Mushroom Beach House

A unique mushroom-shaped building hides at the bottom of the cliffs at Blacks Beach in San Diego. The architect Dal Nagle designed and built it in 1968 for Sam Bell, owner of Bell Brand Snack Foods. He wanted a futuristic-looking house that could withstand naturally occurring rock slides, earthquakes, and waves.

The original name was the Bell Pavillion, and you could access it from the cliffs via a nearly vertical tramway that ran almost 300 feet down the cliff. It was also used as a guest house, offering a 180-degree view from Torrey Pines State Park to La Jolla.

The house is currently abandoned, and its cliffside tram hasn’t run in years. Though it sits in a state of disrepair along the San Diego beach, the sturdy concrete structure remains intact.