Spite Houses, Buildings that were Constructed with the Sole Purpose of Irritating Neighbors and Relatives
Facts Catalogue January 26, 2019
What do we do when we are mad at someone? Well, some of us get aggressive, some of flash their middle finger, while others just stay calm and try to reason with themselves. Have you ever heard of anyone building houses when they are pissed at someone? Sounds hilarious, but it is actually true! Known as "spite houses," people constructed these houses to irritate other people be they neighbors or relatives.
People construct "spite houses" out of malice to infuriate family or neighbors. Evidence of spite houses goes as far back as the 18th century. Thomas Wood built one of the oldest spite houses in 1716, and it is standing tall still today.
Old Spite House, Marblehead, Massachusettes. Image Credit: Richard M. Cook via Wikipedia
Prior to the existence of real estate rules, people use to construct homes wherever and whenever they felt like it. Hence, the spite houses were not deemed illegal by anyone. People built these houses mainly to irritate other people and make their lives uncomfortable. For example, some spite houses were designed to block views while others were constructed to limit access. Some were just built to make the area look hideous. Their main purpose is to keep reminding the person against whom the builder has a grudge. The houses might look normal at first glance. But they are strategically placed to perturb the people for whom they are intended.
One of the oldest spite houses dates back to 1716. Thomas Wood built it. Known as the "Old Spite House," there are two stories behind it. According to the first story, Wood and his brothers occupied the original house. They occupied different sections, were constantly at war, and refused to sell to the other. Hence, Wood built the spite bit into the house to infuriate his brothers. The story goes that Wood and his brother were left shares of land by their father. While his brother got more. Wood just received a meager area. So, he built the spite bit in his area to cause frustration to his brother. Despite being 300 years old, the Old Spite House still stands perfectly and is functioning as a private residence.
A large number of spite houses have been built across the world. Some of them are The Tyler Spite House, McCobb Spite House, Hollensbury's Spite House, etc. While some of these houses were built to keep the light entering from the other's house, one was built to keep away foot traffic. Some of these houses are really tiny, while others are mansions. Basically, there is no fixed pattern to these spite houses.
McCobb Spite House in July 1960. Image Credit: GregManninLB via Wikipedia
Thomas McCobb built the McCobb Spite House in 1806. When McCobb returned from a business trip, he was surprised to find that his stepbrother had inherited the family mansion. His hands were tied and there was nothing he could do. So, he built the spite house, his own mansion, directly opposite to his stepbrother's mansion. This would have surely caused discomfort to his brother. The house was moved by barge from Phippsburg to Deadman's Point in Rockport, Maine in 1925.
The Boston Skinny House. Image Credit: ericodeg via Flickr
Another spite house created because of strained sibling relations is the Boston Skinny House. It was built by a war veteran to irritate his brother. His brother constructed a massive mansion on an inherited piece of land that they were supposed to share. So, the war veteran built the spite house strategically to block the light and view from his brother's mansion.
Montlake Spite House (the yellow one). Image Credit: Joe Mabel via Wikipedia
The Montlake Spite House is just 55 inches wide. It is said that the owner of the spite house was infuriated when his neighbor offered a very unreasonable and low price for his land. So, he built this small house to block his neighbor's entrance from the main road. Well, isn't that the right way to get revenge?
Spite houses were not just constructed to piss off people. Some people even tried to infuriate their city and its officials through their spite creations. Spite houses like the Tyler Spite House and the Freeport Spite House were created to do just that.
The Tyler Spite House that is located opposite to the Record Street. Image Credit: Thisisbossi via Wikipedia
The Tyler Spite House has an interesting story. Dr. John Tyler was able to build the spite house as there was a loophole in the city rules. Dr. John Tyler was one of the first ophthalmologists to perform a cataract operation. He owned a piece of land in Frederick, Maryland. In 1814, the city authorities decided to build a road through his land as there was no building on it. Dr. Tyler started fighting against this and was losing when he found a loophole in the laws of the city. According to the law, a road cannot be constructed on a piece of land if there was a building under construction on it. When the city officials and workers came to build the road, they found men laying down the foundations of a building. The Tyler Spite House served the purpose of causing a menace for the city officials.
Freeport Spite House. Image Credit: Joe Mabel via Wikipedia
Another such story lies behind the Freeport Spite House. In the 19th century, a developer from Freeport, New York was against the idea of laying down Freeport in a grid. He built a Victorian house, apparently overnight, to piss off the grid designers.
Alameda Spite House. Image Credit: Elf via Wikipedia
Similarly, the Alameda Spite House was constructed by Charles Froling in the 20th century. He did this as the city officials snatched away his piece of land to build a street. So, to piss them off, he built this 10-foot-wide house on the land to spite the city and an annoying neighbor. Basically, an act of hitting two birds with one stone!
Hollensbury's Spite House (blue) built in an alley. Image Credit: Google Maps via Atlas Obscura
John Hollensbury's home was located next to an alley that saw an increasing amount of foot traffic each passing day. The intense commotion from outside frustrated Hollensbury. To stop the chaos, he constructed a 7-foot wide, 25-foot deep, 325- square-foot, two-story building right in the alley. The walls of the two adjacent buildings were used as side walls for this spite house. He blocked the entire alley so that he could sleep peacefully! This was in 1830 and the house is occupied even today.
While many of the spite houses have been allowed to be torn down by new rules and regulations, some have been turned into commercial places or offices. The others, like the Old Spite House and the house built by John Hollensbury, are still occupied today as private residences.
O'Reilly Spite House. Image Credit: ArnoldReinhold via Wikipedia
An interior decorating firm opened its office in a spite house in 2009. Francis O'Reilly constructed this particular spite house. The house is a 308-square-foot building, measuring 37 feet in length and only 8 feet in breadth. O'Reilly built the house to spite his neighbor who refused to pay a good price for his small piece of land.
The Richardson Spite House. Image Credit: Wikipedia, Plover
The Richardson Spite House was located in New York City. The house was built in 1882 by Joseph Richardson. He built the house to cause distress to his neighbor who refused to pay the right price for his land. When the deal did not work, Richardson built the spite house. Although the construction of the building was impractical, it housed all the necessary amenities. Demolition of the house took place in 1915.
The Salem Spite House met with a similar fate in 1898. The concerned authorities tore down the house after the owner died to avoid a lawsuit from an obnoxious neighbor.
A spite wall built by a person when his neighbor built his house quite close to the person's boundary. Image Credit: Geograph
Although new spite houses won't be coming up as often in the future, the ones that exist today are examples of both contempt and determination. People have been repulsed by these houses but, at the same time, they show determination. The people who built them refused to be pushed around—be it by siblings, relatives, or even the city.
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Alameda Spite House architecture Freeport Spite House Hollensbury's Spite House house McCobb Spite House Montlake Spite House O'Reilly Spite House Richardson Spite House Spite houses Structures The Boston Skinny House Tyler Spite House 2019-01-26
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