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The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

In 1830, a Virginia brickmaker reportedly built a house in an alley to stop wagons from scraping his wall, creating a home just 7.5 feet wide

Virginia Alexandria

In 1830, John Hollensbury, a brickmaker and city council member in Alexandria, Virginia, reportedly found an unusual solution to an issue outside his home: he built a tiny house directly into the narrow alley beside it. The resulting two-storey structure at what is now 523 Queen Street is only 7 feet 6 inches wide and about 25 feet deep. Known as the Hollensbury Spite House, the structure is among Alexandria’s most recognisable historic buildings. Local stories say Hollensbury wanted to stop horse-drawn carriages from squeezing through the alley and scraping the walls of his house, while also discouraging people from loitering there.

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