Attention All Sci-Fi Enthusiasts: Flying Saucer House of Chattanooga Up for Auction

Chattanooga, Tennessee's landmark flying saucer house is on the auction block set for on-site sale on Saturday, March 15th at 1 p.m. This auction goes to show that if you've always dreamed of living in a flying saucer, your dreams can always become reality. The truly unique home had a decent starting bid of $100,000 but no word yet on what it officially sold for. The out-of-this-world private residence has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a custom bar (with an alien poster behind it that reads 'I'm just here for the beer' at that), a custom curved tub, wintertime views of the Tennessee River from Signal Mountain and perhaps the most far out space age feature: a retractable staircase that swings back up with the touch of a button.

It's a house that gives drivers-by whiplash turning to see it again and a house that sparks legend, conversation, and a fair share of gawkers. Want to see what the inside looks like? Ebay has photos. There are also videos from tourists and a small on-the-set video from HGTV's 'What's With That House' that was filmed at the location.

It seems every city in America has a weird house...sometimes more. My home city of Cincinnati, Ohio boasts quite a few weird houses that are the talk of the town.

The Spaceship House of Covington, Kentucky

Quite similar to Chattanooga's spaceship house is another spaceship house just across the river from Cincinnati in Covington, Kentucky. This house isn't made of concrete like the Chattanooga house. It's made of fibergalss and was a creation by a now-famous designer.

When I was in my young twenties, there was always mystery surrounding the house just across the river and we'd often take drives over by it to gawk and wonder about who would live in such a house.

"A total Star Trek junkie..." one friend said. Another was convinced that someone who lived in a spaceship house was a whacko that wore tin foil hats and who thought having a spaceship house would convince invading aliens he was a "friendly" and would spare his life. That's what makes having a mysterious house in your neighborhood so much fun - the speculations, the mystery, and the urban legends.

The story behind the house doesn't stack up to the myth. The house is a fiberglass construction touted to be "the home of the future" by the Finnish creator, Matti Suuronen. The first fiberglass futuristic home was constructed in 1968. The one that sits on a hill in Convington, Kentucky with a killer view of the city was bought for a Cincinnati Home & Garden show in 1973. Today, less than fifty of these homes exist in the United States.

The website, futuro-house.net, is dedicated to providing information and photos of every one of the homes left out there, today. Cincinnati news channel, WKRC-TV, Channel 12 did a special on the house including a look at the interior, which is generous in mirrors and silvery finishes to complete the futuristic look. The guy that owns it seems like a pretty normal individual. So much for the tin foil hat theory. Click here to take you to the site with the complete news video.

Chateau LaRoche (aka. "Loveland Castle") - Loveland, Ohio

Even if there is not much of an interesting legend behind the Spaceship house of Covington, tales of eccentric men with bizarre dreams of larger-than-life homes aren't completely out of play. There is still Chateau LaRoche in Loveland, Ohio. You can't own this house, but it's still a noteworthy place that was once a private residence.

The castle's christened name was 'Chateau LaRoche' but over the years, locals began to simply call it "Loveland Castle" because it has the appearance of a small French castle. The website for the castle states the the castle "was built as an expression and reminder of the simple strength and rugged grandeur of the mighty men who lived when Knighthood was in flower". The castle is also the world headquarters of an organization of Knights of the Golden Trail whose only vows are the Ten Commandments.

An eccentric, but genteel man named Harry Andrews constructed Chateau LaRoche beginning in 1929 on the North bank shore of the Little Miami River and continued adding and improving his castle until his death in 1981 at age 91. The castle is compromised of seventeen rooms and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The rock used to construct the castle was pulled from the riverbed of the nearby Little Miami River. Harry Andrews carried all the rocks from the river by himself...a massive undertaking when you look at the photos of the castle.

Perhaps even more interesting than the building itself is Harry's story. He served as a medic in World War I even though he detested the impersonalization of modern warfare and thought the medieval way of fighting in hand-to-hand combat was far more honorable. He became a medic to save lives as a result of unfair warfare. He was knighted by a French Earl after saving his son. Harry contracted spinal meningitis during his deployment and was mistakenly reported dead to his fiancée. His fiancée then married another man. Harry returned home to Ohio where he worked for a local newspaper and taught Sunday school classes. He vowed to build the young boys from his all-male Sunday school class a castle...and he did. He also christened them all the 'Knights of the Golden Trail'.

Harry died after an unfortunate accident either burning leaves or cooking on the roof. His polyester pants caught fire and burned his legs. He died a little over two weeks later from gangrene. Of course, as with any historic property, there are the ghost stories and Chateau LaRoche is now a public estate hosting tours, weddings, and Halloween events.

"The Mushroom House" - Hyde Park, Ohio

The amazing site 'Make Cincinnati Weird' dubs it "The Mushroom House" and it's a very suitable name for a very odd house. It could resemble a moldy bit of fungi that just won't stop growing and sprouting new and ugly additions, but to me, I always thought it looked like something some creative hippies had put together after getting high and raiding a junkyard. It's quite possibly the oddest-looking home I've ever seen. I guess to really get the point, you just have to take a look at the photos here.

Rumor on the internet is that a Cincinnati professor into "organic architecture" designed the home and had students help him work on it for a grade. I hope they didn't get an F for the sheer ugliness of the place, though it is very creative. What a smart way to build a house if you're a professor of architecture. Don't we all wish we were architectural professors? The house was on the market just last year.

Who would want to give up such a crazy house?

Well, consider how you would feel if your house was a national landmark and constantly had people stopping to snap photos of your home. I wouldn't want to live in such creative, elaborate dwellings because I prefer my privacy, but for those craving more than a standard drywall and nails construction, living in landmark oddity homes may be your niche.

The problem with living in a weird house are the gawkers that think that because your house is weird, you must be too. It also makes walking about in the buff a near impossibility. Note one for those with their eye on weird houses - Invest in some thick, custom-made curtains. You will have to get used to tourists sometimes being as brazen as trying to look in your windows. Another problem is if you are a recluse and unfriendly, the neighborhood kids may be sure to take it out on you. Every kid has to have a house of legend to create some fear and excitement. The best way to ensure your oddity home and belongings stay protected is to befriend the neighbors and the kids and let them know because you live in a weird house, it doesn't necessarily make you weird.

Another thing: your home is a beloved landmark. That will make others feel it belongs to their community even if you are the one paying the mortgage on it. Any change to the landmark can be met with criticism and scorn from the neighborhood. Be careful what you do to a favorite landmark. You don't want to be the guy that painted the flying saucer house 'hot pink' and angered the town. People don't want their favorite landmarks to change very much. A landmark is something, in their minds, that will always be there to welcome them home like a comforting beacon. Keep all this in mind when thinking of buying that house in the shape of a shoe.

In every city in America you will find a home built by those who wanted to stand out in a crowd. If you're even the highest bidder, you could be the proud owner of digs that are the envy and talk of the town.