Haines Shoe House
See the full list of unusual building here.
Haines Shoe House is a house shaped like a shoe, located in Hellam Township, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a classic example of American ‘roadside’, mimetic architecture.
Successful shoe salesman Mahlon Haines (a.k.a. the ‘Shoe Wizard’) gave one of his work boots to an architect with the instruction “build me a house like this”.
Built between 1948 and 1949, the stucco-covered timber-frame building with stained glass windows reaches a height of 7.6 m (25 ft). The toe contains a living room, while the heel contains the kitchen. Two bedrooms are in the ankle, and an ice cream shop was located in the in-step.
Upon completion, Haines lived in the house before moving over the street and making it available as a vacation spot for newlywed couples.
When Haines died in 1962, the house was given to his employees who sold it to a new owner who continued to sell ice cream to passers-by and tourists from the shop. Two decades later, the shoe house had started to deteriorate and was renovated in 1987 having been bought by Haines’ granddaughter. In 2004, new owners repainted the shoe as part of a ‘Save a Landmark’ PR campaign and opened the house up to public tours.
It has subsequently become a guest house.
You can find out more at: https://www.hainesshoehouse.com/
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
Building Safety recap January, 2026
What we missed at the end of last year, and at the start of this...
National Apprenticeship Week 2026, 9-15 Feb
Shining a light on the positive impacts for businesses, their apprentices and the wider economy alike.
Applications and benefits of acoustic flooring
From commercial to retail.
From solid to sprung and ribbed to raised.
Strengthening industry collaboration in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Institute of Construction and The Chartered Institute of Building sign Memorandum of Understanding.
A detailed description fron the experts at Cornish Lime.
IHBC planning for growth with corporate plan development
Grow with the Institute by volunteering and CP25 consultation.
Connecting ambition and action for designers and specifiers.
Electrical skills gap deepens as apprenticeship starts fall despite surging demand says ECA.
Built environment bodies deepen joint action on EDI
B.E.Inclusive initiative agree next phase of joint equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) action plan.
Recognising culture as key to sustainable economic growth
Creative UK Provocation paper: Culture as Growth Infrastructure.
Futurebuild and UK Construction Week London Unite
Creating the UK’s Built Environment Super Event and over 25 other key partnerships.
Welsh and Scottish 2026 elections
Manifestos for the built environment for upcoming same May day elections.
Advancing BIM education with a competency framework
“We don’t need people who can just draw in 3D. We need people who can think in data.”
Guidance notes to prepare for April ERA changes
From the Electrical Contractors' Association Employee Relations team.
Significant changes to be seen from the new ERA in 2026 and 2027, starting on 6 April 2026.
First aid in the modern workplace with St John Ambulance.
Solar panels, pitched roofs and risk of fire spread
60% increase in solar panel fires prompts tests and installation warnings.
Modernising heat networks with Heat interface unit
Why HIUs hold the key to efficiency upgrades.