Glass House (British Columbia)
Encyclopedia
The Glass House, built by the late David H. Brown, is located on the east shore of Kootenay Lake
in British Columbia near the rural locality of Boswell, British Columbia
. Construction started in 1952 in order to, according to a quote left by Mr. Brown, "indulge a whim of a peculiar nature". Intended to be the Browns' home, the unusual construction and fantasy-castle appearance attracted traffic from the adjacent British Columbia Highway 3A (now part of the scenic International Selkirk Loop
). The resulting loss of privacy led to the Browns' establishment of a Roadside attraction
in the summer months.
The Glass House sits upon solid rock overlooking Kootenay Lake
and is constructed of approximately 500,000 empty embalming fluid bottles, weighing 250 tons, which would have otherwise been discarded as waste. Built with a single layer of bottles laid with the short neck towards the inside, strips of wood were wired between the necks and reinforced with cement. The strips of wood then support the inner walls formed of cedar boards.
The main house is built like a three-leaf clover with the main rooms being circular. A short staircase in the center accounts for the different heights imposed by the rock on which the house sits. The main floor contains the living room with a large fireplace, the master bedroom, and a kitchen overlooking a terrace. A second bedroom resides upstairs, off-limits to visitors, and brings the total square footage to 1200 (approximately 111 square metres). Additional structures include a wishing well
with waterwheel, an archway, a garden shed, a bridge, several towers, and many stone stairs and pathways. These additional buildings are also primarily constructed with the same technique as the house.
Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada and is part of theKootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s-70s, has changed the ecosystem in and around the water...
in British Columbia near the rural locality of Boswell, British Columbia
Boswell, British Columbia
Boswell is a rural locality on the east shore of Kootenay Lake approximately 35km due east of the city of Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.- See Also :Crawford Bay, British ColumbiaKootenay Lake FerryGlass House...
. Construction started in 1952 in order to, according to a quote left by Mr. Brown, "indulge a whim of a peculiar nature". Intended to be the Browns' home, the unusual construction and fantasy-castle appearance attracted traffic from the adjacent British Columbia Highway 3A (now part of the scenic International Selkirk Loop
International Selkirk Loop
The International Selkirk Loop is a scenic highway in the U.S. states of Idaho and Washington, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia. The loop encircles the Selkirk Mountain Range, and offers several side trips aside from the main route. Included on the loop is the Kootenay Lake...
). The resulting loss of privacy led to the Browns' establishment of a Roadside attraction
Roadside attraction
A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road, that is frequently advertised with billboards to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere else, rather than being a final or primary destination in and of themselves. The modern...
in the summer months.
The Glass House sits upon solid rock overlooking Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake is a lake located in British Columbia, Canada and is part of theKootenay River. The lake has been raised by the Corra Linn Dam and has a dike system at the southern end, which, along with industry in the 1950s-70s, has changed the ecosystem in and around the water...
and is constructed of approximately 500,000 empty embalming fluid bottles, weighing 250 tons, which would have otherwise been discarded as waste. Built with a single layer of bottles laid with the short neck towards the inside, strips of wood were wired between the necks and reinforced with cement. The strips of wood then support the inner walls formed of cedar boards.
The main house is built like a three-leaf clover with the main rooms being circular. A short staircase in the center accounts for the different heights imposed by the rock on which the house sits. The main floor contains the living room with a large fireplace, the master bedroom, and a kitchen overlooking a terrace. A second bedroom resides upstairs, off-limits to visitors, and brings the total square footage to 1200 (approximately 111 square metres). Additional structures include a wishing well
Wishing well
A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the idea that water housed deities or had been placed there as a gift from the gods, since water was a source of life and...
with waterwheel, an archway, a garden shed, a bridge, several towers, and many stone stairs and pathways. These additional buildings are also primarily constructed with the same technique as the house.