House on the Rock | 100 Wonders | Atlas Obscura

Where Dylan of Atlas Obscura tells you about his favorite places on the planet!

Credits for this episode:

[zethhichigolover]

After I went to this place, Art Museums have never been the same. Going around the maze of the Steam Room just made me realize how complex everything was here and I just wanted to stop and stare for hours at a single room filled with ideas and movement. It was like a dream world, a theme park for my eyes. I think if I went again I would find even more things!

[Cambium]

Been there; well worth the visit. It's definitely one of those places that has "something for everyone".

[sunnybubbleday]

Oh man, I thought this was just a thing from American Gods! So cool... I want to go.

[HoneyGun]

This is my favorite place to go. It really blows your mind.

[sugarsedative]

My mom told me about this place a few years ago, so we went & I have been absolutely obsessed ever since. my daughter loved it, we had such a great time. so many of the collections match my personal interests. I'm definitely going again this coming spring

[seasonofthewatchers]

Even if the story is not "real", the fact that he was an eccentric being is a story and a realm worth digging deeper into. Fascinating. I've been there several times. There definitely are other wordly energies there. It is impossible to acquire all those items, without the energy they've acquired, staying with them.

[maslabutter]

one of the greatest man made creations I've come across in all of the US.. maybe the most as far as man made.. just wow. Unforgettable in every way

[andrewbarrett]

Dear Dylan (and all YouTube users reading this):
I appreciate the great lengths to which you've gone to produce this fantastic video about the House on the Rock.

However, as an enthusiast of automatic musical instruments, and someone who has been studying the instruments at HotR in particular (and personally visited there in 2006), I can tell you straight out that NOT ALL of the instruments at the House are fake.

Many are original instruments in basically unaltered, or lightly altered (electrified if originally spring or weight driven) condition, whether currently playable or not, including:

the Regina, (three, including an upright 27" single disc model, and two disc - changing models on display in the hallways of the Music of Yesterday), Kalliope and Polyphon upright disc musical boxes on display in the halls of the Music of Yesterday, before the "Red Room";

the Aida and Eldorado cylinder piano orchestrions also in the same hallways;

the Swiss railway-station-style cylinder musical box (on display in the Streets of Yesterday in a doll exhibit);

the large house/"store" with lots of cylinder and disc musical boxes in the "little village" with the hot air balloons in the Transportation Building;

the Vincent Llarnes "Faventia" cylinder piano (also in a SoY doll exhibit);

the Wurlitzer 3534 OR Poirot cylinder organ with tambourine, saucer bells, and brass trumpets (silent on the path to the Streets of Yesterday);

the 1927 Seeburg KT orchestrion (coin-op) with modified front and glass, quite playable on the trail to the SoY;

the 1970s Aeolian orchestrion (piano, accordion, and drums) that is or was in the Pizza restaurant;

the Encore Banjo (coin-op) located in the Transportation Building near the little village;

the Mills Double Violano-Virtuoso (two violins and piano), that was located in the anteroom before the Streets of Yesterday, but which I think is currently out for restoration;

the Gebruder Bruder 80-keyless fairground organ fully restored on the floor of the Transportation Building, near the little village;

the Welte cylinder organ - orchestrion in the Doll Carousel exhibit (originally weight-driven, but now electrified and coin-op);

the 65-note push-up piano player (Simplex?), located in the "music salon" glassed in behind sliding doors on the path between the Heritage of the Sea and Transportation Buildings;

and perhaps most impressively of all, the original Hupfeld Phonoliszt-Violina model A in the same aforementioned "music salon", which is restored and NOT coin-op, but is demonstrated by a docent on request from visitors.

This latter instrument really plays three real violins and piano, and was built in the 'teens in Leipzig, Germany. You can see videos of similar ones in varying states of regulation and repair on YouTube. There are only about 50 original ones known to exist in the world (out of a couple thousand built), and most are either in museums or large private collections.

[douglaswarns]

I remember going there in the late 80's as a child. I've read they have added to it since then. To this day I still can't make complete sense out of the place. It's just such a unique experience.

[seintime]

So American Gods S2 E1 has made me aware of this fantastical place. What a beautiful secret.

[tishamanda]

WOW This is now officially on my bucket list!!!!

[Razz]

I think saying it’s ALL fake is a bold statement. What about all the little artifacts and collectibles? For instance, the coin-operated music boxes from Victorian-era railway stations. Would you suggest that every single item in the attraction is a fabrication or remake?

Edit: If you get a chance, read “Never Enough: The Creative Life of Alex Jordan.” Some of the information in this video seems to have come from that book. The author was a sculptor for Alex Jordan and knew him very well. If you want to dive into the truth behind his collections, and his mind (like I have), I highly recommend it.

[claytonccrider]

This was an amazing place to visit. It took me and my family 6 hours to complete our tour. For me the infinity room was the best.

[nbigham]

This place gives off the same energy as Meow Wolf and City Museum

[briarrose]

It's kitschy heaven! I credit this place for my eclectic love of art. This place is gawdy AND elegant.

[faragar]

I wish someone would do a good documentary about all the stuff in the House on the Rock. I really want to know the backstories behind all of the stuff there.

[diannedurantewriter]

Isn't there a riff on this in one of Neil Gaiman's books? American Gods, maybe?

[iVersional]

I went to visit it the other day with my family and I loved it. What an experience! Some things are obviously replicas, but there's a mixture of genuine collections in there too. Doesn't matter. It doesn't detract from its charm and insanity. Everyone should go visit. I'd go again even if everything were 100% fake.

[rj]

Well done! I just went to the house on the rock, but when I got there, the gates were closed, so we flew our drones over the house. It was a great view, but It would have been much cooler to actually see it in person. I just subbed your channel, cant wait to see more from you. Cheers!

[linsimpson]

The House on the Rock is great, but an even more wondrous place that's nearby is Dr. Evermor's Forevertron in North Freedom, Wisconsin. This is the real deal and I was lucky enough to meet the creator, Dr. Evermor, when I visited in 2005. Highly recommended!