The Octagon House
99% Invisible producer emeritus Avery Trufelman traveled from New York to San Francisco recently, and took host Roman Mars to see (0:31) Octagon House, an unusually shaped old building on the west side of the Bay. As it turns out, this peculiar octagonal home isn't unique—there was a whole architectural fad of building these back in the mid 1800s, tapping into a parallel trend: self-improvement.
Publisher Orson Fowler (most famous for being a phrenologist) used his professional position to self-publish a book about the many benefits, health and otherwise, of living in an octagonal home. His book, Octagon House: A Home For All, became a sensation. In its wake, hundreds of octagon houses started popping up all over the country.
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99% Invisible producer emeritus Avery Trufelman traveled from New York to San Francisco recently, and took host Roman Mars to see (0:31) Octagon House, an unusually shaped old building on the west side of the Bay. As it turns out, this peculiar octagonal home isn't unique—there was a whole architectural fad of building these back in the mid 1800s, tapping into a parallel trend: self-improvement.
Publisher Orson Fowler (most famous for being a phrenologist) used his professional position to self-publish a book about the many benefits, health and otherwise, of living in an octagonal home. His book, Octagon House: A Home For All, became a sensation. In its wake, hundreds of octagon houses started popping up all over the country.
Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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