spite house

A spite house is a building constructed or substantially modified to irritate neighbors or any party with land stakes. Because long-term occupation is not the primary purpose of these houses, they frequently sport strange and impractical structures.

Purpose

Spite houses may deliberately obstruct light or block access to neighboring buildings, or might be flagrant symbols of defiance. Although, in the US, homeowners generally have no right to views, light, or air, neighbors can sue for a negative easement. In instances regarding a spite build, courts are far more likely to side with the neighboring parties which may have been affected by that build. For example, the Coty v. Ramsey Associates, Inc. case of 1988 ruled that the defendant's spite farm constituted a nuisance, granting the neighboring landowner a negative easement.

Spite houses, as well as spite farms, are considerably rarer than spite fences. This is partially attributable to the fact that modern building codes often prevent the construction of houses likely to impinge on neighbors' views or privacy, but mostly because fence construction is far cheaper, quicker, and easier than home construction. There are also similar structures known as spite walls or blinder walls.

Construction of spite houses or spite fences is considered illegal in those countries which follow the civil law. It is considered as abuse of rights, and in some countries, like Finland, it is explicitly prohibited by law.

Examples

Old Spite House, Marblehead, MA

In 1716, Thomas Wood, a sailmaker, built a house in Marblehead, Massachusetts, that subsequently became known as the Old Spite House. One possibility is that it was inhabited by two brothers who occupied different sections, would not speak to each other, and refused to sell to the other. Another explanation is that the house, just tall enough to block the view of two other houses on Orne Street, was built because its owner was upset about his tiny share of his father's estate and therefore decided to spoil his older brothers' views. The Old Spite House is still standing and occupied.

McCobb Spite House, Rockport, ME

In 1806, Thomas McCobb, heir to his father's land and shipbuilding business, returned home to Phippsburg, Maine, from sea to discover that his stepmother had inherited the family "Mansion in the Wilderness". Upset about his loss, McCobb built a house directly across from the McCobb mansion to spite his stepmother. The National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey photographed and documented the 1925 move of the ''McCobb Spite House'' by barge from Phippsburg to Deadman's Point in Rockport, Maine.

Tyler Spite House, Frederick, MD

In 1814, John Tyler, an ophthalmologist and one of the first American-born physicians to perform a cataract operation, owned a parcel of land near the courthouse square in Frederick, Maryland. The city made plans to extend Record Street south through Tyler's land to meet West Patrick Street. In fighting the city, Tyler discovered a local law that prevented the building of a road if work was in progress on a substantial building in the path of a proposed road. To spite the city, Tyler immediately had workmen pour a building foundation, which was discovered by the road crews the next morning.

Hollensbury Spite House, Alexandria, VA

In 1830, John Hollensbury's home in Alexandria, Virginia, was one of two houses that directly bordered an alley that attracted an annoying amount of horse-drawn wagon traffic and loiterers. To prevent people from using the alleyway, Hollensbury constructed a , , , two-story home using the existing brick walls of the adjacent homes for the sides of the new house. The brick walls of the Hollensbury Spite House living room have gouges from wagon-wheel hubs, and the house is still standing and occupied.

Skinny House, Boston, MA

The Skinny House in Boston is considered a spite house. One story of its creation tells that in 1874, two brothers in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, got into a dispute. Each had previously inherited land from their deceased father. While the second brother was away serving in the military, the first brother built a large home, leaving the soldier only a shred of property that the first brother felt certain was too tiny to build on. When the soldier returned, he found his inheritance depleted and built a wooden house at 44 Hull St. to spite his brother by blocking the sunlight and ruining his view. The outside of the house spans and tapers to in the rear.

Schilling Spite House, Hiawatha, KS

In 1880, Adam Schilling owned a tract of adjoining the town of Hiawatha, Kansas.Ames, James Barr; Smith Jeremiah. (1893)
A Selection of Cases on the Law of Torts.
' Page 730. Schilling sold three-quarters of an acre of this land, on which a house eventually was built and became owned by James Falloon. Together, the were well-suited to add to the town of Hiawatha, but Falloon refused to sell his three-quarters of an acre at the low price Schilling offered. To spite his neighbor, Schilling then built a cheap tenement house on his own property from Falloon's with the "idea of rendering Falloon's home obnoxious and unendurable to Falloon and family" by renting to people Falloon might find objectionable.

Richardson Spite House, New York City

The ''Richardson Spite House'' in New York City at Lexington Avenue and 82nd Street was built in 1882 and demolished in 1915. It was four stories tall, 104 feet (31.7 m) wide, and only five feet (1.5 m) deep. Joseph Richardson, the owner of the plot, built it after the owner of an adjacent plot, Hyman Sarner, unsuccessfully tried to purchase the land. Sarner considered the plot useless by itself and offered only $1000; Richardson demanded $5000. After the deal fell through, Richardson had an apartment building constructed on his land. It was a functional (albeit impractical) apartment building with eight suites, each consisting of three rooms and a bath.

Waldorf Hotel, New York City

In the early 1890s, in the Astor family, William Waldorf Astor's mansion was next door to that of his aunt, Caroline Webster Schermerhorn Astor, on the block later occupied by the Empire State Building. He and his aunt did not get along well, and William replaced his mansion with a hotel, the original Waldorf Hotel in 1893. The building not only towered over his aunt's home, but it also had no windows at all on the side facing the aunt's mansion.

Salem Spite House, Salem, MA

At some point before 1898, a home was erected in Salem, Massachusetts, to "cut off the view of a neighbor". After the owner died, his heirs agreed in 1898 to have the ''Salem Spite House'' torn down to avoid a "vexatious lawsuit with the obnoxious neighbor".

Collinsville Spite House, Collinsville, CT

In the 19th century, a butcher in Collinsville, Connecticut, feuded with his neighbor. To spite his neighbor, the butcher built between their adjoining houses a narrow, two-story structure with windows covered by Venetian blinds. The wooden building located between 23 and 25 River St. was the width of a standard stairway and allowed the butcher to block the sun to the neighbor's home and block the neighbor's view of the butcher's property at will. The butcher's son got along with the family next door and eventually tore down the ''Collinsville Spite House''.

Freeport Spite House, Freeport, NY

Also in the 19th century, a Freeport, New York, developer who opposed all of Freeport being laid out in a grid, put up a Victorian house virtually overnight on a triangular plot at the corner of Lena Avenue and Wilson Place to spite the grid designers.Mason-Draffen, Carrie, March 30, 1997, Newsday: "Living In - Diversity Freely Spices Freeport". Section: Life; Page E25. The ''Freeport Spite House'' is located at the intersection of: Wilson Place, Long Beach Avenue, and Lena Avenue in Freeport, New York. The ''Freeport Spite House'' is still standing and occupied.

Alameda Spite House, Alameda, CA

At the turn of the 20th century, the city of Alameda, California, took a large portion of Charles Froling's land to build a street. Froling had planned to build his dream house on the plot of land he received through inheritance.Rubin, Sylvia, January 7, 1988, San Francisco Chronicle: "Neighbor against neighbor; Mediators can resolve disputes." Section: People, Page B3. The ''Alameda Spite House'' is located at Broadway & Crist St, Alameda, CA 94501. To spite the city ''and'' an unsympathetic neighbor, Froling built a house deep, long and high on the tiny strip of land left to him. He cantilevered the front-facing second story both to maximize floor space and preclude encroachment on zoning setbacks. The ''Alameda Spite House'' is still standing and occupied.

Edleston Spite House, Gainford, England

In 1904, the family of a deceased Joseph Edleston owned a plot of land next to the churchyard of St. Mary's in Gainford, England.Lloyd, Chris, January 5, 2005, The Northern Echo:
Echo Memories - Of feuds and fiefdoms in little Gainford.
Page 8. The children asked to erect a monument in the churchyard in memory of Joseph's 41-year tenure at the church. The church refused permission, asserting that the churchyard was full but that the family could donate their land to the church and then build a monument on part of it. Feeling slighted, the family immediately set about building themselves a house on their land with a column erected next to the churchyard so it towered over the trees. The ''Edleston Spite House'' is still standing and occupied, and has MCMIV (1904) over the front door.

Spite Church, Brooklyn, NY

In 1907 there was a "spite" church in Brooklyn, New York. It was built to take advantage of a law that forbade the operation of saloons within a certain distance of churches. Saloon owners brought suit against the church, arguing that the church was not a real church and no worship was practiced. The saloon owners won the case.

O'Reilly Spite House, Cambridge, MA

In 1908, Francis O'Reilly owned an investment parcel of land in West Cambridge, Massachusetts, and approached his abutting land neighbor to sell the land for a gain.Bloom, Jonathan, February 2, 2003, Boston Globe:
Existing by the Thinnest of Margins. A Concord Avenue Landmark Gives New Meaning to Cozy.
Section: City Weekly; Page 11. Location: 260 Concord Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138. After the neighbor refused to buy the land, O'Reilly built a building, measuring long and only wide to spite the neighbor. The ''O'Reilly Spite House'' is still standing and is occupied by an interior decorating firm .

Sam Kee Building, Vancouver

The Sam Kee Building, built in 1913 in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a spite house and one of the narrowest commercial buildings in the world, considered the narrowest by Guinness World Records. The city widened the street and took a large part of Kee's land, who then built a building on the remaining very small parcel of land.

Sarajevo Spite House, Sarajevo

Before 1914, the Austro-Hungarians who ruled Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted land in the Sarajevo Old Town district to build a city hall and library.Barnett, Tracy, June 25, 2006, San Antonio Express-News:
Honey and blood.
Section: Travel; Page 1L. The land had a home on it and, despite offering the owner money, he refused and continued to refuse even when told that he had to move. When the officials threatened him, he moved the house and rebuilt it, piece by piece, on the other side of the Miljacka river, as a way of spiting the officials. The ''Sarajevo Spite House'' operates today as a restaurant called ''Inat Kuća'' (which means "Spite House").

The Pink House, Newbury, MA

In 1922, The Pink House was built in Newbury, Massachusetts. According to local legend, as per the terms of a divorce settlement, a man was required to build an exact replica of his house for his now ex-wife, but since the wife had failed to specify where the house be built, he built in the Great Marsh on the edge of town with saltwater plumbing.

Montlake Spite House, Seattle, WA

In 1925, according to one common story, a Montlake, Seattle, Washington neighbor made an insultingly low offer for a tiny slice of adjoining land.Koss, Bill, October 29, 2000, The Seattle Times: "Homing in on the city of the $15,000 sofa What's really old, strange and expensive? These things." Section: Pacific Northwest; Page 4. Location: 2022 24th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112. Out of spite for the low offer, the builder built an house that blocked the neighbors' open space. However, there are other stories about how the house came to be, making its origins murky. The house is wide at the south end, and wide at the north end. The ''Montlake Spite House'' is still standing and occupied.

Skinny Building, Pittsburgh, PA

The Skinny Building is only 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m) wide, rivaling the Sam Kee Building in Vancouver which is considered the narrowest commercial building by Guinness World Records. Its narrow lot was created in 1903 by a street widening project, and the building itself was constructed in 1926 by Louis Hendel (c. 1874–1945), partly out of spite for neighboring business owners who complained about him obstructing the sidewalk with his fruit-selling business. The building is still standing, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing property in the Fourth Avenue Historic District.

Kavanagh Building, Buenos Aires

In 1934, Corina Kavanagh, of Irish descent, commissioned the building of a skyscraper in Buenos Aires, the Kavanagh Building, at the time the highest skyscraper in Latin America. Local legend holds that Corina Kavanagh sought to arrange a marriage between one of her daughters and the son of the Anchorena family, one of the wealthiest and most traditional aristocratic families of the country; the Anchorenas, however, refused. Out of revenge, she had her high-rise building built between the Anchorena's palace and the church the family had erected on the opposing side of the adjoining square.

Virginia City Spite House, Virginia City, NV

In the 1950s, two Virginia City, Nevada neighbors got into a dispute. When one of the men built a new house, the other bought the lot next to it and built a house less than from his neighbor's house in spite to deprive the neighbor of both view and breeze. The ''Virginia City Spite House'' is still standing and occupied.

Al Ba'sa, Beirut

In 1954, a thin wedge-shaped building was erected by architects Salah and Fawzi Itani on a 120 sq m plot in Beirut, Lebanon at the request of a man wanting to spoil the sea view of his brother after they failed to agree to jointly develop their neighboring plots. The street facade appears to be an ordinary apartment building, but is 60 cm at the narrowest and four meters at the widest. It is known as Al Ba'sa (The Middle Finger) and formerly as The Queen Mary due to its resemblance to the cruise ship.

George Lucas' Grady Ranch, Marin County, CA

Film producer George Lucas had wanted to construct a movie studio on land that he owned in Marin County, California. After facing years of opposition, Lucas abandoned the project in 2012. Instead, he decided to construct a low-income housing development. While some sources have speculated that the low-income housing proposal was to spite the high-income residents in the wealthy county, Lucas himself rejected that characterization.

Equality House, Topeka, KS

The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, is infamous for its anti-LGBT picketing. The humanitarian charity Planting Peace purchased a house across the street from the church and, in 2013, had it painted to match the colors of the rainbow pride flag. It was named the ' Equality House' and has received worldwide attention and media coverage. In 2016, Planting Peace acquired the house next door to the Equality House and painted it the colors of the transgender pride flag. The houses provide shelter to volunteers and a community garden.

Victoria Hotel, Amsterdam

The Victoria Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands, is designed around two older properties, Nos. 45 - 47 Prins Hendrikkade, that the hotel was unable to purchase owing to high prices. This idiosyncrasy was explored in the book and subsequent film '' Publieke werken'' (''Public Works''). The film is also known as ''A Noble Intention'' (2015).

See also

* Air rights
* Cutting off one's nose to spite one's face
* Eyesore
* Holdout (real estate)
* Nail house
* Smallest House in Great Britain
* Spite (sentiment)
* Spite fence

References

Further reading

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Revenge
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