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(Check out our complete collection of 70 Amazing Houses from Around the World.)
Would it surprise you to learn that a number of houses around the world, from New York to Amsterdam and Brazil to Britain have various claims to being the skinniest house in the world? Some are the skinniest by frontage measurements, others by widest or narrowest space, though they would all (it would seem) require extremely creative urban furniture.
Helenita, the woman pictured in the images above, designed this incredibly narrow house in Madre de Deus, Brazil. Though only 9 feet wide, this house is a remarkable 30� feet� (3 stories)� tall. The structural physics of this building were surely a challenge, though the designer and resident is clearly proud of her creation.
This London, England house (left above) is just 5 feet at its narrowest, and 10 feet at its widest, and was sold for nearly a million dollars. Likewise extreme expensive, 72 1/2 Bedford Street in Greenwich Village, New York City, USA (right above), which has been everything from a cobbler’s shop to a candy factory, dates back to 1873. However, the actual narrowest house in the United States is located in Long Beach, California.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands To anyone who has visited Amsterdam it should come as no shock that all four of the above candidates are located along the city’s canals. Notorious already for it’s tightly-packed and skinny structures, these buildings push even the limits of Amsterdam. The bottom image is of a house located along the Singel canal that just barely manages to fit a front on the street, though the house expands as it recedes from the street.
Great Cumbrae, Scotland is home to the Guinnes Book of Records title holder for the skinniest house frontage in the world, at just 47 inches at its narrowest. The so-called Wedge house, once it was discovered to hold the record, sold to a family from Essex as a vacation home for an undisclosed sum of money.
Location, Unknown: this house remains a mystery, though the original blogger appears to be located in Osaka, Japan. However, the street signage and other visual clues suggest it could also be located somewhere in Europe. If anyone has an idea as to where this house is located, please feel free to add a link or note in the comments! Update: the house is indeed located in Osaka, Japan!
Still, as thin as these buildings are, they are still probably a great deal more comfortable than at least some alternatives, such as urban camping or car living. If you think staying in a 6-foot-wide house or apartment sounds horrific, also consider this: at least you aren’t living in the infamous tunnel house! Feel free to add links to relevant narrow-house images or videos below.
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52 Comments
October 5th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Helenita’s place looks pretty cool — though I’d probably get claustrophobic after about ten minutes there.
October 5th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
When I first visited Amsterdam, that was my biggest surprise. Small, extremely narrow houses and weird looking streets. Saigon also left me with that impression.
October 5th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
I can confirm that the location is known for “location unknown”. It’s in Osaka, Japan.
October 5th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
Omg….how do they do it. I would not be able to move around that much in there. I would go crazy.
October 5th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
There is one in Québec City that should definitely qualify here..
October 5th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
I’d love to have a vacation home like that, that would be sweet. I liked the 9ft wide by 3 story tall house ;-)
October 5th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
What about the Jack Chow Insurance building in Vancouver, BC? I think that one has been in the Guinness book of records as well.
October 5th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
No mention of the Spite House??
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spite_house
October 5th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Very narrow indeed.
October 5th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
Love that first photo, the house on the hair pin corner… someone must have *really* wanted to live in that particular spot! ;)
October 6th, 2007 at 1:05 am
I thought there was one near lake michigan, maybe in Wisconsin that was supposed to be the most expensive, yet the smallest…
October 6th, 2007 at 1:35 am
Don’t forger Vancouver BC!
“The Sam Kee Building - The Sam Kee Company, run by Chang Toy one of the wealthier merchants in turn-of-the-last-century Chinatown, bought this land as a standard-sized lot in 1903. However, in 1912 the City widened Pender Street, expropriating all but 6 feet off the Pender Street side of the lot. In 1913 the architects Brown and Gillam designed this narrow, steel-framed free-standing building on the left over 6 feet. The basement, extending under the sidewalk, housed public baths; shops were on the ground floor and offices above. The 1980s rehabilitation of the building for Jack Chow was designed by Soren Rasmussen Architect and completed in 1986. The building is considered the narrowest commercial building in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_(Vancouver)
October 6th, 2007 at 4:43 am
Check out this cool stage-set like 1930’s commercial loft located at 53 Gansevoort street, in the heart of the Gansevoort Meat Market: http://www.mcny.org/collections/abbott/a184.htm The architect rounded the building’s narrow end to avoid the “normal” look of similar buildings at the time.
There is also such a building near Hamasger street in Tel Aviv (Israel) but I am not sure where exactly and don’t have any photo. I think there used to be a pub there named “Bulldog” :)
October 6th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Great finds! I love the thought of a small house. It keeps you from having too many things! Cozy too….except not for claustrophobes!
October 6th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
no… fotoshop… foto… the douche way of saying it… that is not real… yeah… elipsis
October 6th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
You guys should check out http://www.myartspace.com/interviews. There are a lot of great interviews with visual artists there and the blogger who does them would probably let you post the interviews on your own blog. Very cool spot to be online.
October 6th, 2007 at 11:23 pm
10 feet at its widest? That barely enough for a queen sized bed plus floorspace.
October 7th, 2007 at 1:44 am
Please see skinniest house in the world!!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/1.....171697022/
October 8th, 2007 at 1:37 am
that’s japan for sure, I m living here.
October 8th, 2007 at 3:22 am
I looked at Helenita in her kitchen and thought, “That looks like my kitchen. But bigger.” :(
October 8th, 2007 at 5:00 am
When visiting the city of Ghent (flanders) do visit the narrowest pub in the world called “galgenhuisje”.located in the medieval city centre.
October 10th, 2007 at 1:28 am
narrow is as narrow does. awesome.
October 11th, 2007 at 11:32 am
Check out the Rooftecture S by Endo Shuhei: http://www.paramodern.com/
…the C House by Jun Aoki: http://www.aokijun.com/ja/works/027
…the C House by Power Unit Studio: http://www.pus.jp/_content/e/works/r/c/c1.html
…the Glass Shutter House by Shigeru Ban: http://www.shigerubanarchitect.....es_28.html
…the Porch House bt Tezuka Architects:
http://www.tezuka-arch.com/jap.....wa/01.html
and this one’s not a house but still a great design and use of limited land: The Billboard Building by Klein Dytham:
http://www.klein-dytham.com/pr.....building/1
October 15th, 2007 at 2:12 am
Well, the funny part is actually, The Netherlands is one of those countries where the tallest people live, how they manage to get in their houses is still a big question, maybe they are all wearing high heels!
October 16th, 2007 at 10:34 am
you missed a really skinny tiny house in Charleston, South Carolina
October 17th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
Great collection :):)
October 27th, 2007 at 5:49 am
Wouldn’t suit 60% of Americans would they? On the other hand 60% of Brits wouldn’t fit either. Five feet wide! Imagine coming home from the pub and trying to find the door…. he he!
Mind you better to have a narrow home than none at all eh?
Nice one.
The Baldchemist
October 27th, 2007 at 5:52 am
Mind you it would be great for stand up sex
November 2nd, 2007 at 1:04 pm
http://www.spaziotorino.it/sol.....hp?pos=-76
Maybe this is not the narrowest, but here in Torino (Italia) is quite famous.
Designed by Antonelli, the designer of Torino’s Mole Antonelliana
http://digilander.libero.it/varallosesia/mole1.JPG
Here is another picture
http://www.spaziotorino.it/sol.....&pos=1
BTW
Fetta di polenta, the name of the building means “slice of Polenta”. Polenta is a North Italian food made with corn flower
http://ecoalfabeta.blogosfere......andini.jpg
bye
Raffaele
November 5th, 2007 at 4:18 pm
where is the smallest house in Long Beach california,,,
February 8th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
RE: the top foto (white house with brown window shutters).
I would really appreciate it if someone could tell me the city and country in which this house is located. Thank you so much.
April 7th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
These Maybe the narrowest buildings in the world but still i think there is no need of such structures.
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