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All the United States Texas Ransom Canyon Robert Bruno’s Steel House
AO Edited

Robert Bruno’s Steel House

A wacky, UFO-shaped house in a suburban neighborhood.

Ransom Canyon, Texas

Added By
Lew Blank
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Profile of the Steel House   Leaflet / CC BY-SA 3.0
Profile of the Steel House   Leaflet / CC BY-SA 3.0
Steel House on the ridge   Leaflet / CC BY-SA 3.0
Up close of the Steel House   Billy Hathorn / CC BY-SA 3.0
  chasepopt / Atlas Obscura User
Robert Bruno’s Steel House - 03/01/2019   rsoczac / Atlas Obscura User
An incredible structure   notoriousFIG / Atlas Obscura User
Unique and beautiful   CTravels / Atlas Obscura User
  narlenevans93 / Atlas Obscura User
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About

While driving through Texan suburbia, 20 minutes outside of Lubbock, drivers will find a giant, four-legged UFO standing just across the street from rows of ordinary two-story houses. Upon closer inspection, the strange formation appears to better resemble a massive cicada, or perhaps a multiple-story grand piano balancing on the hillside.

In reality, this bizarre structure is actually someone’s house—or, at least it used to be. The steel abode is the labor of love of Robert Bruno, an unconventional sculptor who handcrafted it from 1973 until his death in 2008.

Located on a ridge overlooking Lake Ransom Canyon, Robert Bruno’s Steel House is made of 150 tons of blackened steel, each piece welded by hand, and was created with virtually no outside assistance. The interior is wooden, resembling the inside of a tree trunk, and many of the windows are made of beautiful stained glass.

But after 35 years of hard labor, time got the better of Bruno and his masterpiece was never completed. There are gaping holes between the house’s different levels, and the architect's plans of installing an aquarium, a pool, and the moldings of nude models plastered to the walls were never realized. To Bruno, the Steel House was viewed as more of a hobby than a project that needed to be finished; the architect was known to scrap months of work at a whim, and the lack of closure was of no concern.

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Architecture Houses Ufos Homes

Know Before You Go

Contact Henry Martinez for tours or visits. Available by appointment on the weekends and there is a per person fee. www.robertbruno.com

Community Contributors

Added By

lewblank

Edited By

erjeffery, notoriousFIG, rsoczac, chasepopt...

  • erjeffery
  • notoriousFIG
  • rsoczac
  • chasepopt
  • CTravels
  • narlenevans93

Published

August 10, 2017

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Sources
  • http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/steelhouse/
  • http://www.chron.com/homes/article/A-look-inside-sculptor-Robert-Bruno-s-legendary-6292048.php#photo-8059940
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransom_Canyon,_Texas
  • https://kkam.com/robert-bruno-steel-house-purchased-turned-into-vacation-rental-property/
Robert Bruno’s Steel House
Robert Bruno’s Steel House
Ransom Canyon, Texas
United States
33.530657, -101.676922
Visit Website
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