A skinny building here, a boldly painted property there—unique design choices are nothing new in the housing market. Yet lying behind a handful of the country’s most distinctive dwellings are twisted tales of revenge that have become the stuff of legend.
These “spite houses,” which can be found in such places as Boston and Seattle stand as a monument to petty grudges and prove that pouring your vengeful energy into the construction of a home can far outlast any other form of revenge.
Spite houses have long incited fury from those they were intended to irk and giggles from passersby, particularly those made aware of the real reason for their existence.
While the origins of these petty properties are not fully known, many credit a property in Massachusetts for sparking the trend in the U.S. way back in 1716.
The dwelling, which is located in Marblehead, is known locally as “The Old Spite House,” having been built by local resident Thomas Wood, although the true reasons for its creation remain something of a mystery.
Its incredibly skinny design, which measures just 10 feet wide but extends along almost an entire block of the neighborhood, has, however, prompted many a revenge theory over the years.
Some believe that Wood, who was a sailmaker by trade, constructed the uniquely shaped home to block the view of his siblings and neighbors, having been left enraged that they received a larger share of the family estate than he did.
Others have suggested that the design of the home was meant to allow for two brothers to occupy the house at the same time, without ever having to speak to each other.
Whatever the reasons behind its construction, the pettiness that was poured into its creation has remained the stuff of local legend for centuries.
The same can also be said of a two-bedroom, two-bathroom Seattle dwelling that was allegedly built by its original owner in an act of vengeance against her former spouse amid a furious land dispute.
As legend has it, the woman who built the home had previously lived with her husband in a dwelling adjacent to the land on which the spite house now sits.
In their divorce settlement, she was awarded a tiny 3,090-square-foot parcel of their shared property—on which she decided to build a petite home to “block his view in the front yard,” according to Emily Cangie, who bought the home in 2019, according to records.
Cangie opened the home in 2023 for a video tour with YouTuber Kirsten Dirksen, while sharing details about the property’s fascinating history.
“The story goes that she decided to build a house to block his view in the front yard,” Cangie said, explaining that, at the time of her divorce, the woman was unable to “get her own loan in the U.S.”
So, having been left unable to buy her own property, she constructed the dwelling—which has since cemented its place in Seattle’s history.
However, another version of the story suggests that the dwelling was built by a landowner who wanted to get revenge on a neighbor who made an “insultingly low” offer on the land where the home sits.
Either way, the property has earned quite a reputation over the years, having first been sold in 1983 for $50,000. It was most recently listed and sold for $745,000 in July by Cangie and her husband.
The dwelling underwent a serious makeover before being put on the market—one that saw its once-yellow exterior transformed to an elegant blue-gray hue.
Its listing description made no attempt to hide the unique layout, joking that the property is “wedged” into the local neighborhood.
“Wedged into Seattle’s historic Montlake neighborhood, the Spanish Revival style Montlake Spite House is 15 feet wide on one side and just 55 inches on the other,” it read.
The description called attention to the many upgrades of the two-story abode, including a “new roof, new paint, a new water heater, and an updated kitchen.”
It continued: “Bright main floor offers a living room, bedroom, bath, and kitchen. The lower level has a family room, bedroom, laundry, bath, and separate entrance, ideal for guests, Airbnb, or an ADU.”
In the YouTube tour of the home, Cangie insisted that the home’s peculiar shape did not cause too many difficulties, although she conceded that the narrow areas could be a bit harder to navigate.
“The bathroom is where the angles get weird … makes me think of bathrooms in New York,” she joked. “I mean, compared to New York, [we’re] just grateful that there is not a toilet in [the] bedroom.”
Referring to the dwelling as her “little wedge of cheese,” Cangie admitted that she was initially concerned living in the home would feel like she was residing in a fishbowl. However, the smaller spaces are more cozy than claustrophobic.
She went on to compare the home to New York’s iconic Flatiron building, explaining that, despite having numerous owners over the years, the property’s structure has never been changed or expanded.
“Everybody’s kind of left it intact,” she noted. “As far as we know, this is the original footprint and it’s in great shape.”
Boston also has its own famous spite house, known as the “Skinny House.”
The home is just 10 feet wide and four stories tall.
According to a real estate agent who once offloaded the dwelling, two brothers owned the plot.
One of the siblings is said to have built a lavish home for himself, while the other was fighting in the Civil War. When he returned, he was angry that his brother left him with such a small piece of land, and so he built a narrow tower to block the mansion’s view and sunlight.
A more recent—and slightly more unique—example of a spite house can be found in Kansas, where Aaron Jackson used paint, rather than shape, to make a very pointed property.
Jackson’s plans for his rainbow revenge property began in 2012, when he was living and working in New York City during Hurricane Sandy, which tore the region apart.
According to CNN, he was stuck inside his Queens apartment and decided to do some doom scrolling on the internet to take his mind off things.
Eventually, he came across the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) in Kansas, which is known for its anti-LGBTQ stance—an ethos that Jackson vehemently opposed. So, he decided to do some more digging on Google Maps, where he came across a property with a “for sale” sign outside in the same neighborhood as the church.
“The first thing I saw was that (the church) was in a neighborhood. I was walking around and I decided to do a 360 view and I saw a ‘for sale’ sign in front of the house on Google Earth. I thought it would be really funny to buy that house,” he told the outlet.
Unfortunately, that dwelling was no longer available—so he continued his search, ultimately finding a home in the same area that was on the market.
So, he snapped it up, sight unseen, and got to work on sending a very pointed message.
He painted the home’s exterior in rainbow stripes, ensuring that it resembled a Pride flag, before naming it the Equality House.
Eventually, the property went viral for its crystal clear message, with slews of tourists coming to visit and snap photos of the abode.
A few years later, he purchased the home next door and painted it with the trans flag.
Although many view the home as a spite house, he insists he doesn’t see it that way, instead preferring to view it as a symbol of positivity.
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