A man built himself a house as tall as an 18-story building. Why? (16 photos)

A strange structure rises above the green sea of ​​taiga. From a distance, it resembles a fairytale black tower, the product of someone's rich imagination. In a sense, this is true, except it wasn't built in a fairytale, but in reality.





For over twenty years, American lawyer Philip Weidner has been building his dream home. Without a plan or any preliminary drawings, guided solely by his skills and dreams. The tower has already reached the height of a standard 18-story building, and only government restrictions have prevented the architect from continuing to climb into the sky. One might assume that Weidner is not quite right in the head, but in reality, he is a clear-headed and still practicing lawyer, having graduated from two of the best universities in the United States. So what drives him?

A lawyer from the backwoods!

Next March, Philip Weidner will turn 80. He was born in a tiny town of three hundred people, tucked away in rural Illinois, and attended an ordinary provincial school. His rural origins didn't stop him from studying on a scholarship at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned two bachelor's degrees: one in industrial management and the other in electrical engineering. This wasn't enough for Philip, and he was able to enroll at Harvard, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1972.

Moreover, at both universities, he was in the top 20% of his class.

It seemed that a young man with such an education would have a bright future in any of his chosen specializations. Weidner chose law, but then took a rather strange course. Instead of becoming a lawyer at one of the major law firms, he moved to remote Alaska, where, after several years of internships in local courts, he opened his own small practice. He hasn't changed his profession and still defends clients in a wide range of situations: from criminal offenses to construction site incidents.



Idea!

Like many Alaskans, Weidner's interests revolve around the outdoors. In his autobiography, he lists his hobbies as "skiing, snowshoeing, river running, recreational shooting, hunting, fishing, and raising sled dogs and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers." It was likely the easy access to the wilderness that prompted him to move to Alaska, where he would eventually spend his entire life.

At some point, with his earnings from his law practice, Weidner acquired three large parcels of land in the town of Talkeetna, a 2.5-hour drive north of Anchorage, the state's largest city.

Once a mining town, it's now a popular tourist destination, serving as one of the gateways to Denali National Park, home to the eponymous mountain, the highest not only in the United States but in all of North America. It was on this property, about a quarter of a century ago, that Philip Weidner began his own mega-construction project. Initially, he had no intention of constructing such an unusual structure. All he wanted was a small cabin that could be used as a base for a country getaway. Things took an unexpected turn.





Higher and Higher!

Initially, Widener envisioned building a completely ordinary two-story log cabin, the kind common in Alaska. He decided against commissioning a professional design. State authorities didn't require architects for such buildings, and Philip decided that his technical education at MIT would be sufficient. After all, even a lawyer with an engineering mindset would likely be able to apply a basic understanding of construction principles to the construction of even the simplest structures.

At first, everything went according to plan.

Weidner completed the foundation and basement. He also built a "safe" room with a secret tunnel there, just in case. Such rooms, protected from outside intrusion, are designed to guard against unwanted break-ins. The first floor was also completed, and construction had begun on the second. It seemed the project was on track for successful completion, after which the cabin only needed to be furnished and ready for occupancy. But then, Weidner had a sudden inspiration. "I realized I could build another house just like this on top of this finished one. And then another, and another. And I kept going, I couldn't stop," he said in an interview. However, at a certain point, he finally had to stop.













Goose Creek Tower!

Weidner played with this full-size construction set until he reached 185 feet (56.4 meters), at which point the house stopped growing. The reason wasn't the instability of its structure, but rather the regulations that limited the height of individual buildings in the area to 200 feet (61 meters). Anything above that height was considered an infringement on federal airspace and required special approvals. The lawyer, more than anyone, knew the intricacies of bureaucracy and decided that the existing height would suffice. At least for now.

The unusual structure was bound to attract the attention of strangers, if only because of its height and unique appearance.

It's nestled in the middle of a forest, but clearly visible from the passing road and, naturally, has become something of a local landmark over time. Online, the Weidner house has earned the nickname "Dr. Seuss's House," after the famous American children's book author, but the owner himself didn't like the nickname at all. "This isn't Dr. Seuss's house, because Dr. Seuss is fiction, and my house is real," Weidner said. "I never got permission from Dr. Seuss to mention his name, and I don't think people should." It's immediately apparent that the owner is a lawyer. Philip himself prefers to call his creation Goose Creek Tower, named after the small river that flows nearby.







Why?

Naturally, everyone curious was interested in why the author's original idea took such a grotesque form. Clearly, it wasn't just a question of how high he could build with his own hands and according to his own design. It's best to let Philipp Weidner himself speak for himself: "I wanted to see. That's why I started climbing. Visibility up there was at least three hundred miles. And, of course, when the Northern Lights are at their peak, they're especially visible from the summit."

Weidner hasn't yet finished his creation.

Goose Creek has no windows or finishes, and most of the rooms haven't yet found their intended use. The basement houses the bedrooms, the first floor houses the kitchen, dining room, and living room, and above that, a labyrinth of stairs and passages begins. Essentially, this original structure is still just a shell. But Weidner, despite his age, hasn't given up hope of finishing the work in the foreseeable future. "I'll use it primarily for my family," he says. "I have children and grandchildren, and it's surrounded by 500 acres of land." He can only hope that everything works out for him. "I hope my house inspires others to do good, not just in building, but in everything they do in life. Because every time I reach the very top, it's a new experience. Goose Creek feels like it gives me a glimpse of the vastness of the universe."









Well Well, that's how it is!