House on the Rock facts for kids
The House on the Rock is a popular place to visit located between the towns of Dodgeville and Spring Green, Wisconsin. It first opened in 1959. It's a huge collection of unique rooms, streets, gardens, and shops. Everything was designed by Alex Jordan Jr..
Quick facts for kids House on the Rock |
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Modernism |
| Town or city | Iowa County, Wisconsin |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 43°06′00″N 90°08′10″W / 43.10000°N 90.13611°W |
| Construction started | 1945 |
| Completed | 1959 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Alex Jordan Jr. |
How the House on the Rock Began
Stories say that the idea for the House on the Rock came from a meeting between Alex Jordan Jr. and the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This meeting supposedly happened a long time ago, between 1914 and 1923.
A Story of Inspiration
According to one story, Alex Jordan Sr. (Alex Jordan Jr.'s father) wanted to show Wright his building plans. But Wright was very critical. He told Jordan Sr. that he wasn't good enough to design even a simple building. This made Jordan Sr. very angry. On the way home, he pointed to a tall rock spire. He told his friend, "I'm going to build a Japanese house on one of those rocks and advertise it!"
Wright supposedly didn't forget this. He even complained to local officials about the house the Jordans were building. He also bought land nearby, perhaps to get back at Jordan.
Doubts About the Story
However, there are reasons to doubt this story:
- The building mentioned, Villa Maria, was designed by another architect, Frank Riley, not Alex Jordan Sr.
- Both Alex Jordan Jr. and his friend would have been very young (under nine years old) when this meeting supposedly happened. Frank Lloyd Wright would have been over 50.
- Wright was working in Japan from 1916 to 1922. It's unlikely he was in Spring Green during that time.
Another book about Alex Jordan also questions this story. It points out that the first agreement for the land was made much later, in 1953. The House on the Rock didn't even open to the public until 1960.
Exploring the House and Its Wonders
The main "house" sits on top of a large rock called Deer Shelter Rock. This rock is about 60 by 70 feet (18 by 21 meters) wide and 200 feet (61 meters) long on top. Over many years, more buildings and additions were made to the original structure.
Amazing Collections and Exhibits
Today, the complex has many exciting areas:
- The Streets of Yesterday: This area looks like an old American town from the early 1900s.
- The Heritage of the Sea: Here you'll find nautical (sea-related) exhibits. There's even a huge 200-foot (61-meter) model of a whale-like sea creature!
- The Music of Yesterday: This is a giant collection of automatic music machines.
- The World's Largest Indoor Carousel: This carousel is truly unique! It has 269 carousel animals, but no horses. It also features 182 chandeliers and over 20,000 lights. Hundreds of mannequin angels hang from the ceiling.
During winter, the House on the Rock gets a Christmas theme. It's decorated with many lights and a large collection of Santa Claus figures. Even some of the bathrooms are decorated with unusual items like mannequins and preserved animals.
The Architect's Vision
The first buildings, like the House on the Rock itself, the Gate House, and the Mill House, remind some people of the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. These early parts have exposed stone, low ceilings, dark wood, and old antiques.
Alex Jordan sold the house in 1988. The new owners continued to add to the collections. They brought in more unique items and created new exhibits. The "Spirit of Aviation" is a recent addition, featuring large model airplanes in a themed room. Another area, the "Transportation Building," is still being built, but visitors can walk through and see the progress.
A reporter named Marv Balousek wrote a book about the House of Alex. He said that Alex Jordan Jr. hired people from the city to help blast the rock and build. Balousek also mentioned that Jordan Jr. sometimes destroyed payment records. This was to make it seem like he had built the house all by himself.
A Visitor's Perspective
In 1993, author Jane Smiley wrote about the House on the Rock. She said that even though many people outside the Midwest haven't heard of it, it attracts more visitors than almost any other place in Wisconsin. She described the builder, Alex Jordan Jr., as very unique and focused, much like Frank Lloyd Wright, but in a completely different way.
Smiley also noted how overwhelming the House on the Rock can be because of the huge number of objects. She felt that the collections seemed a bit messy and not organized like a typical museum. She said it was hard to learn about the objects because there were no informative cards, and it was often dark. She saw Alex Jordan as someone who loved collecting things, almost like a boy who never grew out of his childhood desires.
The Truth About the Collections
Some of the old-looking items at the House on the Rock are real antiques. But many are not what they seem! You could call them fakes, copies, or imaginative new creations made to look old.
Real or Made-Up?
The House on the Rock's official biography says that it's part of the fun to guess what's real and what's made up. Many items were actually built by Jordan and his team. One of Jordan's helpers, Bob Searles, said, "We were creating entertainment. We were not making a historically accurate representation." He added that they could make any antiques they wanted, and it was fun.
For example, the "Phelps Car" in the Streets of Yesterday was made by Bob Searles using an old carriage and motorcycle parts. Searles said, "It was just one guy's great big sandbox, where he kept building stuff." Sometimes Jordan bought real antiques, but he often preferred good copies that cost less. A supplier even said Jordan might pay more for a good copy just to trick people.
Changes Over Time
In 1978, a former employee complained that the House was making false claims about its collections. For example, the "Tiffany" lamps were actually made by another company. The "Tusk of Ranchipoor" was a made-up name. Jordan was told to stop making false claims. The brochures were changed, and misleading signs were removed. However, the exhibits kept their colorful names, letting visitors imagine what they wished.
Even the room-sized displays of musical instruments are partly an illusion. Some instruments play, but others, like the strings and woodwinds, don't. Their sound actually comes from organ pipes, while the moving instruments just trick visitors.
Today, the House on the Rock is more open about the nature of its exhibits. For example, their website now says, "All the armor featured in this elaborate collection was made for The House on the Rock." This wasn't always the case. Before 1978, brochures claimed that the lamps were authentic Tiffany lamps and that other items were genuine historical pieces.
Timeline of the House on the Rock
- Around 1920: Alex Jordan Sr. supposedly promised to build a "Japanese house on one of those pinnacle rocks" to get back at Frank Lloyd Wright. The House on the Rock website says this story was made up by Jordan's friend to promote the house.
- Around 1945: Alex Jordan Jr. started blasting the rock to create a flat area for building. He didn't get formal permission from the landowner at first. The first structure was a simple "tent" or "picnic place with a tarpaper roof."
- 1952: An electric lift was installed to help with construction.
- 1959: On Labor Day, Jordan put up a stone marker and officially opened the house to visitors who paid to enter.
- 1961: The "Gate House" was built.
- 1962: Wisconsin Trails magazine published a long article about the house. This made the house a serious tourist attraction and brought it regional attention. The state also did its first official inspection.
- 1968: The "Mill House" opened. It had a very large fireplace and was the first room to show off Jordan's collections of interesting items, including dolls, guns, and mechanical musical instruments.
- 1971: "The Streets of Yesterday" opened, inspired by similar exhibits.
- 1974: "The Music of Yesterday" opened.
- 1978: "The Red Room" opened.
- 1981: The "Organ Room," Carousel Building, and "World's Largest Carousel" opened on Easter weekend.
- 1985: The "Infinity Room" was built.
- 1990: "The Heritage of the Sea" opened.
- 1991: "The Octopus' Garden" was added to the Heritage of the Sea. "The Blue Danube" exhibit also debuted, along with the House On The Rock Carriage Collection.
- 2008: Two new buildings were constructed: the Welcome Center and the Alex Jordan Jr. Center. The Alex Jordan Jr. Center is a museum about Mr. Jordan's life and how the complex was built.
The House in Pop Culture
The House on the Rock has inspired many authors and musicians.
- Author Neil Gaiman used it as an important part of his 2001 novel American Gods. It also appeared in the 2017 television series based on the book.
- The 2017 film American Fable shows parts of the house, including the carousel and Infinity Room, in a dream scene.
- The 1997 music video for "More Than This" by 10,000 Maniacs was filmed at the House.
There's also a nearby resort called the House on the Rock Resort. It's connected to the House on the Rock campus. During the 2004 United States presidential election, presidential candidate John Kerry rented a large part of the resort to prepare for his debates.
Images for kids
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Automated musical instruments, operated by inserting tokens. Some instruments play, while others are synthesized.
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The Infinity Room sticks out 218 feet (66 meters) from the House on the Rock without any supports underneath. It has over 3000 windows.
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The House on the Rock Carousel
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Heritage of the Sea exhibit at House on the Rock
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Red Room exhibit at House on the Rock
