Imagine this: a brand-new mall is gonna be built right where your house is standing,
and you've been offered a generous sum of money to relocate.
Would you do it?
Well, if you’re anything like these property owners, that’d be a big fat “Nah, I’m
good, thanks!”
#1.
“Road block” (Luoyang, China) Honestly, China has so many little houses
like this that it’s hard to choose which one is the most bizarre-looking.
In fact, they’re called “nail houses” because they stick out like a nail that just
can’t be hammered down.
This crumbling 3-story home is an example of one, and it’s the very last building
in the whole area.
But the most incredible thing is that this house is sitting right in the middle of a
new road being built!
The story goes that the homeowner didn't like the compensation plan he’d been offered
in exchange for relocating.
The strong-willed man refused to budge and held out to get more money from city authorities.
I just hope drivers will be careful at night!
#2.
“Stuck in the middle with you!”
(Guangzhou, China) These 2 residential buildings were supposed
to be demolished because the city needed space to construct a much-needed bridge in the area.
It was gonna connect a freeway with a recently opened underground tunnel.
Most of the buildings’ inhabitants took the relocation money and moved out.
However, 3 families downright refused to leave their homes.
The construction company had no other choice but to build a massive bypass around the 2
properties.
The remaining families were even promised a noise barrier to block out the sound of
traffic.
But if any of them decide to move out, they’ll still get the money to relocate.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!
#3.
Strong-willed Edith Macefield (Seattle, Washington) In 2005, the Ballard area of Seattle experienced
unprecedented growth.
Apartment buildings, condominiums, and shopping malls were popping up left and right.
That was when developers offered a woman $750,000 for her house, which was only worth about
$120,000.
But they were ready to pay such a hefty price because they wanted to build a mall exactly
on the block where the quaint 2-story home stood.
The homeowner, Edith Macefield, had been living there for the past 50 years and wasn't about
to vacate her home.
So, believe it or not, she turned the money down!
But the developers weren’t gonna give up so easily.
They decided to build the mall anyway so that it surrounded her house on 3 sides.
Also, the project design allowed the shopping mall to incorporate the house if Macefield
chose to move out.
In the end, they offered her $1 million to pack up and leave.
They even found her a different but similar-looking house in another district and offered to pay
for the elderly woman’s health-care services.
Yet again, she politely declined.
Macefield wasn't against the idea of a shopping mall being built where her property stood
– she just didn’t wanna leave her home!
Other than that, she was happy to have company.
The woman even became good friends with the head of the project’s construction team,
Barry Martin.
The man often visited her, took her to different appointments, and even did some shopping for
her!
When Edith Macefield passed away in 2008, Martin inherited her house.
And, yes, it is still standing to this day!
Aww…
#4.
Your own personal moat!
(Chongqing, China) This home in Chongqing is one of the most
famous nail houses in China.
In 2004, the 280 families living in the area were asked to relocate due to the construction
of a new shopping mall (hey, there’s a familiar story!).
And, as usual, the developers offered a hefty compensation of 18,000 yuan (which is about
$2,700) for 11 square feet.
But this wasn’t enough for Wu Ping and Yang Wu, the owners of the 2-story brick house.
Perhaps it was because they’d put so much work into the place, renovating what was once
a wooden construction that had been passed down from generation to generation.
I mean, the place did have history.
At first, it was a general store that they later turned into a restaurant.
In any case, while all their neighbors were packing up, the couple stayed put.
Once the area was dug up for construction, their house ended up towering over 55 feet
off the surrounding ground!
Since the homeowners wouldn’t follow a court order to move out, the city cut off their
water supply and electricity.
Yet the couple still wouldn’t budge!
While Yang Wu stayed in the house, his wife Wu Ping brought him water, food, warm clothes,
and blankets.
She tied the supplies to a rope, and Yang Wu pulled them up into his personal fortress.
But in 2007, the couple finally gave in and moved to a similar-sized apartment in downtown
Chongqing.
But, hey, it was a good effort!
#5.
The "Million Dollar Corner" Any New Yorker is familiar with the massive
red shopping bag near Macy's Herald Square.
But very few people know that this billboard actually hides a separate building that isn't
connected to Macy's, and it’s got its own interesting story behind it…
In the 1890s, Macy's relocated to Broadway and 34th Street.
The department store’s management also had secret plans to expand.
That's why the storeowner made a verbal agreement with Alfred Duane Pell, according to which
Macy's was to get a roughly 1,155-square-foot corner for $250,000.
However, Siegel-Cooper Dry Goods Store learned about the potential purchase, and offered
Pell $375,000 for the plot.
Of course, the property owner couldn’t turn down the bigger deal, right?
So, it was sold! Siegel wanted to construct a 12-story women's
clothing store in that spot.
Unfortunately, it was impossible to put such a tall building on a plot that small.
So, Siegel offered to give it to Macy's in exchange for their old location at 6th Avenue
and 14th Street.
Macy’s, however, refused the offer and went ahead and built their 2.2-million-square-foot
store around the property.
In 1903, a new 5-story building replaced the previous one.
And in 1911, Siegel sold the land for the highest price that had ever been paid for
a plot: a whopping 1 million bucks!
That’s $868 a square foot!
Talk about location, location, location!
People having to leave their homes because of development is a pretty unfortunate situation.
So, let’s take a look at 2 incredible (and still very unique!) houses whose owners didn’t
have to leave at all…
The Drina River House Not far from Bajina Bašta in Serbia, you
can find a cute little house perched on a rock right in the middle of the Drina River.
The story goes that in 1968, some teens fell in love with the rock because it was a great
spot to sunbathe and swim.
The next year, the 17-year-old boys built a small house on the rock that later became
their weekend getaway.
To construct this thing, they transported the building materials by boat and kayak.
As for larger pieces, they just dropped them into the water and pulled them out onto the
rock further down the river.
Nowadays, the house has become an incredibly popular tourist destination.
But what you see today isn't the original house built in 1969.
The fast and unpredictable flow of the Drina River has already washed away 6 of them!
But every time, a new even sturdier construction was built to replace the previous one that
had been claimed by the river.
The Keret House Hey, are you claustrophobic?
Then don’t ever consider buying the skinniest house in the world!
It's nestled between 2 buildings in the center of Warsaw, Poland.
The house is just 3 feet wide at its most narrow point and 5 feet at the widest.
The house’s iron frame supports two floors.
And like any typical home, the Keret House has a kitchen, a bathroom, a living room,
and a bedroom!
The neighboring building supplies the skinny little abode with electricity.
And its custom sewage and water technology allows the system to function independently
from those services provided by the city.
In fact, the house is so narrow that under Polish law, it has to be considered an art
installation rather than a real house!
Have you ever seen any unusual-looking houses or buildings?
Share your own personal experiences in the comments below!
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