)
Walker Rock Garden (Seattle, WA)
Wegner Grotto (Cataract, WI)
Prairie Moon Sculpture Garden (Cochrane, WI)
Dickeyville Grotto (Dickeyville, WI)
Mary Nohl's House (Fox Point, WI)
Nick Engelbert's Grandview (Hollandale, WI)
Hanson's Cement Figures (Nelson, WI)
Concrete Gardens (Phillips, WI)
Rudolph Grotto Gardens and Wonder Cave (Rudolph, WI)
Holy Family Grotto (St. Joseph, WI)

Other Websites:
Detour Art
Garden Delights
Interesting Ideas
Narrow Larry
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art (Chicago, IL)
American Visionary Art Museum (Baltimore, MD)

Publications:
Raw Vision

Books:
Architectural Follies in America, Gwyn Headley, 1996
Fantasy Worlds, Deidi von Schaewen & John Maizels, 1999
Gardens of Revelation: Environments by Visionary Artists, John Beardsley, 1995
Home Work: Handbuilt Shelter, Lloyd Kahn, 2004


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Copyright. All photos at this website are copyrighted and may only be used with my consent. This includes posting them at Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, other websites, personal use, etc.

Tips & Updates. If you have suggestions about places that I haven't covered, historical info, or updates about places/things that have been remodeled or removed, I'd love to hear from you: roadarch@outlook.com.