Skinny House (Long Beach) facts for kids
The Skinny House in Long Beach, California, is a very famous and unusual home. It's located at 708 Gladys Avenue in the Rose Park neighborhood. This narrow, three-story house is so thin that it has been recognized by both the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley's Believe It or Not as the skinniest house in the entire country!
Building the Skinny House
This unique yellow house was built in 1932 by a man named Newton P. Rummonds. He got the land for the house as a payment for a $100 loan he had given someone a year before. The piece of land was only 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and 50 feet (15 m) long.
Mr. Rummonds built the 860-square-foot (80 m2) house after someone challenged him. They bet he couldn't build a proper home on such a small piece of land. He proved them wrong by creating this amazing, livable house!
A Landmark in Long Beach
In 1959, people noticed that the house had tilted a little bit to the north. It was leaning about 4 inches (100 mm). Workers then straightened the house to make it stand perfectly upright again.
The Skinny House is very important to the city of Long Beach. In 1983, it was officially named a registered city landmark. This means it's a special place that the city wants to protect and remember for its history and unique design.
Famous Visitors and Residents
From 1977 to 1981, a lawyer named William John Cox had his office in the Skinny House. He worked on many important legal cases from this very unusual building. The house also appeared on a TV show called The Early Show, sharing its unique story with a wider audience.
See also
- List of City of Long Beach Historic Landmarks
