Is This The Weirdest House In New York City?

I’ve been doing a lot of scouting in the Bronx recently, which is great because it’s the borough I know the least and I keep finding interesting little things at every turn. Case in point, I was driving down St. Lawrence Avenue last week…

…when I passed by this house:

Now, at first glance, you could easily drive by without noticing anything unusual about it. But when you take the time to stare at it – I mean, really stare it – all of a sudden, it starts to look as if someone had the correct pieces of a normal house, but put them together in completely the wrong order:

For example, shouldn’t this be the roof?? I’ve never seen an entranceway like this, and I can’t imagine how small and oddly shaped it is inside. A chimney extends through a hole in the roof on the other side, suggesting this is the kitchen, of all things:

Then there’s the second floor of the house – with two very small windows yet quite a lot of ceiling height, that has to be one bizarre bedroom:

Finally, here’s the main part of the house – but note how it’s abruptly lopped off in the back:

Bing Maps reveals just how odd this plot of land is: a chain-link fence sections off the property at the strangest angle…

…with the neighboring house literally about two feet away:

I’m not sure even Google Maps understands what’s going on here:

I wish I knew some history on the property, but it’s apparently been abandoned for quite some time.

But doesn’t it almost feel like we’re staring at the second story of a house that has sunk about ten feet into the ground?

I’ve been to a lot of places that are unusual in their decor or abandonment, but for all-around the design, this could be the weirdest. If you know of a a stranger place, please let me know!

-SCOUT

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