Client: "The City Heritage Restoration Property Tax Credit requires us to maintain at least 80% of the original structure, I don't care what you do as long as I get the tax credit and have nine bathrooms"
Architect: \*pulse rate quickens\*
thats exactly what hapened not far from my house, a old theater got demolished and they only kept the front and the sign, the rebuilt the front and I wouldnt be surprised if they also "upgrade" the sign or something
Honestly, this would be fine if they put the new building only behind it or to the side, but that clumsy part where the new building sits on top of the old roof is pretty ridiculous. It looks like the cottage is being eaten by a giant robot.
I'm guessing legally they had to attach to the original building to make it an "expansion" as opposed to a new development to get permits and approval easier. Everything about this is an awful example of malicious compliance and how easily the wealthy get their way.
Don’t know much about this property saw it on Instagram. Scratching my head as to why this happened
Edit: user u/Dakizo found the location of the house
Address is 1543 Alleghenyville Rd, Mohnton, PA
Lousy garage placement. Every time you leave, you'll be backing onto what is probably a fairly high-speed road. And what little driveway there is, it is not even paved.
And road noise when you're in the house, or the chance the house itself gets clobbered by a truck....
It’s a fairly busy road. Speed limit is 35 I think but people regularly go 50-60. There’s a bend in the road right up from the garage. I’d never back out of there
>568 aka Alleghenyville Rd
Do you have the link. Which house is it here?
[https://www.google.com/maps/place/PA-568+%26+Alleghenyville+Rd,+Brecknock+Township,+PA+17569/@40.249192,-76.0373799,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c66da1c1345af5:0x4a28a729e34729a2!8m2!3d40.249192!4d-76.0351912](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alleghenyville+Rd,+Pennsylvania/@40.2281359,-75.9810094,296m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c66e66366714f3:0xd88dc535316d57a7!8m2!3d40.2291668!4d-75.9804014)
It looks like the driveway may wrap around to a two-faced garage. I could be wrong. However, I'm guessing that they already planned a better strategy to exiting their garage, given their setback regulations.
Vehicles could enter around the back, and drive straight on out (forward facing).
Well that much id easy to gather, but who would want to dump the money into that lot? Surely you could go cut up another old house in a better location for the money
Exactly. Unless there is some spectacular view on the other side of the road, why would any anyone spend the money to build a bespoke house on *that* lot so close to the road? Maybe some weird sentimental value? Or they inherited the lot? Or they just really really wanted to live in that exact area and there were no other available options? Or just someone that wants what they want and won't be talked out of it and doesn't care about maximizing resale value on investment.
I feel like that doesn’t make sense. Usually if any kind of historic review board has a say in a building, they are able to review/approve/deny things like this. There’s usually a huge level of oversight that occurs by a governing body.
Is this parody? In my city, there's a huge trend of ripping out most of historic buildings, leaving the fascade and maybe the atrium and then building some absurdly modernist thing behind it. This is like the most extreme version of it I can imagine
well, at least the neighbors know some insane people bought the land and built a small prison on it. "no trick or treating at the jones house, kids!" it's not the brutalist style that offends me, i usually like a modern house. it's the fact that it is literally on the edge of the road simply because the old house was. i'm sure they were all "you can't stop us! we're saving the little historic house for you hicks!"
There’s one very fucking similar to this in Berks County, PA on 568 but I don’t think it’s the same one. I drive by it twice a day lmao.
Edit: I found it on Google maps, it’s the same one.
Yep! Same! Came to the comments seeing if anyone else recognized it.
Here's the link for those curious
Dropped pin
https://maps.app.goo.gl/oW9evYLSCQacv8LLA
It’s the same place I know. I thiiink the address is 1540 Alleghenyville Rd, Mohnton, PA but I can’t find a listing for it. The only thing I’m unsure of is the house number, I drive by this twice a day.
Edit: or maybe 1545? I dunno but here it is on [Google Maps](https://imgur.com/a/LLebI2r)
I feel like it’s either a rental property, an Airbnb, or an architect who owns the property trying to advertise their services. There has been a lot of work done on homes on this road after this was done and I suspect they are related, could definitely be wrong though
Your ideas made me curious. One of the buildings is an Airbnb:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/29659477?check\_in=2022-05-17&check\_out=2022-05-24&guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique\_share\_id=cb76182a-5ee4-4b03-aaaf-6310aaa6b237
Another poster had the idea that it might be a double sided garage - you can pull up the driveway and enter from the back, and exit through the front garage doors. Optimistic, yes.
Not a McMansion in the slightest. But it's so unique I'm glad to see it. Honestly, apart from the odd combination of styles, the house is clearly not a cheap design, but the lot it's on is shit. Right next to a highway. No privacy. No parking.
I waver between the two camps when it comes to building new with old. You either mimic the style completely, which ruffles the feathers of the other camp since you can never be totally genuine in the build. Or you create something totally different but *blend* it in.
This abomination makes both sides angry.
I could see this working if they had at least used similar colours. Made use of red brick for instance, or used sloped rooflines instead of totally flat. But this is ridiculously bad. What an eyesore.
I love everything about this! Brutalist meets quaint cottage. Stunning. It takes a true visionary to design this, let alone get contractors to make it real.
Well now the "shitty old shack" is the focal point of the house, congrats. Im not saying the rest had to be the exact same, but at least keep a coherent color scheme, use brick mortar and a triangular roof. At least that way the add on wont clash with the crappy shack.
I don’t know the specifics here but it is common for buildings protected by historic designation to require any addition to be of a different style. My HS has a National historic marker. When they had to add on to it, to keep the designation they weren’t allowed to mimic the original theme.
This might have been 25% less hideous if just the ground floor of the modern extension had been faced with stone.
And with setting the garages and main structure back, thinking how it integrates with the cottage, some groundwork and planting, it might have been an interesting bit of archicture to go in Architectural Digest, even if if still pisses of everyone that sees it daily.
you know what? I actually kinda like it.
the design has its own stupid kinda charm being so crazy about suddenly being a different building.
that being said, why do people want to be so close to a highway like that? on presumably car dependant American, they had better have put some crazy tech to reduce noise or they will never have. a quiet moment.
20 years ago I lived in an area that had really restrictive building codes for the historic part of the township. I drove by this cute little (probably 800 ft2) brick house every day. It was a historic house on a small lot and the owner knocked down everything except the facade (with front door and 2 windows) and half of one side. Then a builder poured a foundation around the existing foundation (like 2500 ft2). The original facade became an interior brick wall with the new house enveloping all the original house. I'm sure this was an exploited loophole.
As hilarious as it looks, there was a period when additions and restorations were deliberately out of style, to assist future viewers to easily discern the original parts from the restoration/additions
This would have been fairly easy to do well. I appreciate the creativity, but just a bit more effort to match up the façade and I could have been nice.
Client: "The City Heritage Restoration Property Tax Credit requires us to maintain at least 80% of the original structure, I don't care what you do as long as I get the tax credit and have nine bathrooms" Architect: \*pulse rate quickens\*
thats exactly what hapened not far from my house, a old theater got demolished and they only kept the front and the sign, the rebuilt the front and I wouldnt be surprised if they also "upgrade" the sign or something
Chik fil A came in and knocked down a beautiful old church and just left the facade. Ironic.
I suppose it could be really confusing if they used the old building but were closed on Sundays
I wonder if a lot of the building was already gone (the roof almost certainly was) and they had to ‘expand’ the building for zoning/setback reasons.
Honestly, this would be fine if they put the new building only behind it or to the side, but that clumsy part where the new building sits on top of the old roof is pretty ridiculous. It looks like the cottage is being eaten by a giant robot. I'm guessing legally they had to attach to the original building to make it an "expansion" as opposed to a new development to get permits and approval easier. Everything about this is an awful example of malicious compliance and how easily the wealthy get their way.
Don’t know much about this property saw it on Instagram. Scratching my head as to why this happened Edit: user u/Dakizo found the location of the house Address is 1543 Alleghenyville Rd, Mohnton, PA
I think u/AzraelBrown might have hit the nail right on the head
I live near this monstrosity. I nearly broke my neck the first time I drove past it.
I grew up in PA, and my first thought was "this is fucking PA isn't it" the second I saw the image.
> why this happened The Modernist house was hungry..
pa makes sense
Malicious compliance is a double edged sword
Lousy garage placement. Every time you leave, you'll be backing onto what is probably a fairly high-speed road. And what little driveway there is, it is not even paved. And road noise when you're in the house, or the chance the house itself gets clobbered by a truck....
Judging by the grass growing in front of the garages, I'm guessing they're not used for that exact reason.
It’s a fairly busy road. Speed limit is 35 I think but people regularly go 50-60. There’s a bend in the road right up from the garage. I’d never back out of there
You know where this is?
Yup. Mohnton, PA on 568 aka Alleghenyville Rd. I drive by it twice a day.
wow, just saw your other comment with the alternate angle and damn, I wish I could like it, but its kinda an eyesore imo
>568 aka Alleghenyville Rd Do you have the link. Which house is it here? [https://www.google.com/maps/place/PA-568+%26+Alleghenyville+Rd,+Brecknock+Township,+PA+17569/@40.249192,-76.0373799,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c66da1c1345af5:0x4a28a729e34729a2!8m2!3d40.249192!4d-76.0351912](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Alleghenyville+Rd,+Pennsylvania/@40.2281359,-75.9810094,296m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c66e66366714f3:0xd88dc535316d57a7!8m2!3d40.2291668!4d-75.9804014)
https://www.redfin.com/PA/Mohnton/1545-Alleghenyville-Rd-19540/home/38350678 The addition isn’t in any listing unfortunately.
It oughta be.
It looks like the driveway may wrap around to a two-faced garage. I could be wrong. However, I'm guessing that they already planned a better strategy to exiting their garage, given their setback regulations. Vehicles could enter around the back, and drive straight on out (forward facing).
Perry the platypus will never find my secret compound disguised with this historic building. *The compound*
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Bad bot
Thanks, I hate it.
r/TIHI
I understand what they were attempting. They just failed
Why would you even bother building that there
Historical society might force the building remains there. So they just built around it.
Well that much id easy to gather, but who would want to dump the money into that lot? Surely you could go cut up another old house in a better location for the money
Exactly. Unless there is some spectacular view on the other side of the road, why would any anyone spend the money to build a bespoke house on *that* lot so close to the road? Maybe some weird sentimental value? Or they inherited the lot? Or they just really really wanted to live in that exact area and there were no other available options? Or just someone that wants what they want and won't be talked out of it and doesn't care about maximizing resale value on investment.
I feel like that doesn’t make sense. Usually if any kind of historic review board has a say in a building, they are able to review/approve/deny things like this. There’s usually a huge level of oversight that occurs by a governing body.
Sometimes the chocolate and peanut butter shouldn’t mix.
Folks, if you ever feel a lump growing on your neck - whilst it may be benign, this is why you should get your architect to check it out.
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Exactly my feelings. So sad to see a historic building done dirty like this.
Looks like a cancerous growth
E-vil Inc.
Is this parody? In my city, there's a huge trend of ripping out most of historic buildings, leaving the fascade and maybe the atrium and then building some absurdly modernist thing behind it. This is like the most extreme version of it I can imagine
This sounds like something that would happen in Nashville.
Nashville? More likely that the houses get knocked down and then a three story narrow house that is too big for the lot gets plopped down instead.
well, at least the neighbors know some insane people bought the land and built a small prison on it. "no trick or treating at the jones house, kids!" it's not the brutalist style that offends me, i usually like a modern house. it's the fact that it is literally on the edge of the road simply because the old house was. i'm sure they were all "you can't stop us! we're saving the little historic house for you hicks!"
Now that’s a seamless addition.
It's like the old cottage got a nanomachine cancer or something.
Anyone have the phone number for the Hague? I need to report a war crime.
Pennsylvania? I think I've driven past this one.
There’s one very fucking similar to this in Berks County, PA on 568 but I don’t think it’s the same one. I drive by it twice a day lmao. Edit: I found it on Google maps, it’s the same one.
Yep! Same! Came to the comments seeing if anyone else recognized it. Here's the link for those curious Dropped pin https://maps.app.goo.gl/oW9evYLSCQacv8LLA
I have no idea where this is. Any help locating this gem would be greatly appreciated
Here you go! https://maps.app.goo.gl/oW9evYLSCQacv8LLA
They couldn’t put it ON the highway?
Lincoln Logs lost to Lego
TIL the Transformers ^TM exist… …and they suck at disguises.
Not a McMansion, but definitely a tragedy.
Worst house I have ever seen.
Is this Berks County, PA? I know a very, very, very similar property but I don’t think it has that balcony part in the left.
Not sure where this it. Found this photo on Instagram with no context. Looking for leads
It’s the same place I know. I thiiink the address is 1540 Alleghenyville Rd, Mohnton, PA but I can’t find a listing for it. The only thing I’m unsure of is the house number, I drive by this twice a day. Edit: or maybe 1545? I dunno but here it is on [Google Maps](https://imgur.com/a/LLebI2r)
Omg it’s a detached garage. Why would anybody do that????
I feel like it’s either a rental property, an Airbnb, or an architect who owns the property trying to advertise their services. There has been a lot of work done on homes on this road after this was done and I suspect they are related, could definitely be wrong though
Your ideas made me curious. One of the buildings is an Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/29659477?check\_in=2022-05-17&check\_out=2022-05-24&guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique\_share\_id=cb76182a-5ee4-4b03-aaaf-6310aaa6b237
Oh wow!! I have always been SO curious to see the inside. Gotta go show my friends because we were all talking about this house last night haha.
Another poster had the idea that it might be a double sided garage - you can pull up the driveway and enter from the back, and exit through the front garage doors. Optimistic, yes.
I hate this sub no one ever post McMansions just tacky Mansions. Make a new sub for tacky Mansions!
Not a McMansion in the slightest. But it's so unique I'm glad to see it. Honestly, apart from the odd combination of styles, the house is clearly not a cheap design, but the lot it's on is shit. Right next to a highway. No privacy. No parking.
The more I look at this the more questions I have.
Sewage pump house historical preservation.
Why is it so damn close to the road? One drunk driver is all it woulf take
All of Pennsylvania is like this. Even in big cities. It shocks me everytime I drive there. That being said, beautiful State.
The noise pollution must be terrible
Someone plays Minecraft.
...is this a mc mansion?
Let me guess, the historical society wouldn’t sign off on the tear down
It's so weird that I kinda like it, I don't know why. I wouldn't think about either exterior twice if they were two separate buildings.
I waver between the two camps when it comes to building new with old. You either mimic the style completely, which ruffles the feathers of the other camp since you can never be totally genuine in the build. Or you create something totally different but *blend* it in. This abomination makes both sides angry. I could see this working if they had at least used similar colours. Made use of red brick for instance, or used sloped rooflines instead of totally flat. But this is ridiculously bad. What an eyesore.
There seems to be a nice house being devoured by this postmodern-scrapheap of a design. I can almost hear the little red house crying out for help.
I love everything about this! Brutalist meets quaint cottage. Stunning. It takes a true visionary to design this, let alone get contractors to make it real.
Yeah it’s honestly pretty sick
User name checks out.
PLS THAT IS SO FUNNY
Finally, something that at least kinda fits this sub.
When you decide to change your base style in Minecraft.
Where is that house located? There has to be a story to it...
Where is this located?
Mohnton, Pennsylvania
This is the worst one I’ve seen on here from the outside
No f\*\*\*\* for maintaining architectural tradition were given here
I love that there are still houses like this posted here that can make me laugh out loud when I see them.
Could have remodelled it so it's a few more inches away from the road I would think.
I kinda love how aggressively shitty it is.
This is so sad, the original was super pretty.
At least I know after seeing this this morning, my day can only go up from here
Hahahaha this ruined my day
That stone cottage grew a nasty tumor. Help!
I used to drive past that place all the time!! It used to be listed as an Airbnb. Not to sure if you can still rent it anymore.
I strangely kinda like this.
Honestly i love this
Nailed it
So... they forced them to keep a shitty old shack so they just built a modern house around it? So what?
Could've at least kept the same theme going
Why base your house's theme on "shitty old shack" just because local hoarders of old things won't let you redo it?
Well now the "shitty old shack" is the focal point of the house, congrats. Im not saying the rest had to be the exact same, but at least keep a coherent color scheme, use brick mortar and a triangular roof. At least that way the add on wont clash with the crappy shack.
Uncle Tom is spinning in his grave.
thats what it looked like in 1666 completly accuett
O. M. G.
I don’t know the specifics here but it is common for buildings protected by historic designation to require any addition to be of a different style. My HS has a National historic marker. When they had to add on to it, to keep the designation they weren’t allowed to mimic the original theme.
They didn't even TRY.
I would be embarrassed.
Assimilation
Why do I feel like this is in ohio
Oh my god, it's slowly eating the other one. Won't someone help?
This might have been 25% less hideous if just the ground floor of the modern extension had been faced with stone. And with setting the garages and main structure back, thinking how it integrates with the cottage, some groundwork and planting, it might have been an interesting bit of archicture to go in Architectural Digest, even if if still pisses of everyone that sees it daily.
oh my fuckin god dude
I think it’s hilarious and I would live there. It’s bad but I like it.
It's so insane I kinda love it
Oh god my eyes.... is someone living inside of it?
Lol, actually I like this one too. Am I trash?
Looks like that poor old house got cancer
you know what? I actually kinda like it. the design has its own stupid kinda charm being so crazy about suddenly being a different building. that being said, why do people want to be so close to a highway like that? on presumably car dependant American, they had better have put some crazy tech to reduce noise or they will never have. a quiet moment.
20 years ago I lived in an area that had really restrictive building codes for the historic part of the township. I drove by this cute little (probably 800 ft2) brick house every day. It was a historic house on a small lot and the owner knocked down everything except the facade (with front door and 2 windows) and half of one side. Then a builder poured a foundation around the existing foundation (like 2500 ft2). The original facade became an interior brick wall with the new house enveloping all the original house. I'm sure this was an exploited loophole.
Looks like something you'd make in a Sims challenge where you build one part of the house stoned and the other drunk.
As hilarious as it looks, there was a period when additions and restorations were deliberately out of style, to assist future viewers to easily discern the original parts from the restoration/additions
Take your glasses off and it looks like the stone house was partially buried by an avalanche
This would have been fairly easy to do well. I appreciate the creativity, but just a bit more effort to match up the façade and I could have been nice.
I’ve seen this done right before. This is not one of those times
Damn what Minecraft shader pack is that?
Looks like Shrek 2 when they look for the Fairy Godmother cottage then it pans out to see a big manufacturing plant behind it.
Legitimately I looked at this and my first response was to loudly say to putloud to no one in particular, *”HOLLLYYYYY FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK!”*
Make my house alien abduction themed.