Only In America

http://www.citylab.com/housing/2014/07/a-brief-history-of-houses-built-out-of-spite/374331/

 

 

The shrunken wonder in Alameda is a bizarre sight, but it's not quite unique: There are a handful of so-called "spite houses" enlivening the streets of America. Thrown up by cranks and malcontents, these structures take many forms but share a common function: To punish the neighbors by blocking their view, blacking out their sunlight, or making their life a little more hellish in some other nefarious way. Many were constructed in the days when building codes were lax, and so their underlying contempt and animosity has been grandfathered into the modern landscape.