I own an octagon house. We originally wanted to build a geodesic dome. We purchased plans and quickly realized that you lose a lot of walkable space as walls start angling in. We switched to regular post and beam construction on octagon footprint. We added 2 wings. The sheet rock cracking was mediated with faux beams. We’ve enjoyed it for many years in our “round house” up on the hill.
@@nick2128 the internal layout would most likely make for some expensive heating and cooling today. But as a guy who works in home exteriors: that’s a lot of siding, a lot of shingle, and a lot of deck area to be cleaned, painted, and eventually replaced every 3, 10, and 20 years; respectively. I can tell you know just looking at surface area you’re paying double for a house with comparable bd/br in a rectangular layout. Not to mention you’ll have at least 3 north facing walls which require more frequent attention.
We have an Octagon house near where I live in Harford Co. Maryland. I was told growing up it was an octagon because it was built by a sea captain, and he used his old sailing ship, and the wood wasn't long enough to make a normal house. In hindsight that doesn't make sense, but it was a cool story for a kid to hear.
there's an octagon house in my hometown. it's on a small private pond, and set back from the road, hidden by trees. very interesting, i went to school with the kids who lived there
A couple decades ago, I read an article about energy efficient construction that said a circular house was the most efficient because it maximized interior square footage while minimizing the exterior wall. I presume that an octagonal house would be almost as energy efficient.
I'm sick of reading this line of reasoning. Being geometrically efficient in a single aspect doesn't make it efficient to build houses and places where humans have to live and work. Curved walls, oddly-shaped spaces - The same problem as with these octagon houses but worse when it comes to interior design and space use. A very bad choice. See also: Borg Sphere
@@UnitSe7en OP said "energy efficient," not "functionally efficient." A spherical beer can is the most structurally efficient and most efficient use of aluminum, but you can't set it on a coffee table, so we make them cylindrical.
I have a life-long fascination with octagon houses. There are ways to lay out the interiors so that main rooms remain rectangular and only closets, pantries and bathrooms are triangular. A lot of the homes you featured have their own videos showcasing them.
This is the kind of octagonal plan I'd want. I actually really like the idea of all the small nooks for storage, and maybe keeping a few for distinctive furniture pieces. The opportunity for windows in all directions is appealing, as well.
My Great Grandfather built an Octagon house in Luthersville, GA. Not long ago it was moved to Peachtree, GA and restored. I still remember well our Christmas' back in the 1960's. Coming in the front door to see a massive Christmas tree will never be forgotten.
There are three in the town where I grew up, Stoneham, MA, and I'm still fascinated by them. All three are lived in and well kept. Thanks for this video!
Actually there are four! I was curious if it was just on Google ( From MA myself) it tells where they are and dates of construction even. Very cool-now I have to dive down this safe and curious rabbit hole surrounding towns in the State of MA. Take care and have a good 2025 where ever life has lead you now. *2025 * Never mind house shapes where are our flying cars and teleport pads to pop from house to house!?🤔
In 1978 in Texas history class as a 12 year old, I drew a copy of an illustration of an octagonal German church built in 1847 in Fredericksburg, TX which was sadly demolished and repurposed for different buildings by about the turn of that century. A replica was built on that site in the 1930's as a result of Texas Centennial spirit and I finally visited it in 2006, 28 years after discovering its existence. I also had the immense pleasure of touring Longwood several years ago and it's a favorite of mine.
All my family got together in the early 80’s to build a dome house from a kit for my great aunt. I don’t know if it was octagonal, but it was incredibly cool. She lived in a swampy area of Arcadia Florida, it was on stilts, cool year round, lots of trees and amazing views all around. Fair warning, if you ever stay in the loft of a dome house with no break in the ceiling even whispering can be heard downstairs! 😂😂😂
That's my favorite building there! I love standing in the central hall by the staircase just looking up into the upper floors. The large mirror is the only part I find vaguely disconcerting.
I'd never heard of Poplar Forest before. I'm in the Washington, DC, area, so that might make a fun day trip. I'm also a fan of the hexagonal lighthouses of the Chesapeake Bay.
I remember as a child designing houses I wanted to live in, they were always octagonal. I was bored by square and rectangular rooms and homes. But the octagon was different and had more space and were more interesting. Now, 30 years later, I'm learning they were a thing and went back such a long time. I don't think furniture would be a problem because we would design our furniture to fit the houses if they were the more common design.
Unlike today’s McMansions or ticky-tacky boxes we live in, homes with unique shapes such as these have character and charm. I find the architecture so interesting!
Virginia Savage McAlester discusses them in her field guide. The problem with Fowler's sunlight argument is in the way the rooms are distributed compared to a more typical house. If the triangular corners are set aside for their own rooms, then the rooms can only ever get sunlight from one direction. But a typical four square house has mostly corner rooms which can receive light from two directions. In practice rooms in the octagon house actually got less light! There's one in the next town over from my hometown. I've been in it, and it was neat, and well maintained, too. (They solved the staircase issue with a single spiral staircase in the center, if you're curious.) Learning later that Fowler's ideas were flawed took away a bit of the magic, alas!
You'll also notice that the one Jefferson designed parcels out the four diagonal sides to the adjacent rooms. These actually *would* get more light throughout the day. Jefferson got it right long before Fowler came along!
In Cleburne,Texas was a single storied octagon house that utilized curtains for interior walls and had no closets only utilizing chiff robes or arnwars, the story I was told was this was a way to avoid the taxes in that city which you were text upon the number of rooms the house contained!!! 🤠👍
Clarence Darrow lived in an octagon house in Kinsman, Ohio. Located in the northeast corner of Trumbull County, Kinsman has many old houses. But, given the fame of Clarence Darrow, this is the best known. There is at least one more octagon house in Trumbull County in Vernon Township adjacent to Kinsman.
I grew up down the road from an Octagon House in E.Templeton MA. I was always fascinated by it. I think it's sadly fallen into disrepair. It was for sale years ago but I'm not sure if it was ever restored or if it was just a loss. It sure does activate the imagination of a little girl. Thanks for the info. Very interesting.
Back when I was in college, my father and me looked around for possible homes to purchase so I could live off campus and save money on tuition, and oddly enough, the JH Champion Octagon House in Adrian MI was a serious contender as it was very affordable and had been neglected quite a bit... The rooms were very strange as it has one large rectangle living room in the center and a trapazoid front hall to the left and two small trapazoid rooms to the right... the bedrooms upstairs were also small and had sharp cornners... The addition (poorly built) off the rear made the home more comfortable with a bed bath and kitchen.... It ended up not being a feasible project but what a interesting home although the layout of the interior made the house feel much smaller than it really was... having main rooms with corners greater than 90 degrees was suffocating and made for poor use of space... I feel its one of the few that have that particular layouts
Im a Natchez native. Sadly I had to move close to Jackson when I was 13, but both sides of my family have been in Natchez (and Adams co in general) pretty much since it was properly established. A really long time. Some Amite county too, but that's irrelevant lol. Anyway, Longwood is such a fascinating house to me. I dont think its due to bias, really!! I've been in there more than once, and my Dad was part of the crew who restored/fixed the flooring back in the 80s I believe. The story behind it should have been mentioned at least briefly! It's so odd to be in a place that big in the unfinished state it's in. For anyone who isn't from there or doesn't know, there's old crates upstairs that still contain old furniture and such that was never opened, and if I remember correctly - some sent later on from former president's and first ladies as gifts. When I got a job at a hotel here around Jackson - I was probably around 22, 2 german ladies were checking in to their rooms. I asked where they were from and when they told me I asked why on earth they were in Mississippi of all places. They laughed and said they were going to Natchez to look at the old homes and historic sites. Im proud to be from Natchez, but unfortunately it is declining rather drastically.
@ I grew up in Jackson and first visited Longwood in 1968 when it was still owned by the Nutt family and had never been painted since its construction. It has always been a fascinating place. I have photos taken by my grandfather taken from the roof about 1939. Back then they didn’t restrict access.
@@Observing-NPCs I have a old book I got online used about 12 years ago called Natchez by the Mississippi, written by Harnet Kane in the early 50s , it's about all of the old Mansions there's
@@Observing-NPCs I have family on my father's side from Natchez and I went there for a family funeral in the late 80s. We went back in 21 and I was shocked at how rundown it looked! Even many of the famous old houses looked a lot more unkempt than I remembered. According to a cousin, the tourism industry isn't bringing in as much as before, and many of the younger people are leaving from lack of work. Sad.
I live very close to the armor stiner house, I pass by it pretty frequently. It’s truly incredible that such an architectural wonder just happens to be so close!
Round barns and octagon houses have been used as examples for building in hurricane prone areas. The claim is that the wide angles and relatively small wall surface area helps the building withstand the high winds by allowing them to bend around the structure more readily. I would like to see scale model wind tunnel tests on this theory as it seems plausible on paper.
I can give you full-scale, anecdotal evidence for your theory. I own an octagon house in Wisconsin that was hit by a tornado in 2021. The rectangular barn that had been standing since the mid-1800s and the garage that had been added to the house were both destroyed but the house still stands with virtually no damage.
The Gutherie Octagon House was moved to the Westland Historic Village Park in Michigan about 15 years ago. The family had added two wings on it in the 1930s when they lived in full time. Two of the upstairs bedrooms are rectangular with their odd shape closets to maintain the octagon footprint. Thanks for this informative video
This reminded me of an architecture book from years ago I found at the local public library called “American Shelter”. It covered early American homes from centuries ago to modern times and I’m fairly certain there was a page or two covering more eccentric styles with an octagon house and even one shaped like an elephant. It checked out that book several times. It was too fun.
It seems like there are quite a few octogon houses in Michigan, one of the more prominent ones was a stop in the Underground Railroad. There is also an octogon barn that has a really nice festival every year I think in September.
I used to live near the house you’re talking about as a kid. One of my teachers was part of the family that owned it. Was a regular field trip location for local elementary schools but having your teacher able to tell you all the details was an added bonus.
I like how the Armour-Stiner house inadvertently looks reminiscent of Queen Victoria’s little crown that she used to wear later in life. I guess that’s a cool side effect of the Victorian style being applied in the octagonal shape.
My parents built an octagonal house in the late 90s, complete with a basement and second floor. It's a lovely home, and I've always suspected they built it because a geodesic dome was out of reach.😀
KEN, WHEN I SEE THESE KINDS OF THINGS, AND I'VE BEEN AWARE OF SUCH HOUSES SINCE I WAS A KID, IT IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHEN I WISH THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO RELOCATE ALL OF THEM TO ONE CAREFULLY CHOSEN LOCATION, SELECTED FOR IT'S RELATIVE SAFETY, AND PRESERVE ALL OF THEM TOGETHER, DECLARING THE ENTIRE SITE A NATIONAL MONUMENT, AND, YES OF COURSE, A DEMOLITION FREE ZONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO LONG LIVE THIS HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My central room is an octagon and while there is some built in storage features to delineate the room into living & dining, it’s really just 1 social space. The kitchen, laundry, mudroom, 3/4 bath & garage are their own wing. The 3 bedrooms & 3 bathrooms are their own independent wings as well. Each wing is the more traditional rectangular shape with porches on both sides to fully protect the octagon from rain while also providing indoor & outdoor access to every room of the house. It is a very simple floor plan that works well & allowed me to build it 5 separate phases instead of being so incredibly indebted to a mortgage. We stayed in phase 1 the longest sleeping on bunk above the w/d. Then we added the octagon which was by far the cheapest addition. It acted as our living, dining & bedroom. Then we added the 3 bedrooms 1 at a time. The kids got theirs first. Then we got ours. Now the kids are gone & mom has her own space, or she can join us if she likes & there’s a guest bedroom for anyone that shows up. We have had to build in Murphy beds that fold up into benches along the exterior walls of the octagon for the holidays to make enough space for the kids & grandkids, but thankfully it solves the seating & bedding situation all in one. They don’t do much for sound control but they do have curtain style canopies. They’ve come in super handy during severe weather events. Gathering everyone in one space together plus having gas alternate heat source. I would not trade my octagon house for anything & 10 outta 10 times would rebuild it exactly as is again. It feels so much bigger than it is because of the endless amounts of daylight & it is so safe & homey.
I've been on an octagon and round house building kick in Sims 4 lately and I can both see why it is appealing and slightly impractical. They are hard to furnish because of the angles but when you do find a nice arrangement it is usually a much more interesting and appealing space than a typical square space. Personally, I'd love to see more octagonal houses in real life. I think there should be publicly funded architects to assist making all of our buildings more interesting and beautiful so we could have more octagonal houses or other fun designs instead of the boring square spaces that are everywhere.
We used to live in the Richmons IN area. There are several octagon barns in this part of Indiana. Thank You! This point in time I’ve not known about octagon houses. I can see the appeal, the quirkiness!
I’m from London and I had never even heard of an octagon house until I saw the movie MOTHER where for the set they built a beautiful Victorian wood octagon house and then gradually destroyed it (!) It’s because of that set that I investigated more and saw there were loads of them in the usa and so realised it was “a thing” It’s not something that ever took hold in the uk - we have modern octagon shaped buildings but they are not octagon houses in the American fashion. I’ve only ever seen one octagon house in the uk and that’s the house i grew up in Its an English arts and crafts red bricked octagon house in south London - and my parents are still there - we and visitors have often said how lovely a design it is to have a central hallway with stairs and have all the rooms branching off that central hallway and when I was a child being able to play “chase” by running through the rooms around in circles and not get caught lol ❤ We have always appreciated it’s unique design - unique to the uk that is - when I was at uni I did some historical investigation to find out that the architect was celebrated British for his art deco and arts and crafts buildings - he worked in America for a few years before returning to the uk and building our house which was his house for himself originally so he obviously became aware of the design when he was stateside and recreated it for himself in the pretioud arts crafts style im south London. Fascinating. 🎉🎉🎉 bravo on this video.
@@fredalackenspeil9371 in the uk octagon houses are not a thing - I’ve never seen one other than the one I grew up in - the architect was a celebrated arts and crafts architect who worked in USA between 1900 and the 1920s before returning to Britain - there that make enough sense for you now? Would you also like to see my medical records? Dental X-rays? Lol
I will always look back sadly at when we passed on an opportunity to buy one in Michigan with 5 acres on a lake for $200k. Oh boy did it need work but the potential keeps me awake at night…
Thank you for including the Gregg-Crites house in my hometown of Circleville Ohio. It's in desperate need of a committed preservation-minded owner. It has a beautiful floating spiral staircase in the center of the house.
I personally have been in two of these gems. One in central Michigan that was built by ancestors of family friends, and the other in Watertown, Wisconsin. That one has been turned into a to an area museum.
There's one in my hometown, Neenah, WI. It's now owned by the Neenah Historical Society. It was moved a short distance from its original location so Main Street could get a bridge over the railroad tracks.
My Aunt nearly had the opportunity to purchase the Gallup Octagon house @ 6:57 in the 1950's. George Gallup, founder of the Gallup Poll lived there. However, at that time, the bank would not give a mortgage to a woman. My Grandfather, being extremely cautious, wouldn't co-sign a loan with her. At that time, I believe the house and large tract of land was for sale for something around $3,000 or $4,000!
I used to live in Jefferson Iowa, the home of the Gallup house. I toured it when it came up for sale in the late 80's or early 90's. Thrilled to see it featured in this video
There are two octagon houses in my city. One is two full storeys, stuccoed, and right in downtown. Was built around 1880. It has a 2-floor rectangular addition off one… corner? It’s on a list of historic buildings. The other is a storey-and-half, made of brick. It’s basically a farm house and harder to get a look at.
I always loved octagon houses. I was only in one which was a HUGE ranch house way out in AZ. cattle country. I marveled at it. I adored the wrap around porch. Such Fun!
We have one in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada! It's a museum now, but I love that is was built by the towns original mill owner, Mr Bird, so it's the Bird House! 😂
I live in an octagon home circa 1947. There were many built in the county. Ours is the only one still standing. It's a sectional home. The front and back are longer than the 6 other walls. It's a pain because the kitchen is a galley at best, but it's been almost 30 years, and I still love it.😊
We have an octagonal house in Hamilton, the Lane Hooven House. It's a museum/office that you can tour and it's so beautiful and interesting. If you have a chance to tour one of these houses, you won't be disappointed. The house here was built in 1863 and fortunately, it's been maintained very well.
I'm a ghost tour guide in DC. The Octogon House is where we start one of the tours, less than a 10 minute walk from the White House. While we wouldn't call it an octogon now (you and I would call it a hexagon) at the time the front protrusion added two additional angles, and in 1800 (it was an early one) a figure with 8 angles could also be called an octogon. ...also the guy who built the DC octogon house, Will Thorton offered to bring George Washington back from the dead the day after he died via a method that involved a hot soak, friction, and the blood of a living baby lamb. Martha politely declined.
Many people don't know but Natchez has two famous octagonal houses: Longwood and Gloucester. The three sided ends of the latter actually makes it an octagon, although it looks rectangular from the front.
I really wanted an Octagon House when I was a kid. Since I lived near DC, I saw the Octagon House and the octagon room at the Renwick Gallery near Lafayette Square.
Gee, I would like to have known about the Octagon House in Mayo, FL when I lived in N. Florida many years ago! I love Old Houses as most do who watch your Channel & am so interested in what you share with us. Stay Warm & safe.
Just wondering in that era when there was a prevalence of secrets, clandestine societies, riddles, treasure hiding and lots of stuff like that, how easy/hard could have been to build secret rooms or passages to hide anything from treasures to antique relics, or anything else? Very interesting mini documentary Thank you!
I'd love to see a come back of that style home. Back home we have many homes that have a rounded or octagonal shape to homes, usually full 4 floors, including full attic and basement quarters. The rooms in the octagonal portion of the home were also octagonal inside with short walls no desk or bed would fit with, so it was akward type rooms. Today, I'd make it my studio and connect each floor from within with stairs with only one way on the 3rd floor and the exit on the 1st floor, leading out of the home. Even still many of those homes, became multi rental single units on each floor, including the 3rd (known as the servants quarters), which has a private stairway within the home. Beautiful architectural design.
There are two in Cape May,, NJ, where I lived for several years in the late 1970s. A great example in Mystic, CT, in the neighborhood I lived in for 30 years. Beautiful party house inside; the main rooms are rectangular, so it doesn't seem odd inside. That house was built with an octagonal brick outhouse, which, sadly, was torn down about 50 years ago by a previous owner. Good story, well told.
Wonderful idea they loo great and certainly have a novel approach to building. Although I think it only works well in larger constructions. The smaller ones featured look awkward.. Another great video, thank you. Peter Mac Donald Penang Malaysia.
A wonderful time travel book about an Octagon House was written by Andre Norton called Octagon Magic. It features both an Octagon Dollhouse and the house the dollhouse was modelled after.
If I was president, I would make it so all houses would be octagonical. It would be a pillar of my seven point plan to end homelessness in New York and California
I've never even thought of an octagon house. I always love Jeffersons Montecello (i think), but also I love that retreat house. I like these houses plus Victorian architecture with its steep points and eccentric/nonsymettrical designs have always looked nice to me.
There’s two octagon houses about 20 miles from me. Brasher Falls and Massena NY. Brasher Falls octagon house is two story with a cupola although, in disrepair and partially falling in. Massena octagon house is a single level and has been restored a few times.
The octagon house made a brief comeback in the 1970s, among the "counterculture" movement,among those who wanted to find alternatives to conventional ideas. One of my cousins built one in a remote area of northern California.
Octagon houses are so beautiful, and l hope they get restored to show their unique value. A good designer could help you with furniture placement. Or you can move around the the furniture untill it fits your needs.❤❤❤
There are definitely still Octagon houses being built. I grew up in one that my parents designed and my father and uncle built in 1994. It’s much more open concept on the first floor than traditional designs of the 19th century that inspired my parents, so they’re definitely aren’t any issues with small corners, but there isn’t a single room in the whole house that’s a square. It was an interesting place to grow up. The third floor is completely one room, so is an octagonal space and the bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor are just kind of oddly shaped, but honestly, there aren’t any weird corners. Nothing was really impractical. It does have a great air flow, so even though we lived in the NYS it did get hot in the summers, but we never needed air conditioning. I really appreciated this video! Thanks for sharing!
a few of the oddly placed smaller rural octagon houses are forgotten tollhouses and post offices, the tollhouses on the early national road were all built octagonal. Searights is one of the surviving national road tollhouses that shows how a lot of them looked, its a museum now. There's quite a few octagonal houses in sw pa built of similar time, one near where i grew up has a large central octagonal part and two rectangular wing bits added later to two of the back sides that gives it an odd L shape now.
in my early teens I wanted to become an architect, and from my 12 to my 16 I designed several octagon house plans. it was my preferred shape to go to. I never got to be an architect and I threw out my plans only a few years ago, if only I had kept them. in two years I
Make sure you can find artisans capable of building such a house. Most construction workers today only assemble prefabricated panels and trusses. ...unless...you could make such a house of prefabricated panels and trusses, which I've only just stopped to consider...
@@Whammytap I live in Belgium, it would not be a problem to find the artisans, getting it through planning permission is another matter.😂 But even if I choose anywhere else in Europe where they will allow it more easy, artisans to build it are easy to find, I can even get it build drystone in our local blue stone and with artisans from North Wales.
@@jimc4731 Young yes, however I gave away my fortune 20 years ago to live a more normal life. my ex took care of what remained. I'm only slowly emerging from a complete mental breakdown with a huge concentration and memory issue, so easy as it seems, for me it's not that easy. I have many ideas to create new companies, but I simply cannot handle it and have a hard time trusting people as they think I'm an easy target. I let three ideas be stolen from me, all of whom became very successful worldwide, I will not that happen again!
I love these! I stayed in a smallish one in British Columbia, on Vancouver island. It was very cool but as stated, the small ones will be harder to furnish. I did love the idea though! ❤
In the mid 1970s I was around 10 years old, I saw an ad in the New York Times magazine section for the sale of the Armour-Stiner house. It was selling for $2.8 million. I still have the ad. I kept in for years as my dream house. A couple of years ago I discovered that it was still around and there were tours. It's not always open, and it was during the pandemic, so I put it off. Last summer a friend and I went up there and it was wonderful. I took the ad with me to show the tour guide who told me that they had never seen this ad and that the owner, who is a restoration architect bought the house for under a million actually. The roof was coming down and he figured out a way to restore it but he's never revealed how much money he spent fixing this house. After the tour my friend then drove to a nearby town in New Jersey and showed me another octagon house, not nearly as spectacular, rather plain, but to see two of these houses in one day was a treat.
There is/was an octagon house in Pentwater, Michigan. Your video has just brought back so many memories of seeing it over the years and now has inspired me to look it up. Wow, I really hope it's still there. Going to look it up right now. Oh wow! It's a hexagon house. Still there fully restored from the 60s & 70s when I'd see it all the time. It is , as of a few years ago, a bb.
The basic inspiration seems to be the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in particular the Villa Capra in Vicenza northern Italy with its four facades and dome in the middle.Jefferson was highly influenced by Palladian architecture.
I immediately thought of Caitlyn and Tyler Baltiara from Teen Mom they bought one in Michigan but I believe have since sold it. I thought it was incredible and didn't know it was something common so to speak. Very cool and I'm a huge lover of geometric shapes so I'd live in one in a minute
We used to explore the Armour Steiner house back in the 1970s when we were little kids and our moms would take us for walks along the aqueduct. It was pretty much abandoned, but there were squatter hippies there are one point with kittens and we were completely entranced of course. The iron railings have molded sculptural heads representing the original owner's dog all around it, which is also super charming. It's a really lovely place
I own an octagon house. We originally wanted to build a geodesic dome. We purchased plans and quickly realized that you lose a lot of walkable space as walls start angling in. We switched to regular post and beam construction on octagon footprint. We added 2 wings. The sheet rock cracking was mediated with faux beams. We’ve enjoyed it for many years in our “round house” up on the hill.
@@eileencronk7520 How is it in regards to heating, cooling and ventilation? I've heard over the years that there are advantages. True?
@ yes, they are economical on heating and cooling. Ours faces perfect south. Most windows south facing are larger and smaller on north.
Ok, now I want one! So very cool. I'm in love. I'm also broke, so I'll have to make it for my duckies! If my next husband asks, tell him, k? 😂😂😂
ya know most of us know how true this is
@@eileencronk7520 fascinating . 🤨 what state is it in?
I always thought octagon houses were amazing, but also wondered about the expense of upkeep. Another good report, Ken. Thanks.
Why would a octagon houses upkeep be any different from a traditional house? The part I think would be somewhat difficult is furnishing it
They cost more to housing builders and subdivision builders , that’s the only reason why they’re not popular
@@nick2128i heard it becomes a triangle as time goes by.
@@nick2128 the internal layout would most likely make for some expensive heating and cooling today. But as a guy who works in home exteriors: that’s a lot of siding, a lot of shingle, and a lot of deck area to be cleaned, painted, and eventually replaced every 3, 10, and 20 years; respectively.
I can tell you know just looking at surface area you’re paying double for a house with comparable bd/br in a rectangular layout. Not to mention you’ll have at least 3 north facing walls which require more frequent attention.
@@WelsHomEx do they all have to have windows on every side and porches that wrap completely around it?
We have an Octagon house near where I live in Harford Co. Maryland. I was told growing up it was an octagon because it was built by a sea captain, and he used his old sailing ship, and the wood wasn't long enough to make a normal house. In hindsight that doesn't make sense, but it was a cool story for a kid to hear.
that shape also, pushes the wind aside, to make it stronger to high strong winds, and offered a very nice 180 view of the land!
nobody pushes wind aside
I'm college our drafting teacher took us to his home. It was multiple octagons layered into the landscape. So awesome.
there's an octagon house in my hometown. it's on a small private pond, and set back from the road, hidden by trees. very interesting, i went to school with the kids who lived there
Ooh, how interesting. I would have befriended them so I'd get an invite home, haha
that sounds like the perfect Airbnb location.
could they spin in a circle or no?
A couple decades ago, I read an article about energy efficient construction that said a circular house was the most efficient because it maximized interior square footage while minimizing the exterior wall. I presume that an octagonal house would be almost as energy efficient.
Like the old engineering joke, "assume a perfectly spherical cow in a frictionless environment..."
I'm sick of reading this line of reasoning. Being geometrically efficient in a single aspect doesn't make it efficient to build houses and places where humans have to live and work. Curved walls, oddly-shaped spaces - The same problem as with these octagon houses but worse when it comes to interior design and space use. A very bad choice. See also: Borg Sphere
@@UnitSe7en OP said "energy efficient," not "functionally efficient." A spherical beer can is the most structurally efficient and most efficient use of aluminum, but you can't set it on a coffee table, so we make them cylindrical.
usable interior footage shrinks tho
I have a life-long fascination with octagon houses. There are ways to lay out the interiors so that main rooms remain rectangular and only closets, pantries and bathrooms are triangular. A lot of the homes you featured have their own videos showcasing them.
This is the kind of octagonal plan I'd want. I actually really like the idea of all the small nooks for storage, and maybe keeping a few for distinctive furniture pieces. The opportunity for windows in all directions is appealing, as well.
My Great Grandfather built an Octagon house in Luthersville, GA. Not long ago it was moved to Peachtree, GA and restored. I still remember well our Christmas' back in the 1960's. Coming in the front door to see a massive Christmas tree will never be forgotten.
I live near Peachtree City, what St?
There are three in the town where I grew up, Stoneham, MA, and I'm still fascinated by them. All three are lived in and well kept. Thanks for this video!
Actually there are four! I was curious if it was just on Google ( From MA myself) it tells where they are and dates of construction even. Very cool-now I have to dive down this safe and curious rabbit hole surrounding towns in the State of MA. Take care and have a good 2025 where ever life has lead you now.
*2025 * Never mind house shapes where are our flying cars and teleport pads to pop from house to house!?🤔
In 1978 in Texas history class as a 12 year old, I drew a copy of an illustration of an octagonal German church built in 1847 in Fredericksburg, TX which was sadly demolished and repurposed for different buildings by about the turn of that century. A replica was built on that site in the 1930's as a result of Texas Centennial spirit and I finally visited it in 2006, 28 years after discovering its existence. I also had the immense pleasure of touring Longwood several years ago and it's a favorite of mine.
I live in an octagon house. Cool video!
So do I. We love it!
How awesome! I want my son who’s name is Octavio to have an octagonal house! Along with an octagon desk for his chess board. Lol
6:37 OMG you know the difference between raising a question and begging the question! Thank you!
YESSSS!!!
Thank you for caring!
Yes! It seems we are here for the houses yet celebrate the grammar.🎉
I love octagon houses, I’m very glad some are still around.
All my family got together in the early 80’s to build a dome house from a kit for my great aunt. I don’t know if it was octagonal, but it was incredibly cool. She lived in a swampy area of Arcadia Florida, it was on stilts, cool year round, lots of trees and amazing views all around. Fair warning, if you ever stay in the loft of a dome house with no break in the ceiling even whispering can be heard downstairs! 😂😂😂
The Hyde House in Genesee Country Village & Museum is a gorgeous example if anyone is ever near Mumford, NY.
That's my favorite building there! I love standing in the central hall by the staircase just looking up into the upper floors. The large mirror is the only part I find vaguely disconcerting.
So glad you covered these Victorian curiosities. They've always had a special place in my ❤!
Clicked because there’s one I always saw on my way to work, they preserved it really well and host tea parties and brunches for special occasions!
I was a tour guide as a young girl at the John S. Moffat house in Hudson, Wisconsin. I lived in my own as an adult, and I absolutely recommend!!!
I'd never heard of Poplar Forest before. I'm in the Washington, DC, area, so that might make a fun day trip. I'm also a fan of the hexagonal lighthouses of the Chesapeake Bay.
I love the marching octagonal birdhouse of the Armour-Stiner House; the home is beautiful, too.
Very intriguing topic! I'd like to see more interior views of these 8- sided homes.
Yeah I was a little disappointed he didn't get to talk more about the interiors. Next time!
I remember as a child designing houses I wanted to live in, they were always octagonal. I was bored by square and rectangular rooms and homes. But the octagon was different and had more space and were more interesting. Now, 30 years later, I'm learning they were a thing and went back such a long time.
I don't think furniture would be a problem because we would design our furniture to fit the houses if they were the more common design.
For all of your knowledge and work. Thank you.
Unlike today’s McMansions or ticky-tacky boxes we live in, homes with unique shapes such as these have character and charm. I find the architecture so interesting!
I hate modern architecture. No character and such boring designs. I mich prefer architecture like these houses.
@@ChibiPanda8888 omg you dont like brutalism😆
Virginia Savage McAlester discusses them in her field guide. The problem with Fowler's sunlight argument is in the way the rooms are distributed compared to a more typical house. If the triangular corners are set aside for their own rooms, then the rooms can only ever get sunlight from one direction. But a typical four square house has mostly corner rooms which can receive light from two directions. In practice rooms in the octagon house actually got less light!
There's one in the next town over from my hometown. I've been in it, and it was neat, and well maintained, too. (They solved the staircase issue with a single spiral staircase in the center, if you're curious.) Learning later that Fowler's ideas were flawed took away a bit of the magic, alas!
You'll also notice that the one Jefferson designed parcels out the four diagonal sides to the adjacent rooms. These actually *would* get more light throughout the day. Jefferson got it right long before Fowler came along!
In Cleburne,Texas was a single storied octagon house that utilized curtains for interior walls and had no closets only utilizing chiff robes or arnwars, the story I was told was this was a way to avoid the taxes in that city which you were text upon the number of rooms the house contained!!! 🤠👍
I was raised near cleverness. I'm trying to remember that house. Where was it located?
Clarence Darrow lived in an octagon house in Kinsman, Ohio. Located in the northeast corner of Trumbull County, Kinsman has many old houses. But, given the fame of Clarence Darrow, this is the best known. There is at least one more octagon house in Trumbull County in Vernon Township adjacent to Kinsman.
This … THIS is exactly what I needed, Octagon Intel.
Much LOVE from The USVI.
New sub and I LOVE your channel.
I love Steiner's NY house. I think the dome top finishes the octagon perfectly.
I grew up down the road from an Octagon House in E.Templeton MA. I was always fascinated by it. I think it's sadly fallen into disrepair. It was for sale years ago but I'm not sure if it was ever restored or if it was just a loss. It sure does activate the imagination of a little girl. Thanks for the info. Very interesting.
I know that house. Passed by it many times. Always fascinated me, too, from childhood on. Really hope somebody can save it.
Back when I was in college, my father and me looked around for possible homes to purchase so I could live off campus and save money on tuition, and oddly enough, the JH Champion Octagon House in Adrian MI was a serious contender as it was very affordable and had been neglected quite a bit... The rooms were very strange as it has one large rectangle living room in the center and a trapazoid front hall to the left and two small trapazoid rooms to the right... the bedrooms upstairs were also small and had sharp cornners...
The addition (poorly built) off the rear made the home more comfortable with a bed bath and kitchen....
It ended up not being a feasible project but what a interesting home although the layout of the interior made the house feel much smaller than it really was... having main rooms with corners greater than 90 degrees was suffocating and made for poor use of space... I feel its one of the few that have that particular layouts
Longwood in Natchez is a massively expansive house with a very open feel. It would have been wonderful to see it in a finished state.
I think the size of it makes it much better than the smaller ones with triangle rooms, at least in a large house the furniture could be floated
Im a Natchez native. Sadly I had to move close to Jackson when I was 13, but both sides of my family have been in Natchez (and Adams co in general) pretty much since it was properly established. A really long time. Some Amite county too, but that's irrelevant lol.
Anyway, Longwood is such a fascinating house to me. I dont think its due to bias, really!! I've been in there more than once, and my Dad was part of the crew who restored/fixed the flooring back in the 80s I believe. The story behind it should have been mentioned at least briefly! It's so odd to be in a place that big in the unfinished state it's in. For anyone who isn't from there or doesn't know, there's old crates upstairs that still contain old furniture and such that was never opened, and if I remember correctly - some sent later on from former president's and first ladies as gifts.
When I got a job at a hotel here around Jackson - I was probably around 22, 2 german ladies were checking in to their rooms. I asked where they were from and when they told me I asked why on earth they were in Mississippi of all places. They laughed and said they were going to Natchez to look at the old homes and historic sites.
Im proud to be from Natchez, but unfortunately it is declining rather drastically.
@ I grew up in Jackson and first visited Longwood in 1968 when it was still owned by the Nutt family and had never been painted since its construction. It has always been a fascinating place. I have photos taken by my grandfather taken from the roof about 1939. Back then they didn’t restrict access.
@@Observing-NPCs I have a old book I got online used about 12 years ago called Natchez by the Mississippi, written by Harnet Kane in the early 50s , it's about all of the old Mansions there's
@@Observing-NPCs I have family on my father's side from Natchez and I went there for a family funeral in the late 80s. We went back in 21 and I was shocked at how rundown it looked! Even many of the famous old houses looked a lot more unkempt than I remembered. According to a cousin, the tourism industry isn't bringing in as much as before, and many of the younger people are leaving from lack of work. Sad.
I live very close to the armor stiner house, I pass by it pretty frequently. It’s truly incredible that such an architectural wonder just happens to be so close!
Round barns and octagon houses have been used as examples for building in hurricane prone areas. The claim is that the wide angles and relatively small wall surface area helps the building withstand the high winds by allowing them to bend around the structure more readily. I would like to see scale model wind tunnel tests on this theory as it seems plausible on paper.
I can give you full-scale, anecdotal evidence for your theory. I own an octagon house in Wisconsin that was hit by a tornado in 2021. The rectangular barn that had been standing since the mid-1800s and the garage that had been added to the house were both destroyed but the house still stands with virtually no damage.
The Gutherie Octagon House was moved to the Westland Historic Village Park in Michigan about 15 years ago. The family had added two wings on it in the 1930s when they lived in full time. Two of the upstairs bedrooms are rectangular with their odd shape closets to maintain the octagon footprint. Thanks for this informative video
This reminded me of an architecture book from years ago I found at the local public library called “American Shelter”. It covered early American homes from centuries ago to modern times and I’m fairly certain there was a page or two covering more eccentric styles with an octagon house and even one shaped like an elephant. It checked out that book several times. It was too fun.
It seems like there are quite a few octogon houses in Michigan, one of the more prominent ones was a stop in the Underground Railroad. There is also an octogon barn that has a really nice festival every year I think in September.
I used to live near the house you’re talking about as a kid. One of my teachers was part of the family that owned it. Was a regular field trip location for local elementary schools but having your teacher able to tell you all the details was an added bonus.
I think they are beautiful. There is one in Laird, Colorado that has been restored and looks amazing!
I like how the Armour-Stiner house inadvertently looks reminiscent of Queen Victoria’s little crown that she used to wear later in life. I guess that’s a cool side effect of the Victorian style being applied in the octagonal shape.
My parents built an octagonal house in the late 90s, complete with a basement and second floor. It's a lovely home, and I've always suspected they built it because a geodesic dome was out of reach.😀
KEN, WHEN I SEE THESE KINDS OF THINGS, AND I'VE BEEN AWARE OF SUCH HOUSES SINCE I WAS A KID, IT IS ONE OF THOSE TIMES WHEN I WISH THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO RELOCATE ALL OF THEM TO ONE CAREFULLY CHOSEN LOCATION, SELECTED FOR IT'S RELATIVE SAFETY, AND PRESERVE ALL OF THEM TOGETHER, DECLARING THE ENTIRE SITE A NATIONAL MONUMENT, AND, YES OF COURSE, A DEMOLITION FREE ZONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO LONG LIVE THIS HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?
@Whammytap BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I AM NOT SHOUTING, THIS IS SIMPLY MY NORMAL WAY OF WRITING ON THESE PLATFORMS!!!!!
@@asylumlover DON'T!!
My central room is an octagon and while there is some built in storage features to delineate the room into living & dining, it’s really just 1 social space. The kitchen, laundry, mudroom, 3/4 bath & garage are their own wing. The 3 bedrooms & 3 bathrooms are their own independent wings as well. Each wing is the more traditional rectangular shape with porches on both sides to fully protect the octagon from rain while also providing indoor & outdoor access to every room of the house. It is a very simple floor plan that works well & allowed me to build it 5 separate phases instead of being so incredibly indebted to a mortgage. We stayed in phase 1 the longest sleeping on bunk above the w/d. Then we added the octagon which was by far the cheapest addition. It acted as our living, dining & bedroom. Then we added the 3 bedrooms 1 at a time. The kids got theirs first. Then we got ours. Now the kids are gone & mom has her own space, or she can join us if she likes & there’s a guest bedroom for anyone that shows up. We have had to build in Murphy beds that fold up into benches along the exterior walls of the octagon for the holidays to make enough space for the kids & grandkids, but thankfully it solves the seating & bedding situation all in one. They don’t do much for sound control but they do have curtain style canopies. They’ve come in super handy during severe weather events. Gathering everyone in one space together plus having gas alternate heat source. I would not trade my octagon house for anything & 10 outta 10 times would rebuild it exactly as is again. It feels so much bigger than it is because of the endless amounts of daylight & it is so safe & homey.
I absolutely love them! Especially the lookout at the top… As a stargazer that would be my dream home
I've been on an octagon and round house building kick in Sims 4 lately and I can both see why it is appealing and slightly impractical. They are hard to furnish because of the angles but when you do find a nice arrangement it is usually a much more interesting and appealing space than a typical square space. Personally, I'd love to see more octagonal houses in real life. I think there should be publicly funded architects to assist making all of our buildings more interesting and beautiful so we could have more octagonal houses or other fun designs instead of the boring square spaces that are everywhere.
Very intriguing! Thanks for a unique story & perspective.
We used to live in the Richmons IN area. There are several octagon barns in this part of Indiana. Thank You! This point in time I’ve not known about octagon houses. I can see the appeal, the quirkiness!
I’m from London and I had never even heard of an octagon house until I saw the movie MOTHER where for the set they built a beautiful Victorian wood octagon house and then gradually destroyed it (!)
It’s because of that set that I investigated more and saw there were loads of them in the usa and so realised it was “a thing”
It’s not something that ever took hold in the uk - we have modern octagon shaped buildings but they are not octagon houses in the American fashion.
I’ve only ever seen one octagon house in the uk and that’s the house i grew up in
Its an English arts and crafts red bricked octagon house in south London - and my parents are still there - we and visitors have often said how lovely a design it is to have a central hallway with stairs and have all the rooms branching off that central hallway and when I was a child being able to play “chase” by running through the rooms around in circles and not get caught lol ❤
We have always appreciated it’s unique design - unique to the uk that is - when I was at uni I did some historical investigation to find out that the architect was celebrated British for his art deco and arts and crafts buildings - he worked in America for a few years before returning to the uk and building our house which was his house for himself originally so he obviously became aware of the design when he was stateside and recreated it for himself in the pretioud arts crafts style im south London. Fascinating. 🎉🎉🎉 bravo on this video.
You’ve never heard of an octogon house until you saw it in a movie but you grew up in one???? Make that make sense!!!
Huw did you not know that an octogon shaped house existed if you hrew up in one?
There's something so AI about this 😂😂😂
@ how very dare you (!) would Ai tell you to get stuffed? Lol
@@fredalackenspeil9371 in the uk octagon houses are not a thing - I’ve never seen one other than the one I grew up in - the architect was a celebrated arts and crafts architect who worked in USA between 1900 and the 1920s before returning to Britain - there that make enough sense for you now? Would you also like to see my medical records? Dental X-rays? Lol
I will always look back sadly at when we passed on an opportunity to buy one in Michigan with 5 acres on a lake for $200k. Oh boy did it need work but the potential keeps me awake at night…
Please go after it. Like a runaway bride. Octogon houses are truly an american treasure ❤.
The Octagon House in Hudson, Wisconsin is fun to visit 😊
Thank you for including the Gregg-Crites house in my hometown of Circleville Ohio. It's in desperate need of a committed preservation-minded owner. It has a beautiful floating spiral staircase in the center of the house.
I personally have been in two of these gems. One in central Michigan that was built by ancestors of family friends, and the other in Watertown, Wisconsin. That one has been turned into a to an area museum.
There's one in my hometown, Neenah, WI. It's now owned by the Neenah Historical Society. It was moved a short distance from its original location so Main Street could get a bridge over the railroad tracks.
My Aunt nearly had the opportunity to purchase the Gallup Octagon house @ 6:57 in the 1950's. George Gallup, founder of the Gallup Poll lived there. However, at that time, the bank would not give a mortgage to a woman. My Grandfather, being extremely cautious, wouldn't co-sign a loan with her. At that time, I believe the house and large tract of land was for sale for something around $3,000 or $4,000!
I used to live in Jefferson Iowa, the home of the Gallup house. I toured it when it came up for sale in the late 80's or early 90's. Thrilled to see it featured in this video
There are two octagon houses in my city. One is two full storeys, stuccoed, and right in downtown. Was built around 1880. It has a 2-floor rectangular addition off one… corner? It’s on a list of historic buildings. The other is a storey-and-half, made of brick. It’s basically a farm house and harder to get a look at.
I always loved octagon houses. I was only in one which was a HUGE ranch house way out in AZ. cattle country. I marveled at it. I adored the wrap around porch. Such Fun!
We have one in Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada! It's a museum now, but I love that is was built by the towns original mill owner, Mr Bird, so it's the Bird House! 😂
I live in an octagon home circa 1947. There were many built in the county. Ours is the only one still standing. It's a sectional home. The front and back are longer than the 6 other walls. It's a pain because the kitchen is a galley at best, but it's been almost 30 years, and I still love it.😊
Love these!😊
We have an octagonal house in Hamilton, the Lane Hooven House. It's a museum/office that you can tour and it's so beautiful and interesting. If you have a chance to tour one of these houses, you won't be disappointed. The house here was built in 1863 and fortunately, it's been maintained very well.
I'm a ghost tour guide in DC. The Octogon House is where we start one of the tours, less than a 10 minute walk from the White House. While we wouldn't call it an octogon now (you and I would call it a hexagon) at the time the front protrusion added two additional angles, and in 1800 (it was an early one) a figure with 8 angles could also be called an octogon.
...also the guy who built the DC octogon house, Will Thorton offered to bring George Washington back from the dead the day after he died via a method that involved a hot soak, friction, and the blood of a living baby lamb. Martha politely declined.
Many people don't know but Natchez has two famous octagonal houses: Longwood and Gloucester. The three sided ends of the latter actually makes it an octagon, although it looks rectangular from the front.
I really wanted an Octagon House when I was a kid. Since I lived near DC, I saw the Octagon House and the octagon room at the Renwick Gallery near Lafayette Square.
Gee, I would like to have known about the Octagon House in Mayo, FL when I lived in N. Florida many years ago! I love Old Houses as most do who watch your Channel & am so interested in what you share with us. Stay Warm & safe.
Just wondering in that era when there was a prevalence of secrets, clandestine societies, riddles, treasure hiding and lots of stuff like that, how easy/hard could have been to build secret rooms or passages to hide anything from treasures to antique relics, or anything else?
Very interesting mini documentary
Thank you!
Thanks for a beautiful presentation of these curious houses. I so enjoyed all the pictures you included.
Great video. Loved Longwood!
I'd love to see a come back of that style home. Back home we have many homes that have a rounded or octagonal shape to homes, usually full 4 floors, including full attic and basement quarters. The rooms in the octagonal portion of the home were also octagonal inside with short walls no desk or bed would fit with, so it was akward type rooms. Today, I'd make it my studio and connect each floor from within with stairs with only one way on the 3rd floor and the exit on the 1st floor, leading out of the home. Even still many of those homes, became multi rental single units on each floor, including the 3rd (known as the servants quarters), which has a private stairway within the home. Beautiful architectural design.
Excellent research as always. Thank you.
My thought about octagon houses is that my octagon house should have been in your video!
There is one of these octagon houses in Port Hope Ontario. It is tucked away in a seldom seen location even though it is practically down town.
There’s one on Alice Street in Bancroft.
Lol Barrington IL octagon house. Born and raised in Barrington. Been here 25 years. Great place to live.
Good stuff Ken. 👍
There are two in Cape May,, NJ, where I lived for several years in the late 1970s. A great example in Mystic, CT, in the neighborhood I lived in for 30 years. Beautiful party house inside; the main rooms are rectangular, so it doesn't seem odd inside. That house was built with an octagonal brick outhouse, which, sadly, was torn down about 50 years ago by a previous owner. Good story, well told.
I drove down West Mystic Ave. many times and thought that was a great house, but never stopped to look closely.
Wonderful idea they loo great and certainly have a novel approach to building. Although I think it only works well in larger constructions. The smaller ones featured look awkward.. Another great video, thank you. Peter Mac Donald Penang Malaysia.
i’m sure if octagon houses became a big thing there would be furniture built to fit them
A wonderful time travel book about an Octagon House was written by Andre Norton called Octagon Magic. It features both an Octagon Dollhouse and the house the dollhouse was modelled after.
Someone else mentioned that book. Glad to find others who read it.
The J.J. Blauvelt (Octagon) House is up the street from me in Montvale, NJ. He was a friend of Fowler's.
If I was president, I would make it so all houses would be octagonical. It would be a pillar of my seven point plan to end homelessness in New York and California
I've never even thought of an octagon house. I always love Jeffersons Montecello (i think), but also I love that retreat house. I like these houses plus Victorian architecture with its steep points and eccentric/nonsymettrical designs have always looked nice to me.
Fascinating, the only octagon house I can think of in the UK is a 1700s house A La Ronde in Devon.
There’s two octagon houses about 20 miles from me. Brasher Falls and Massena NY. Brasher Falls octagon house is two story with a cupola although, in disrepair and partially falling in. Massena octagon house is a single level and has been restored a few times.
The octagon house made a brief comeback in the 1970s, among the "counterculture" movement,among those who wanted to find alternatives to conventional ideas. One of my cousins built one in a remote area of northern California.
There is one in Clayton, AL. I haven’t been there in years. I hope it is still there.
This was such a cool video. I have never seen one of these before! Time to plan a roadtrip
Very fascinating. I don’t recall ever seeing one of these as a kid growing up in small town, Pennsylvania!
Octagon houses are so beautiful, and l hope they get restored to show their unique value. A good designer could help you with furniture placement. Or you can move around the the furniture untill it fits your needs.❤❤❤
There are definitely still Octagon houses being built. I grew up in one that my parents designed and my father and uncle built in 1994. It’s much more open concept on the first floor than traditional designs of the 19th century that inspired my parents, so they’re definitely aren’t any issues with small corners, but there isn’t a single room in the whole house that’s a square. It was an interesting place to grow up. The third floor is completely one room, so is an octagonal space and the bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor are just kind of oddly shaped, but honestly, there aren’t any weird corners. Nothing was really impractical. It does have a great air flow, so even though we lived in the NYS it did get hot in the summers, but we never needed air conditioning. I really appreciated this video! Thanks for sharing!
I've loved the Hyde octagon house at the Genessee Country Village & Museum a bit outside of Rochester NY since I was a very young lady
a few of the oddly placed smaller rural octagon houses are forgotten tollhouses and post offices, the tollhouses on the early national road were all built octagonal. Searights is one of the surviving national road tollhouses that shows how a lot of them looked, its a museum now. There's quite a few octagonal houses in sw pa built of similar time, one near where i grew up has a large central octagonal part and two rectangular wing bits added later to two of the back sides that gives it an odd L shape now.
in my early teens I wanted to become an architect, and from my 12 to my 16 I designed several octagon house plans. it was my preferred shape to go to. I never got to be an architect and I threw out my plans only a few years ago, if only I had kept them. in two years I
You are still young, Draw up some new plans.
GO FOR IT !!!
Make sure you can find artisans capable of building such a house. Most construction workers today only assemble prefabricated panels and trusses. ...unless...you could make such a house of prefabricated panels and trusses, which I've only just stopped to consider...
@@Whammytap I live in Belgium, it would not be a problem to find the artisans, getting it through planning permission is another matter.😂 But even if I choose anywhere else in Europe where they will allow it more easy, artisans to build it are easy to find, I can even get it build drystone in our local blue stone and with artisans from North Wales.
@@jimc4731 Young yes, however I gave away my fortune 20 years ago to live a more normal life. my ex took care of what remained. I'm only slowly emerging from a complete mental breakdown with a huge concentration and memory issue, so easy as it seems, for me it's not that easy. I have many ideas to create new companies, but I simply cannot handle it and have a hard time trusting people as they think I'm an easy target. I let three ideas be stolen from me, all of whom became very successful worldwide, I will not that happen again!
The youtube algorithm has blessed me this day! Fascinating video!
I love these! I stayed in a smallish one in British Columbia, on Vancouver island. It was very cool but as stated, the small ones will be harder to furnish. I did love the idea though! ❤
In the mid 1970s I was around 10 years old, I saw an ad in the New York Times magazine section for the sale of the Armour-Stiner house. It was selling for $2.8 million. I still have the ad. I kept in for years as my dream house. A couple of years ago I discovered that it was still around and there were tours. It's not always open, and it was during the pandemic, so I put it off. Last summer a friend and I went up there and it was wonderful. I took the ad with me to show the tour guide who told me that they had never seen this ad and that the owner, who is a restoration architect bought the house for under a million actually. The roof was coming down and he figured out a way to restore it but he's never revealed how much money he spent fixing this house. After the tour my friend then drove to a nearby town in New Jersey and showed me another octagon house, not nearly as spectacular, rather plain, but to see two of these houses in one day was a treat.
There is a brick octagon house in Hackettstown NJ. Thank you for your interest in this topic!
Love them wish there were still more of them being built Shirley today's technology can tackle yesterday's problems
You're correct!......and don't call me Shirley!....
LoL
@daveweiss5647 yeah I saw that after I posted and thought of that movie right away 😃lol
@@garygloska7396 Great movie! Haha
There is/was an octagon house in Pentwater, Michigan. Your video has just brought back so many memories of seeing it over the years and now has inspired me to look it up. Wow, I really hope it's still there. Going to look it up right now.
Oh wow! It's a hexagon house. Still there fully restored from the 60s & 70s when I'd see it all the time. It is , as of a few years ago, a bb.
The basic inspiration seems to be the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in particular the Villa Capra in Vicenza northern Italy with its four facades and dome in the middle.Jefferson was highly influenced by Palladian architecture.
I immediately thought of Caitlyn and Tyler Baltiara from Teen Mom they bought one in Michigan but I believe have since sold it. I thought it was incredible and didn't know it was something common so to speak. Very cool and I'm a huge lover of geometric shapes so I'd live in one in a minute
We used to explore the Armour Steiner house back in the 1970s when we were little kids and our moms would take us for walks along the aqueduct. It was pretty much abandoned, but there were squatter hippies there are one point with kittens and we were completely entranced of course. The iron railings have molded sculptural heads representing the original owner's dog all around it, which is also super charming. It's a really lovely place