The Kettle House

This tiny metal house with sloping bowl-like walls, located on a busy road a short walk from the Gulf coast shoreline in Galveston, is known as the Kettle House for obvious reasons.

Because the beach community around this house is prone to hurricanes, most of the nearby houses are on stilts to prevent flooding and destruction of property. Not the Kettle House though. Its exceptionally squat, sturdy construction has kept it safe through Hurricane Ike and other dramatic weather conditions that have wrought havoc on other buildings in Galveston.

For that matter, the Kettle House has stood in the same spot near the gulf for upwards of 50 years. According to the Houston Chronicle, the house was built by a man named Clayton E. Stokley, who originally planned to turn the unique structure into a retail space.

The Kettle House does resembles the top of a water tower and doesn’t resemble much else in Galveston at all. If you’re driving out to the beach in Texas, stop by to see this truly strange little architectural artifact.

Update: The house has been renovated and sold as a completed residence since fall 2018.