The Shoe House

Not a home, alas, but a marketing gimmick: Shoe magnate Mahlon Haines built this shoe house in 1948 and lent it free of charge to honeymooners and other celebrants. The services of a maid, chauffeur and car were part of the package. Only 48' long and 25' tall, the structure's five mini-levels contain three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area and a kitchen. It overlooks I-30 in Hallam, PA, just east of York. The current owner, who bought it from a bank after foreclosure, runs tours and a sole-level ice cream parlor.

Text and photo copyright Kathy Biehl 1998. All rights reserved. Excerpted from "Ladies' Fetish & Taboo Society Compendium of Urban Anthropology, Movin' On '98, Vol. X, Nos. 2&3.

To Houston weird tour.

To The Big Duck.

To Fairy Tale Forest.

Back to the Cafe.