Quirks of your community.

[boiker]

Even the most upscale of communities have them. Sometimes it's a landmark that was dedicated to a local hero or created by a cherished local artist. Often, it's a home or business that utilizes unique landscaping or architecture to attract business or the attention of neighbors.

My community has it's fair share of quirks. Here's one of them.

Hubcap House. Someone, blessed with divine intervention, covered their home in hubcaps. It's unique, it's strange, it's tacky....but I'd be damned upset if it was gone.

Make this a thread to post pictures and stories of any of your community's quirks, landmarks, or unique places.

 

[boo]

i live in the north cass area of detroit, an area that is known as much for its blight as its recent resurgence. while i don't have a picture, the outside walls of the laundromat that is located next door to my apartment has always been covered over by graffiti despite the owner's attempts to keep it clean. so, to one-up the taggers that kept drawing penii and slurs on the wall, the owners had some local taggers come in and paint a mural to cover the entire part of the building that faces the street- a good 100+ feet. the results ended up being beautiful- there are references to some of the neighborhood's focal points and buildings on the wall as well as lots of colorful lettering that i have yet to make out. i have noticed lots of people stop to take pictures and to take it all in

a lot nicer than just painting the wall black! d.

 

[otterpop]

We recently did a community decay enforcement on a fellow who used old refrigerators for fencing his yard. He was a nice old guy, who was over his head and needed help cleaning up his place. The County worked with him and got the matter resolved.

 

[JNL]

Where do I start? Perhaps with the infamous Bucket Fountain, that Elijah Wood and the other hobbits peed in while out on the town one night during LOTR filming... B-)

The Bucket Fountain is recognised as one of Wellington's quirkiest and most well known landmarks. The Wellington City Council's Design Guide for the Cuba Character Area includes design and management initiatives to enhance the area. It suggests that "The much maligned/much enjoyed sugar-scoop bucket fountain should resume pride of place in the Mall."

 

[Zoning Goddess]

Hmmm. We had a code-enforcement nightmare (and sight-seeing draw) of several years, a guy who had a giant butt statue in his front yard (along with thousands of pounds of airplane parts and other crap). He would put it in the bed of his pick-up whenever he had to go to court. Eventually, he created 7 giant butts, one for each county commissioner, one for the county attorney, and I can't remember the 7th. This year he went to jail for a year and the county cleaned up the property.

As a side note, near the end of my tenure in the planning office here, before moving to trails, our boss made us take part in a spam-carving contest (to "boost team morale"). The winner was the long-suffering code officer who carved a great replica of the original butt statue.

 

[cnyOntario]

Syracuse has the little red house on top of the industrial warehouse on the city's northside.

Syracuse also has a love affair with Cattails. They are all over the area.

 

[Cardinal]

It isn't in my community, but there is a very unique place/person along Highway 12 north of Sauk City, about twenty miles northwest of Madison. Dr. Evermore is something of a cross between Dr. Seuss and Fred Sanford... on acid.

 

[JNL]

It isn't in my community, but there is a very unique place/person along Highway 12 north of Sauk City, about twenty miles northwest of Madison. Dr. Evermore is something of a cross between Dr. Seuss and Fred Sanford... on acid.

Wow. I have seen similar things before but those are way cool!

 

[AubieTurtle]

The little central Alabama town I grew up in had the Cross Garden

The years haven't been kind to this roadside weirdness but if you're ever in the Montgomery area, it is worth the half hour drive out of town to see it.