Monday, January 6, 2014

The Vercler Castle

Our Christmas was spent in Spokane, WA, visiting my family; it was all very low key and relaxing. In other words exactly what we needed. The one thing my parents insisted we absolutely had to do was drive by “that house.” I asked what exactly made it “that house” and all my mother would say was “you’ve never seen anything like it.” I asked “good or bad?” and she replied “I just hope you have your camera.” Well of course!

With a build up like that I didn’t know what to expect, then we turned the corner…

Did you notice the guy up at the top of the column on the right (in the green jacket, above)? That’s Jeff and this is his home and creation, seventeen years of work. When we first pulled up I was dismayed that he was up there working, after all how was I going to take pictures when I was being watched? Thankfully he was okay with me taking photos and even offered to give us a quick tour. Score!

Jeff is a welder and has done all of this work himself, I could have spent hours photographing the details and asking him questions. As it was I did manage to inquire about his inspiration and I was told he spent a lot of time reading books and magazines and looking around the internet. Andrew asked what he called it and Jeff said “The Vercler Castle,” Vercler being the name of the street.

Later we did some online research and discovered the house was included in the book “Washington Curiosities, 3rd: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff” I found an excerpt from the interview: “Jensen is a welder by trade and says the idea to start adding brick turret like structures and generous amounts of ironwork to the outside of his home didn't come to him in a middle-of-the-night dream or from a struck-on-the-head vision. "I was out in the yard one day and needed a trellis for my ivy and gourds and other vines to grow on. So I built one. And then I built more." Eventually came multiple brick and metal turrets, giant planters shaped like medieval cauldrons, a guard house and other castle like features. "Inside it looks like a regular house," says Jensen. "But outside, yeah, I guess you could say I'm the man who turned his house into a castle."

We're now at the back of the lot, and new construction is obvious. There was a covered walkway leading out to a framework yet to be finished.

That's frozen water under the stairs, and the cannon-like pipes on the left spray water in the warmer months.


Looking back toward the house...

I didn’t manage to get a great photo of those gourds Jeff referenced, many of which were still hanging on dried vines (you might have noticed them in a few photos). All the golden foliage told me this would be a very different place to see in the spring, or early summer. Perhaps I’ll have to visit again the next time I’m up that way (here are some greener photos I found online, although these are from back in 2011 and a lot seems to have changed since then).

Those fiberglass planters were huge, easily 2.5-3ft across, Jeff said that's Virginia Creeper growing in them.

The metal sided building you can see within the brick and metal fence is the actual house.

This is a view of the top of the house.

How many turrets (or more properly "turret-like structures") do you count? I see 9 in this photo alone...

The quality of the construction and repeated details say this isn't just some crazy project gone astray but a man with talent and vision who's realizing his idea of how things could be.

Even more turrets...

Look at those crazy planters on the left...

This was such an amazing gift to see and tour with its creator, a place I will not soon forget.

Oh and remember the shot I started the post with - Jeff at the top of the unfinished turret on the right? Will actually it was finished but he's been ordered to take everything down to 3ft at the front of the property, so he was up there knocking down what he worked so hard to create. Building code ya know...

All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

49 comments:

  1. Fun tour of a fanciful, amazing place. The metal work is especially nice mixed with the brick. Great imagination.

    Love the last photo showing the overall view. As I read I did wonder about building permits and other mundane details like engineering so wasn't surprised he has to take it down a bit along the walk. Maybe he'll reuse the materials for more fanciful structures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I'm sure those materials won't go to waste, there was plenty of space in the back yard for more structures. Glad you enjoyed the tour!

      Delete
  2. Whoa! I had only two thoughts while looking at this- how does he get around city building codes doing this, and does Spokane get earthquakes! Sue

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, I can't speak to the building code enforcement (although obviously someone had issues since parts are coming down) but earthquake-wise yes they do get small ones (a 4.0 that I was there for in 2001 did a little bit of property damage). And a new fault line has recently been discovered downtown.

      Delete
  3. What an amazing place! I'm always fascinated by people who have a vision and just go for it. It's a bummer about having to knock some of it down, though. We had a brick chimney on our old house in Massachusetts, and had to have the bricks repointed twice in 25 years. I hope he's also up for the maintenance on all those brick structures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Twice in 25 years? Wow, that's surprising. Guess I better keep an eye on our brick chimney!

      Delete
  4. As I was looking at the pictures, I was thinking that, if someone down this way created a structure like this, the building code enforcement people would be all over him. So I guess Washington isn't that different after all. But he gets to keep the structures in the back, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I believe so, he only mentioned having to take the very front down to 3ft.

      Delete
  5. What a strange and wonderful place, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Strange and wonderful pretty much sums it up!

      Delete
  6. Goodness our planning authority officer would have a field day with that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Makes you wonder if it was a classic case of do it and then ask for forgiveness, rather than seeking the necessary approval first.

      Delete
  7. What a fun and unusual place. I love it when people just go with their vision!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Some of this I really love, other parts, not so much. I'm surprised there aren't more fights with the city and/or neighbors.

    Reminds me of The City Museum in St. Louis, except nobody lives there AFAIK. http://www.citymuseum.org/site/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the link...that looks like a lot of fun!

      Delete
  9. Love it. My kind of guy.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh, that's too bad he had to take them down. Those turrets are beautiful. But maybe too tall for that area? Maybe he should build a wider but shorter tower in the back or maybe a brick archway into the garden from the street? Cool!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes the ones along the front are too tall, the others get to stay.

      Delete
  11. Wow...that is amazing...sad they're making him take the front part down :-(

    ReplyDelete
  12. Crazy, wacky and I'm sure annoying to many people. But I tell you what, I love it! So much creativity and individualism. Far better than the faux Tuscan mini mansions you see everywhere. One thing is missing though: SUCCULENTS and BAMBOO!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh god, yes! So much better than those. As for the succulents and bamboo, it is Zone 5 after all. Some sempervivum and sedum would be very happy in those bricks. Bamboo though? I only know one person who was successful at growing it there and hers were knocked back to practically nothing every winter, barely regrowing in the summer. Are there bamboos that would be happy there?

      Delete
    2. I've had some "Golden Groove" bamboo growing here for... 15 years?.. up in Sandpoint, and we are colder than Spokane. Some winters it dies to the ground but it's still pretty in summer- stuff grows fast!

      Delete
  13. The photos alone are unforgettable, let alone seeing it in person! Wonderful and fun yet serious in thought and construction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you could see the serious part too. It really was so well done, not just some crazy runaway project.

      Delete
  14. This is really something: a Spokane version of the Watts Towers! It seems this fellow is also quite a mason, as well as a welder. Darn city codes: they have a way of weaseling into everything...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what I was thinking as I toured! (the Watts Towers comparison)

      Delete
  15. Oooh...this made my day. I have always been drawn to these kinds of passion projects. I have a book called 'Handmade Houses' from the Hippie days when many people were taking to the woods and crafting their own fantasy dwellings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that book looks like fun! Someone else mentioned it to me as well, guess it's time to pull up the multnomah county library site...

      Delete
  16. Wow-ee. I usually have o go to Spokane on business once or twice a year, and the company that I do business with is Jensen Distribution Services..I wonder if this dude is related to that family ? What a place..I would love to see it in person !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let me know next time you're headed that way and I'll tell you exactly where it is. You'll need a car though as I see Jensen Distribution Services is west of Spokane and this is east, out in the Valley.

      Delete
  17. Thank goodness for artists, can you imagine how boring life would be without them?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lucky you to get a personal tour. Did you encourage him to eliminate that English Ivy before it covered his creation?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, no...I try not to be too preachy in other people's gardens.

      Delete
    2. Last i knew he had a sign out front with a phone number to call if you wanted a tour. I toured it with some friends a year or two ago.

      Delete
  19. I love this a lot. Thanks for sharing it, and thanks for having such a great celebratory editorial viewpoint with it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed it LeLo, I feel lucky to have been there.

      Delete
  20. Wow, that takes courage! Fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dunno about the codes. But this is actually in Spokane Valley and perhaps there is a bit more leniency there. I lived in an apartment across the street from it for over a year. I regret that I never got a chance to see more than the view from the street. But I got the sense that the neighbors loved the style and work put into it. (There's actually only a few homes on that street)

    ReplyDelete
  22. If anyone is interested, this house was used extensively in the episode of Z Nation that aired last Friday (season 3, episode 11). It must have been filmed in the summer months as the garden was looking far more verdant.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I tried to find references to this place, as I saw it on "Z Nation: Doc's Angels". I finally tweeted the actor, Russel Hodgkinson who plays Doc on the show, where it was. He send me a private message and told me!
    I do like what the guy has made, but I will say that several of those skinny-brick columns with turrets do not look to stable to me. I am wondering if there is a steel core or framework going up the middle, and secured via a concrete base with steel footing. Otherwise, I could see those things collapsing due to the large amount of freezing/cracking of the brick and mortar work.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I know this is an older post, but if you get the chance you should definitely check it out again! He's added sooo much more!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the heads up! I don’t know when I’ll be up in Spokane next but I will definitely make time to go by.

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!