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Weidner said once the building is finished, he may open up the outside for visitors to come and see. Situated in the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska, the fantastical house is what most of us would describe as something we’ve seen in a Dr. Seuss book. Unlike anything Dr. Seuss wrote about, however, this “house is real, it’s not a fantasy” says Phillip Weidner, creator, builder, and owner of the towering home, which stands 185 feet high.
Alaska's Dr. Seuss House is a whimsical tower made of stacked cabins
Phil plans to live in the ground level of Goose Creek Tower, at least part time, once it is completed, and also make it available to visitors. It sat abandoned for almost the same amount of time until a new owner came along and started to work on it. The house is not complete and is on private property that is monitored.
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The Remarkably Rare Story Of Alaska’s Whimsical Goose Creek Tower
In Willow, Alaska, a now-abandoned 12-story house sits mysteriously in the middle of the wilderness outside of Anchorage. The towering wooden structure resembles a stack of houses, each smaller than the next as it climbs toward the sky. The quirky tower is as weird and wonderful as Dr. Seuss’ unbuilt works, and the townspeople have named it Dr. Seuss House. It is on private property, but you see it by driving by or taking a helicopter tour. As the story goes, the owner originally built the home to get a good view of Denali (Mt. McKinley), American's tallest mountain. But he built right after a forest fire, so all of the trees were small.
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The result is a 12-story tower that looks like a bunch of mini homes teetering on top of each other, a truly amazing sight in an otherwise uninhabited area. The reason you can see all the mountains across the Inlet is because of their height. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. We'll match you with a local itinerary expert to help you plan your trip.
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Just how did this eclectic MIT alumni and self-described “frustrated architect” construct this private home as a series of stacked houses placed one on top of another? The higher the house reached, the smaller the floors become… and the more they looked as though they are randomly and haphazardly placed one atop of another. The previous owner spent a decade adding floors, but when he died abruptly, the tower was abandoned for 10 years. Renovations were then taken over a by a new occupant to add more stories, and the sky-piercing structure now comprises 12 floors that gradually taper in square footage. The Alaskan wilderness is home to many natural wonders but also an unusual man-made structure that appears to have jumped right out of the pages of a Dr. Seuss book.
Dr. Seuss House aka The Goose Creek Tower
Meg has worked in writing, editing, and media-related fields for over 10 years and joined the team at OnlyInYourState in 2015. When she’s not writing or exploring the West Coast, Meg enjoys playing tabletop games, working on visual media projects, and can always be found in the front row at Portland Timbers matches. In fact, not much at all was known about the house—not even the owner—until reporters from local station KTVA started looking into it. In an odd turn of architectural fate, the Geisel Library at San Diego State University by William Pereirais named for Dr. Seuss.
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As the trees grew taller, he would add another level to see the mountain. As the story goes, the owner originally built the home to get a good view of Denali(Mt. McKinley), American’s tallest mountain. Near the small town of Telkeetna, Alaska, there is a house unlike any other. The 360-degree views of the surrounding wilderness can be observed for up to 300 miles. Weidner had hoped that when the house construction was finished, the family would be able to enjoy the tower. Weidner also planned to sit on top and watch the Northern Lights.
The TRUE Story Behind Alaska's Legendary 'Dr. Seuss House'
As time progressed, his view was impeded, and he would build another level, eventually ending with the building you see here. Weidner did originally only plan on building a two-story log cabin, then he let his mind (and engineering degree) take over. Depending on how you look at it, and which ladders and staircases you climb to get to the top, there are somewhere between 14 and 17 floors.
The house has a 185-foot-tall skinny tower that resembles layers atop of a wedding cake. You'd think the story behind this one-of-a-kind home would be a tall tale (har har), but it's actually not a figment of anyone's imagination. According to Colossal, the first owner of this Seussian cabin in Willow, Alaska, wanted to build a home with a view of Mount McKinley and Denali National Park.
Although the major construction is finished, including electrical and plumbing, he plans to work on the interiors for the next couple of years. The eccentric owner has promised that the tower will be open to the public again once it’s ready, but requests that people stay away for now. “It’s a construction zone and it’s just too dangerous,” he explained. Goose Creek Tower was built in the late 90’s, but after its completion, Weirdner decided to take some time away from the project, so the house was virtually abandoned and empty. During this period, it was visited by thousands of Dr. Seuss fans who were eager to look inside and take pictures of themselves standing next to it.
But if you take a ride on the Alaskan railroad through Talkeetna you’ll get an amazing view. You can also see it briefly from the highway but it is gone in a second, so be on the lookout. The house remains an oddity that visitors to the small town can view from the road, but it is no longer open for explorers. As Weidner is one of the top trial lawyers in Alaska, he has a hard time finding time to work on it. He says though, when he is done, he and his family will enjoy the tower. The stories you’ve heard are bizarre, far-fetched, and have become almost legendary over the past decade… but they are all are wrong.
But as the surrounding area recovered from a forest fire, the trees grew tall, and the only way to preserve the view was to go up. The top of the tower offers 360-degree views and Weidner — who works as one of Alaska’s top trial attorneys — says it’s possible to see for a minimum of 300 miles. Last year, Weidner announced he was once again working on his Dr. Seuss House.
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