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
Skills gap and investment returns on apprenticeships
ECA welcomes new reports from JTL Training and The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership.
Committee report criticises UK retrofit schemes
CIOB responds to UK’s Energy Security and Net Zero Committee report.
Design and construction industry podcasts
Professional development, practice, the pandemic, platforms and podcasts. Have we missed anything?
C20 Society; Buildings at Risk List 2025
10 more buildings published with updates on the past decade of buildings featured.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme and certifications consultation
Summary of government consultation, closing 11 June 2025.
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
From project managers to rising stars, sustainability pioneers and more.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.