My Favorite Houses Series: The Hollensbury Spite House

Some houses are built because someone has a dream. Others are built because someone has finally had enough. One of my favorite houses in America was built for exactly that reason.

The Hollensbury Spite House, tucked into Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, exists because John Hollensbury grew tired of horse-drawn carriages scraping alongside his home and people lingering in the narrow alley beside it. Rather than complain, call the town council, or leave passive-aggressive notes for the neighbors (which I'm convinced he would have done if Post-it Notes had existed), he did something far more memorable.

He built a house. In the alley. Not a fence. Not a gate. A house. Now that's commitment.

The home is just 7½ feet wide, stretches about 25 feet deep, and uses the neighboring buildings' brick walls as its own.

The result is 325 square feet spread across two floors, with a cozy sitting room and galley kitchen downstairs and a bedroom and bath upstairs. The claw-foot tub has become one of its signature features. Despite its tiny footprint, it has been a real home. One couple lived there for nearly 25 years, and the most recent owner purchased it in 1990 for just $130,000, later using it as a charming pied-à-terre.

What surprised me most is that, despite its fame, there are remarkably few photographs of the interior. The reason is simple: it's still a private residence. Those lucky enough to have seen inside describe exposed brick walls bearing the scars of wagon wheels from nearly two centuries ago, original wood floors, a tiny French-doored patio, and a bedroom where every piece of furniture had to audition before earning a spot.

I love houses with stories, and this one may be my favorite. It reminds us that real estate isn't always about square footage, waterfront views, or the perfect kitchen.

Sometimes the best property story begins with someone saying, "That's it. I've had enough."

And nearly two hundred years later, we're still talking about it.

– Sarah  

Photo credit: The New York Times