Hollensbury Spite House

Hollensbury Spite House in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, is a tiny two-story dwelling at 523 Queen Street, generally dated to 1830 and named for brickmaker and city council member John Hollensbury. Only 7 feet 6 inches wide and 25 feet deep, it is often called the skinniest house in the United States. Tradition holds that Hollensbury built it to close an alley where people loitered and wagon wheels scraped his wall, though other explanations and later study suggest it may simply have added living space. Reusing adjoining walls, the house turned an awkward gap into a lasting home and became one of Alexandria’s best-known landmarks.

Alexandria, Virginia · United States