“Spite houses are rare these days due to strict modern building codes, but many that have grandfathered in—like the Alameda house—are still standing, not as annoying these days as they are novel, and many now look upon the spite houses with a smile.” (source: Atlas Oscura)
A spite house is a building constructed or substantially modified to irritate neighbors or any party with land stakes. Spite houses may create obstructions, such as blocking out light or blocking access to neighboring buildings, or can be flagrant symbols of defiance. (source: Wikipedia)
There are many spite houses in America, each with an interesting history. Read “15 obnoxious houses that were built just to annoy the neighbors” on Insider.com to learn more about some of the most well-known spite houses across the country, some dating back to the 1700s.Alameda has a few spite houses, but one is quite famous.
The story goes that in the late 1900s, Charles Froling built a spite house because the city took a portion of his land to build a street. Using the small amount of land left to him by Alameda, he constructed a home that was 20-feet high, 54-feet long, and a mere 10-feet wide. It was designed to irk not only the city, but a neighbor who had supported the construction project. In 2018, the house’s resident said that she believed that the spite house had been built because of sibling rivalry.
The home, located at Broadway and Crist Street, is currently occupied but at one time fell into disarray.
“It was so derelict the city considered condemning the structure, but a public campaign rallied support and saved the house from destruction.” (source: SF Gate)
Despite the narrowness, the Alameda spite house offers more than 1,100 square feet of living space.
For further reading about the Alameda spite house, check out these articles:
Image: Yelp
