House on the Rock, Tourist attraction in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States
House on the Rock is a building complex in Wisconsin that extends over a roughly 60-meter-high rock formation called Deer Shelter Rock and includes numerous indoor spaces, gardens and shopping streets. The site consists of several levels and connected structures that together form an extensive network of galleries and exhibition areas.
Alex Jordan Jr began building a simple retreat on the rock in 1945, which grew over the years into a walkable collection. In 1959 he opened the site to visitors and added more buildings and collections over the following decades.
The name refers to the natural rock outcrop on which the main building rests, known locally as Deer Shelter Rock for generations. Visitors today walk through a kind of living museum where collections of musical instruments, figurines and everyday objects sit alongside fantasy recreations of old streets and townscapes.
The complex sits near Spring Green in Wisconsin, reached from State Highway 23, the road where Jordan placed his stone marker in 1959. Routes run through winding rooms and staircases, so allow several hours and wear comfortable shoes. The Infinity Room, a walkway just under 70 metres long with over 3,000 windows, projects unsupported from the building.
The carousel opened in 1981 with 269 animals, none of them horses, and 182 chandeliers; it cannot be ridden. The complex also holds a 200-foot model of a whale-like creature fighting a Kraken in the Heritage of the Sea.
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