Spite Houses

Summary

Podcast Summary: Stuff You Missed in History Class – Episode: Spite Houses

Release Date: February 24, 2025
Hosts: Holly Fry and T.R. Tracy V. Wilson
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

---

Introduction to Spite Houses

In this captivating episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class, hosts Holly Fry and T.R. Tracy V. Wilson delve into the intriguing world of spite houses—structures erected not for utility or aesthetic appeal, but as acts of personal vendetta against neighbors or adversaries. Inspired by Realtor Lisa Dubois’s playful Instagram videos featuring hidden house tours, Holly sparks the conversation by pondering why spite houses haven’t been explored in-depth on the podcast. This curiosity sets the stage for an exploration of four notable spite houses across the United States, each with its unique story of contention and architectural defiance.

1. The Macabre Spite House – Rockport, Maine

Background

The first spite house discussed is the Macabre Spite House, originally constructed in Phippsburg, Maine, and later relocated to Rockport. The story begins with James Macabre, an Irish immigrant born in Londonderry in 1710, who established himself in Phippsburg’s lumber industry, amassing a thousand-acre estate and a large family.

The Revenge Plot

After James's death in 1788, his son Thomas anticipated inheriting the family home. However, due to the manipulative actions of his stepmother, Mary Langdon Storer Hill, and his stepbrother Mark, Thomas was bypassed in the inheritance. In retaliation, Thomas decided to construct a grandiose house in stark contrast to the modest four-square home he was denied.

“So perhaps maybe the most interesting part of this whole story, because by all accounts, Thomas was not angry with his stepbrother Mark. He was irate with his father's widow, Mary.”
— T.R. Tracy V. Wilson [09:13]

Construction and Design

Completed in 1806, the house is celebrated as a fine example of Federal-style architecture. Its nearly square footprint measures approximately 45 by 40 feet, featuring six windows on each side and a duplicate entrance, symbolizing its ostentatious design meant to overshadow his father’s earlier home.

Subsequent History

Tragically, Thomas Macabre did not enjoy his creation for long, passing away in 1815 without heirs. The house changed hands multiple times, eventually being moved to Rockport by Donald Dodge in 1925. Dodge expanded the house and meticulously landscaped its surroundings, earning it the status it holds today. The Thomas Macabre Spite House is now known as the 1774 Inn, celebrating its historical significance.

“The Thomas Macabre Spite House has a story that goes beyond its origin with the Macabre and Hill families.”
— Holly Fry [10:45]

2. The Alameda Spite House – Alameda, California

Common Narrative

The second house explored is the Alameda Spite House, surrounded by conflicting accounts. The popular narrative attributes the house’s existence to Charles Anton Frohling, a Swedish contractor, who built it to obstruct his neighbor Annette Westerdahl’s view after a land dispute.

“Frohling's house would have only just been finished when Mrs. Westerdahl died. So it kind of seems like the paper is just trying to defame the house that drives this agenda home.”
— Holly Fry [23:29]

The Tragic Twist

A tragic element complicates this story. In 1908, Mrs. Westerdahl died by suicide, with the haunting headline claiming the Alameda Spite House contributed to her demise. However, later accounts, including a 2024 East Bay Times article, refute this, presenting a more mundane origin: Frohling built the narrow house to maximize his limited, oddly shaped lot without any personal vendetta.

“Father was a big, easygoing Swede. That was what he could afford to build. It's just like an ordinary house.”
— T.R. Tracy V. Wilson [25:19]

Current Status

Today, the Alameda Spite House remains a unique, narrow dwelling. Current owners attest to its livability, debunking myths of its infamous past. As of 2024, it is privately owned and continues to intrigue visitors with its storied facade.

3. The Frederick Spite House – Frederick, Maryland

Dr. John Tyler’s Defiance

The third spite house is located in Frederick, Maryland, and was built by Dr. John Tyler, an esteemed ophthalmologist and community leader. In 1814, city planners sought to extend Record Street, which would have bisected Tyler’s substantial property. Determined to prevent this, Tyler leveraged a local ordinance that prohibited road expansion if a substantial structure was present.

Rapid Construction

In a strategic and swift maneuver, Dr. Tyler orchestrated the rapid construction of a three-story house overnight, effectively halting the road project. The new structure ensured his land remained untouched, cementing its status as a legitimate spite house.

“Dr. Tyler did not want to lose any of his property to this public works project. He protested the plan through official channels, but he didn't really make any headway.”
— T.R. Tracy V. Wilson [32:12]

Legacy and Current Usage

The Frederick Spite House served as a rental property and later transitioned into a bed and breakfast. Although it is no longer operating as such, the building stands as a testament to Dr. Tyler’s commitment to preserving his property against municipal encroachment.

4. The Hollensbury Spite House – Alexandria, Virginia

John Hollensbury’s Frustration

The final house discussed is the Hollensbury Spite House in Alexandria’s Old Town district. Built in the 1820s by brickmaker John Hollensbury, the seven-foot-wide, two-story structure was designed to block carriage traffic through a narrow alley adjacent to his home at 525 Queen Street. Annoyed by constant disruptions and property damage from passing carriages, Hollensbury purchased the alley and bricked it in, creating a compact abode that effectively deterred unwanted traffic.

“The resulting structure is just seven feet wide. It’s two stories tall with a reported 480 total square feet of space.”
— T.R. Tracy V. Wilson [35:56]

Enduring Evidence

Interior walls of the house still bear the marks from aggressive carriage traffic, serving as physical evidence of its spiteful origins. Despite various rumors and embellishments over the years, the primary motivation remains John Hollensbury’s desire to control his immediate environment.

Modern-Day Recognition

Today, the Hollensbury Spite House is a private residence, having evolved through multiple owners and functions, including a period as a schoolhouse. It remains a highlight on historical tours of Old Town Alexandria, admired for its quirky design and storied past.

“The bright blue house is a regular stop on historical tours of Old Town Alexandria, so though it was built by Hollensbury to keep people he didn’t like away, now it draws lots of visitors.”
— Holly Fry [38:19]

Conclusion

Holly Fry and T.R. Tracy V. Wilson expertly navigate the complex motivations and historical contexts behind each of these spite houses. From Thomas Macabre’s grand architectural retaliation in Maine to John Hollensbury’s narrow defensive structure in Virginia, each house encapsulates a unique narrative of personal vendetta manifested through construction. These stories not only highlight the lengths individuals will go to assert their autonomy but also offer a fascinating glimpse into architectural history shaped by human emotion and conflict.

“We love spite houses. We need to talk about some more behind the scenes.”
— Holly Fry [38:34]

This episode serves as a compelling reminder of how history is often built from personal stories of defiance and resilience, leaving a lasting physical legacy that continues to intrigue and educate future generations.

---

Notable Quotes:

• “If anyone knows this, it's me. I'm Ashlyn Harris.” — Ashlyn Harris [29:09]
• “The Thomas Macabre Spite House has a story that goes beyond its origin with the Macabre and Hill families.” — Holly Fry [10:45]
• “Father was a big, easygoing Swede. That was what he could afford to build. It's just like an ordinary house.” — T.R. Tracy V. Wilson [25:19]
• “Dr. Tyler did not want to lose any of his property to this public works project.” — T.R. Tracy V. Wilson [32:12]
• “We love spite houses. We need to talk about some more behind the scenes.” — Holly Fry [38:34]

---

Listen to the Episode:

For those fascinated by architectural oddities and historical tales of personal vendettas, this episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class is a must-listen. Explore the stories of these spite houses and uncover the human emotions that have left indelible marks on America’s architectural landscape.

Available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

[Holly Fry]

Breaking News T Mobile Network outperforms expectations in all sectors because T Mobile helps keep you connected from the heart of Portland to right where you are on America's largest 5G network. Switch now keep your phone and T Mobile will pay it off up to $800 per line via prepaid card. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com keepandswitch up to 4 lines of your virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlocked device, credit service support in 90 days device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card has no cash access and expires in six months.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

Score Game changing innovations with limited time deals on select next gen Alienware Gaming Tech New dimensions await with advanced gaming systems like the Alienware M18 R2 laptop powered by an Intel Core i9 processor featuring awe inspiring visuals, liquid cooling, three dimensional audio with Dolby Atmos and impressive overclocking potential. Your dream setup, amazing prices and free shipping await you for a limited time [e-mail] DVD. That's alienware.com deals.

[Maria Tremarki]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarki]

Each season we explore a new theme, from poisoners to art thieves.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to to body snatching.

[Maria Tremarki]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

[Holly Fry]

I love storytelling and I love you. So I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

Welcome to Stuff youf Missed in History Class, a production of iHeartRadio. Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly fry.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

And I'm T.R. tracy V. Wilson.

[Holly Fry]

So this episode is 100% inspired by Instagram. Yeah, I don't know. Do you follow Realtor Lisa Dubois?

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

No, she is hilarious.

[Holly Fry]

She came to a lot of people's attention because she started doing this very funny thing where she would show a house that she has listed and she does this thing where she whispers and she plays hide and seek in the house. And she would be like, this house has amazing, has amazing high ceilings and mid century modern architecture. Where do you think I might be hiding in this room? But she's very funny and I love her because in addition to being very funny and making those videos which are very endearing, as she has gotten more and more popular, she's kind of using that platform to also showcase like local businesses that she thinks are great or like bring light to other things and they're always really fun and she's a delight. But anyway, she recently mentioned a spite house in one of her posts and I got to thinking about spite houses and I was like, why have we never done an episode on that? That's super fun. So here we are. Just in case you don't know what a spite house is, it's a structure that's built by one party to irritate another or to cause some sort of difficulty or obstacle or perhaps even damage. And there have been a lot of them built over the years, although there aren't a huge number remaining for various reasons. One is that many just have fallen down or been torn down or been redeveloped over. And another is that in some places, the reason you don't see them now is that we have a lot more building codes than we used to. So there are a lot more municipal laws that would prevent somebody from building a structure that functions in the way some of these do. So today we're only going to talk about four of them. All of these are in the US but this could easily be one of those topics where there are subsequent episodes because there are a lot more spite houses than this, some of which have great stories that I would love to cover at some point. So if your favorite isn't here, hold tight. It could be in the future, but we're going to talk about four today.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

The first spite house we're talking about is the Macabre Spite House, originally built in Phipsburg, Maine, but now located in Rockport, Maine. And we will get to that relocation. But to give context, we have to start with a man named James Macabre, born in Londonderry, Ireland, in 1710. In 1731, Macabre moved to Phipsburg and started what would be a very prosperous life. It's not totally clear whether his first Wife Beatrice Rogers came from Ireland with him or if they got married in the colonies, but she was also from Ireland.

[Holly Fry]

And James built a log cabin on land that he had acquired. And he and Beatrice lived there for more than three decades as he continued to also buy up surrounding land. And eventually he owned a large parcel of a thousand acres. He made his fortune in the lumber industry as well as other business interests and he was able to support a rapidly growing family. He and Beatrice had a reported 12 children together.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

Beatrice died in 1772. Two years later, in 1774, James remarried to a woman named Hannah Nichols Miller. James built a new home for Hannah, a way fancier home than that log cabin. This one was a four square, meaning it was two stories with four rooms on each level. This upgraded home also reflected James's increased status in the Phippsburg area. He had taken on a role of leadership in the Revolutionary War broke out. James at this point in his 60s, became head of the Phippsburg Safety Committee. Hannah and James had three children, a son named Thomas, and twin daughters. But Hannah and James were only married for five years before Hannah died. In 1779, James married for a third time.

[Holly Fry]

His third wife was Mary Langdon Storer Hill, and they got married in 1782. Mary, like James, had lost two spouses and she was 48 when she married James. And she had three children of her own from previous marriages. Two of those children from Mary's first marriage were adults when Mary and James got married. But the youngest, Mark Langdon hill, was just 10 years old. And so he grew up from that point in the Macabre family.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

James Macabre died at the age of 78 in 1788. Shortly after his death, his son Thomas went to sea. When Thomas returned, he was anticipating that he would take possession of his father's house. But he found that things had played out much differently. His stepmother Mary and his stepbrother Mark were still living in the house. Additionally, Mark had married Thomas's sister, Mary. It appears that James's third wife, Mary, had orchestrated this situation so that her son would legally get the house instead of Thomas. The exact legalities of this move are a little bit unclear. A 1925 write up of the story in the Portland Press Herald states, quote, When James McCobb died, his widow brought about a marriage between her son by her first husband and a daughter of James McCobb by his first wife, which gave her control of the large and beautiful estate. Obviously this paper a little misinformed about the fact that James and Mary were each on their third marriages.

[Holly Fry]

Yes. So it remains unclear to me why that would legally cut Thomas out of the equation in terms of inheritance. But it did, and Thomas was enraged, and he hatched a revenge plot, probably maybe right next to his family home. He wanted to build the biggest, most beautiful house that he could to make that four square house that his stepmother had cheated him out of look tiny by comparison. And that's perhaps maybe the. The most interesting part of this whole story, because by all accounts, Thomas was not angry with his stepbrother Mark. He was irate with his father's widow, Mary. Thomas and Mark actually went into business together in 1796, forming a shipbuilding company called Hill and macabre.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

So there's another twist to this story that Holly didn't see mentioned anywhere. It took quite a number of years for this spite house to be built. Some accounts say Thomas completed his house in 1806, and the others say that he built it in 1806. There's an important distinction there. The house was not done until 10 years after he and Mark had been in business together. And Mary Langdon Hill, macabre, that stepmother he alleged to have vowed to get revenge on, actually died in 1806. Her gravestone lists her death as March 24th of that year. Given how difficult it would have been to start a major construction project in Maine in the winter, it seems likely that Thomas didn't even start building this house until after Mary had died. If all of that construction took place in 1806, even if it was under construction before that point, it's not clear whether she ever would have even seen it or appreciated its scale and grandeur. So even if he did outdo the home he had lost in terms of its size and its style, they might not have been. Actually, despite the deceased Mary, this seems like it might not have been a spite house at all. And there's also a darker take that knowing about it may have been what sent Mary to her end, but we just don't really have any confirmation or information on that. It is still called a spite house officially, though we'll talk about its sort of official spite house standing in just.

[Holly Fry]

A moment, because obviously, Thomas did build his house, Even if he waited for Mary to die, in which case it was the most polite spite house ever. And it was, as he promised, massive and grand. In a filing with the national park service from 1974, it is described as a fine example of architecture in the federal style. The house's footprint is an almost square rectangle of just under 45 by 40ft, or 14 by 12 meters. The front and sides of the house each had six windows originally, and one side of the house had a duplicate entrance to the front door.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

Thomas Macabre did not get to enjoy his fine mansion for even a decade. In 1815, while he was serving a term in the Massachusetts legislature as a district of Maine representative, Thomas died unexpectedly. He had not gotten married. He had no children. So the Spite house went to the family of his stepbrother, Mark Langdon Hill, yet another way in which his spite move didn't really play out as perhaps intended. If this truly was a spite move, incidentally, Mark Langdon Hill went on to have an illustrious political career, serving in congress on behalf of Massachusetts, then as a representative of Maine. Once Maine was separated from Massachusetts and became its own state, among other appointments.

[Holly Fry]

The Thomas Macabre Spite house has a story that goes beyond its origin with the Maab and Hill families, one that Thomas Macabre surely did not foresee. The house was sold out of the family in the 1800s, and it changed hands a few times. In 1915, it was purchased by a man named Adelbert Williams. But it was difficult to keep up. And in 1925, it was sold again, this time to Donald Dodge, a man from Philadelphia. And at that point, the house was in pretty rough shape.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

Dodge paid $6,000 for the spite house, and he spent a lot more to get it just the way he liked it and just where he wanted it. Dodge didn't want to move to Phipsburg, so he had the whole home moved to his summer estate at Rockport. Dodge and his moving contractor, Arthur R. Tingley, hired a barge from New Jersey to come up to Maine so that it could be loaded up with the house and carried 85 miles north along the coast to Rockport. In addition to the move, the house got an expansion once it got to its final destination.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, it had two A wing added on on either side. In addition to those two new wings, the Macabre house also had an extensive landscape planned around it, led by landscape architect Robert Wheelwright, who created flower gardens in a formal colonial style, as well as a gazebo and other outdoor living spaces. In 2018, the main historical society shared information about the plants that were kept in those gardens. And that information came from correspondence and order forms that Dodge and his gardener, Henry B. Williams, exchanged with various nurseries.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

One set of exchanges in these letters from October 1954 is very cute. Apparently in a catalog from a nursery called Strawberry Hill, the bulbs being sold for the lily, known as Washingtonianum was described as being the size of a lumberjack's fist. Mr. Dodge thought that was inaccurate writing Quote I was particularly interested in the bulb of Washingtonianum to see how big is a lumberjack's fist. It is a fine bulb, but not up to my idea of a lumberjack's fist. I have bloomed this lily here several years and think it is perfectly exquisite. I secured some real top forest soil from the base of a large oak tree which blew down in a recent hurricane, and I am using it around your lilies. So this seems like a playful comment and not a real criticism. The rest of the letter notes the other plants that were received at Rockport and how much Dodge loved them. The reply from grower AD Rothman notes Quote, your comment on the Washingtonianum and the lumberjack's fist was amusing. Remember, sir, that nurserymen live drab lives and their catalogs, with their opportunity for nurseryman's prose, are virtually their sole surcease.

[Holly Fry]

Not necessarily a story that's particularly important to the Spite House nature of this whole thing, but it was so cute that I had to include it. It in addition to a wide range of lilies, which Dodge clearly loved, there were also azaleas, kalmia, rhododendron, mahonia, and bayberry grown at the house, among others. Some of those gardens and outdoor spaces that were so carefully tended remain, but many of the gardens were reduced in size or streamlined or eliminated to facilitate easier upkeep. That was all done after Dodge died in the 1970s. In 1960, the Thomas Macabre Spite House was listed on the National Park Service's Historic American Building Survey. And then in 1974, it was included on the National Register of Historic Places.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

The original Macabre house, the one that Thomas thought he was going to inherit but did not, still stands. Today it's a bed and breakfast known as the 1774 Inn, marking the year that it was built.

[Holly Fry]

Coming up, we're going to talk about a house in California that really might not be a Spite House. But it sure has gotten a bad reputation as one over the years, thanks in part to a newspaper write up that we'll get into. We'll do all of that after the sponsor break.

[Maria Tremarki]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarki.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarki]

Each season we explore a new theme, everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact.

[Maria Tremarki]

We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective.

[Holly Fry]

And be sure to tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in custom made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell.

[Maria Tremarki]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse and so many commercials about back pain. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians to tell them a buck wild tale from across history and time. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zoe Chao. Titanic, Charles Manson, Alcatraz, Assata Shakur, the sketchy guy named Steve. It's giving funny true crime.

[Holly Fry]

I love storytelling and I love you, so I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

It was a moment that should have broken me, but just because of how I was raised and my bullishness and arrogance to want to be great hardened me. It gave me a platform to be so singularly focused on greatness. We all have moments like this. Something happens that's supposed to break us, but it's in these moments that we discover what we're really made of. I promise you, if anyone knows this, it's me. I'm Ashlyn Harris. This next spite house is in Alameda, California, that sits on an archipelago west of Oakland. And this is one of those instances where there Are competing stories about the origin of the spite house. So the way this is structured is we're going to walk you through the most common one, which is likely not correct. So keep that in mind as we talk about it. And then a somewhat tragic event related to the house. And then we're going to rewind to a different version of this spite house's origin before we land at the account that is possibly the most boring and makes the most sense.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

This one starts with a man named Charles Anton Frohling. Charles was born in 1880. We don't know a whole lot about him other than that he was Swedish. Sometimes he's said to have been a railroad worker, although one obituary states that he was a contractor. We know he was married to a woman named Gertrude. And that couple had two sons, Gilbert C.A. froling and Fred Froling.

[Holly Fry]

I should also mention that some accounts say he was a railroad contractor. So he was building things for the railroad. Perhaps may account for the variations that we see. So the story normally goes that in the early 1900s, Charles inherited property on Broadway in Alameda, and he planned to build his dream home there. But the city actually took a significant slice of his land in order to build a cross street that's now Crist Street. All that was left of Frohling's lot was a 10 by 54 foot rectangle that's roughly 3 by 16.5 meters. So not exactly a huge tract of land and a weird shape. And he supposedly asked his neighbor, Mrs. Annette Westerdahl, to band with him in fighting the city's plan for a cross street, but that she didn't want any part of it, and perhaps was kind of into the idea of her house being at an intersection with a view, since Frohling's lot would not support construction of a house. So according to this story, Frohling built one anyway just to spite her and built it to take up his entire lot 20ft high. So her view was completely obstructed. There is truthfully not just a made up part 1 inch between these two houses. The exterior wall for Frohling's house that is on that 1 inch gap had to be assembled and painted first, then put into place, and then the rest of the house built from there. So on the Crist street side, the second floor overhangs the first to be about 12ft wide. So it has a little extra upstairs space.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

There's a sad development in the story and legacy of the Alameda spite house, and it involves suicide. So if you don't want to hear about that. Skip forward a couple of minutes.

[Holly Fry]

On November 12, 1908, the Oakland Tribune ran a story about a death that places the blame for a suicide on the Alameda spite house, right from the headline, which reads freak house may have been one of the causes of woman taking her life. This article notes that Mrs. Annette Westerdall died, quote, from inhaling gas with suicidal intent at her home, 1345 Broadway. The story shared information about two notes that were left by Mrs. Westerdahl, one to her son, in which she thanked him for taking care of her and asking to be buried simply, and one to her doctor, stating that she had wished to die and that she was intentionally ending her life. And this tragic story mentions several details of her life that may very well have contributed to her mental state. A separation from her husband and the recent death of one of her adult sons, and that she had recently been released from Harrison Sanitarium just a week before her death. But those are all mentioned just in passing. This article instead makes the spite house the clear villain. The bigger problem, according to the paper, was that she had lost income from renting her home out to tenants and rumors because of what the paper referred to as, quote, the freak house.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

But Frohling's house would have only just been finished when Mrs. Westerdahl died. So it kind of seems like the paper is just trying to defame the house that drives this agenda home. Even in the caption to the photo of the Westerdahl home, which reads, quote, the large house is that of the late Mrs. Westerdahl on Broadway Alameda. In the freak house is that of Charles Frohling, which may have worried Mrs. Westerdahl to death.

[Holly Fry]

And that story has some other issues. In a 2024 article in the East Bay Times, the home's current owner stated that that story was untrue and that the real story is that there was not a street planned at the time, but that Frohling did have an agreement with Westerdahl that he would buy part of her backyard to enlarge his small lot for a house. But then Westerdahl backed out of the idea and that catalyzed the building of the house.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

Perhaps the clearest, most sensible and least thrilling version of the story came from Frohling's son Gilbert in an interview he did with the Oakland Tribune in 1957 for an article about narrow houses. Gilbert was 9 when the so called spite house was constructed, and he told the Tribune that the odd narrow lot at the corner of Criston Broadway had been all that his father could afford. The lot was cut down because of the Criss street construction, but that had been before the Frohlings owned it. Charles had, according to his son, the idea that if he and Mrs. Westerdahl compromised, she could have the front of his lot as a little side yard and he could have the back of her lot. That wouldn't change how much square footage he had, but it would give him a less severe rectangle. But Westerdahl did not go for that idea.

[Holly Fry]

Still, according to Gilbert, building the house was not an act of spite at all, but just a matter of his father working with what he had. He told the paper, quote, father was a big, easygoing Swede. That was what he could afford to build. We were a poor family. Everybody had a place to sleep and a bathroom. It's just like an ordinary house. The Frohlings lived in their narrow house for a decade before moving. Charles frohling died in 1924, and neither of the obituaries that I found in research even mention the spite house.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

In 1957, the then owner of the house, Mrs. Elsie Darcy, who the Tribune described as, quote, a short, active, 74 year old grandmother who is a cat fancier, tried to help out her next door neighbors and have the whole house moved. Her intention was that if it could be shifted back on the lot a little, it would enable the neighbors to get some sunshine views. But the city said that was not possible. It was a tear down or nothing. That was in part because in 1938, the city's building code had been updated in ways that would make building such narrow houses illegal. Frolick's house was exempt because it was already built before that, but it couldn't really be changed under the new codes.

[Holly Fry]

That house still stands, and as of that 2024 article, it's had the same owners for more than two decades. They love it and told the East Bay Times, quote, there are people out there laughing, saying, how can someone live in there? How do you get a bed in there? It must be like living a car.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

It's not.

[Holly Fry]

We have a queen size bed. The ceilings are extremely tall. The middle of the house is open to the roof. It's a little jewel box.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

We're going to take a break and hear from the sponsors that keep the podcast going. And then we will be back with two more spite houses.

[Maria Tremarki]

Welcome to the Criminalia podcast. I'm Maria Tramarki.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarki]

Each season we explore a new theme, everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact.

[Maria Tremarki]

We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective.

[Holly Fry]

And be sure to tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in custom made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell.

[Maria Tremarki]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse and so many commercials about back pain. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians to tell him a buckwild tale from across history and time. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zoe Chao. Titanic, Charles Manson, Alcatraz, Assata Shakur, the sketchy guy named Steve. It's giving funny true crime.

[Holly Fry]

I love storytelling and I love you, so I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Holly Fry]

It was a moment that should have broken me, but just because of how I was raised and my bullishness and arrogance to want to be great hardened me. It gave me a platform to be so singularly focused on greatness. We all have moments like this. Something happens that's supposed to break us, but it's in these moments that we discover what we're really made of. I promise you, if anyone knows this, it's me. I'm Ashlyn Harris.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told. Join me every week as I tell some of the most enthralling true crime stories about women who are not just victims, but heroes or villains, or often somewhere in between. Listen to the greatest true crime stories ever told on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

Our next Spite House is in Frederick, Maryland, and it is the work of Dr. John Tyler. And this one is a legit spite house. Well before the construction of his house, Tyler had made a name for himself as an ophthalmologist. He's sometimes said to have been first doctor in the US to perform a cataract surgery, but it's really more accurate to say he was one of the first doctors doing it. That was in the late 1700s. An important distinction made in a write up about the house in the LA Times in 1990 notes that he was the first American born doctor to perform such procedures. Just FYI Couching. The technique Tyler is said to have used involves piercing the eye and then physically moving the lens so that the clouded area no longer obscures vision. I'm gonna tell you now, there's a source for it that I don't even have in the source list because I couldn't look at that page anymore and I ran away.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

So Holly may be saying that because I visibly winced.

[Holly Fry]

I visibly wince. I can handle most stuff, but eyeball surgery, I can handle touching of the eye, putting in context. But eyeball surgery, a little squankier. But in any case, I just wanted to clarify what exactly he was known for. Tyler was, in addition to performing this surgery, also a civic and community leader, and he had served as a senator.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

But all of that was well before 1814 when the spite House was built. Over the years, Tyler had amassed a good bit of wealth and he had invested in property. He'd gotten a significant parcel via a public auction after the land had been seized from a Tory. That parcel sat in a position physically where a street, which was Record street, ended in front of it. Behind the property, there was another street, West Patrick Street. And city planners thought it would be a really good idea to extend Record street and connect these two roadways. That would mean cutting right through Tyler's land.

[Holly Fry]

Dr. Tyler did not want to lose any of his property to this public works project. He protested the plan through official channels, but he didn't really make any headway. He started to look through the various laws and ordinances that applied to private property and road work. And then he found it. There was a local law to Frederick that stated that if a substantial building was in the path of a proposed roadway, the road could not be built there. Now, at the time, the lot where the road was supposed to go was empty. Tyler actually lived in a house that was on the lot next to It. But he hatched a plan.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

Tyler started reaching out to builders and he found one who was willing to help him out and in a hurry. And by in a hurry, we mean that night, because the road work was supposed to start the next day. The road crew did arrive the following morning, but what they found was a foundation being laid and Dr. Tyler sitting in a chair and overseeing things. I'm like, this is Arthur Dent, but backwards. The road was rerouted to cut around the new construction and Tyler got to keep his lot intact. He did complete construction on a three story house and he rented that out. After Tyler's death, the house went through a chain of owners and because of his size, it has bedrooms on each floor. It's been a bed and breakfast for long stretches of time over the years. There doesn't appear to be a bed and breakfast option operating there right now.

[Holly Fry]

No. I went down a rabbit hole looking for it and I found like listed on one of those sites that aggregates inns and bed and breakfasts. It listed, but when you click through, there's nothing there. And then I looked for it on another map site and it said that is closed. So it's not there now, but the building still is. This brings us to our last house, and it is the one that originally started this idea because it's what was mentioned in that Instagram post. And that is the Hollensbury Spite house in the Old Town district of Alexandria, Virginia. And this house has become really famous through the years. It's become a curiosity and a point of pride for the neighborhood. And the current owners, who have had it for quite some time, have been very game about talking to the press about this house's history and how it fits into their life.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

This one starts in the 1820s and a man named John Hollensbury. Hollensbury was a brickmaker and he lived at 525 Queen St. But he was plagued by a problem or many problems in the form of carriages between his home and the next. There was an alley, and it was narrow, but that did not stop carriage drivers from trying to squeak through the alley as a shortcut. And often they did not really fit. They kept gouging the exterior wall of Holland Spray's house. Additionally, there was a lot of foot traffic and loitering. And John, who was the city council member, did not like this. So finally he had an idea.

[Holly Fry]

And that idea was to purchase the alley, paying $45.65 for it. No paltry sum in the late 1820s. And then the brickmaker cut off the alley to through traffic by bricking in each end of it and putting a roof over the top, creating a very narrow house. The resulting structure is just seven feet wide. It's two stories tall with a reported 480 total square feet of space. Although some write ups about the home say it only has 350. You'll also see a couple other numbers floating around out there.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

One of the pieces of supporting evidence for the veracity of this story, because it has some variations, is the fact that the interior walls, which are just the exterior walls of Hollandsbury's house and his neighbors, do indeed still show those dings and gouges from carriages. The variations have no real substantiation. It's all just gossip. And they involve variations of the idea that John had some kind of quarrel with his neighbor or that he may have even been making the space for another family member to live in.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, those don't have a lot of information to back them up. The only real piece of evidence evidence is is those gouges in the wall. John Hollensbury died on June 16, 1856, at the age of 84. At that point, he had been a resident of Alexandria for 75 years. And the unique narrow house he created has gone through several owners and identity since then, including being a schoolhouse for a while.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

But today, the Hollinsbury spite house is a private home. It's passed through a number of hands, but in 1990, it was purchased by John Samus. He owns it with his wife Colleen, and the two of them gave an interview for the New York Times in 2008 in which Colleen told the story of the two of them meeting at a dinner party and how wowed she was when she found out John owned the spite house. As for John's history with the house, he knew about it well before he bought it and has said that he. When he was walking around the city for lunch or for meetings, he would often purposely take in a route that would take him past this curious little house. He told the Washington Post in 2006, quote, One Sunday, I saw a small ad in the paper that described this little house, and I knew which one it was immediately I got in my car and went down there to the open house and bought it that day. I didn't know what I wanted to do with it. I knew I wouldn't live in it full time. It just seemed like too good of an opportunity to pass up.

[Holly Fry]

Although he may not have had a plan when he signed the deal for the deed, which cost him $135,000. Samis hired a contractor and a decorator to update the home for modern living while still retaining its historic personality. So they did things like install ac, for example, and to make more space, the backyard was turned into a garden and sort of an outdoor living space.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

The bright blue house is a regular stop on historical tours of Old Town Alexandria, so though it was built by Hollandsbury to keep people he didn't like away, now it draws lots of visitors.

[Holly Fry]

I love the kind of flip of how that played out, but those are some spite houses. I love spite houses. We need to talk about some more behind the scenes I have a listener mail. This is from our listener Yuan, whose name I probably mispronounced slightly. I'm doing my best. Fingers crossed. Who is writing about Tamara de Lempicka and writes ladies, on my way to de Young Museum today, I re listened to your Tamara Lempicka episode to make sure her life story was fresh. The ticket agent surprised me when he asked me if I was to visit the Tamara de Lempickka exhibition. I made a mental note not to skip the C in her name, given her Polish root. Ch sounded about right then. The bio page in several places on interpretive panels and side panels says that critics used to rave about Monsieur de Lempitzky because she signed her early work T. De Monsieur Lempicki's masculine form, given that C was followed by a consonant, TZ makes more sense. Maybe the ticket agent was just attempting at Polish, or maybe I simply misheard. Wikipedia further indicates that the first letter is softened and sounds like W, although I doubt if there is public awareness outside Slavic populations. Meanwhile, US and TV radio hosts had passing pronunciations of Lequilentza. Before I go on with this email, what I will say is I had looked at all of these variations and I eventually defaulted to the way her great granddaughter says it because the DeYoung produced like a short documentary about the exhibit and she pronounces it more or less the way we pronounced it. And so that's just what I defaulted to, just in case anybody's curious. Also, given Tamara de Lempica and her personality and the fact that she changed her name to sound more artsy, I guess I think we have some leeway. I also my friend who inspired the episode in the first place mentioned she's gone back to the exhibit a couple of times and she said, I don't think anyone I have talked to there at the museum has ever used her last name. They just say Tamara every time. So this might be a confusion situation for everyone. In any case, to complete the email the exhibit is really rich. Not only are the art stunning, but also the stories placed throughout the exhibit and your podcast enrich each other perfectly. But the exhibition shows no abstract there's not even a mention of this post war direction. Meanwhile, the show blames the 1941 New York and San Francisco failures on the overly religious tone in the selection. The 8 out of original 12 San Francisco pieces in exhibit indeed lack the edge of her Art Deco era, despite similarity in techniques. DeYoung conjectures that she perhaps wanted to avoid attention of antisemitists by selecting this theme, but those interpretations appear too speculative to me, considering her parents converted before she was even born, considering that she was well received in the US in the 30s when anti Semite sentiment was heightened. These pieces, as well as the First Communion, which Cazette could not recall, could easily be common subjects of an artist of that time, especially someone who had great grasp of previous masters. I looked into Tamara's granddaughter's book in the gift store and could not find anything to support the museum's interpretations either. Thanks again for the reminder that the exhibition was to close soon. I had a joyful day at de Young. A new exhibit of Henri Matisse's original plates for Jazz was another big surprise. If you remove his name, I couldn't connect the book to Matisse. Thank you so much for this email. I will say also, a couple of people have emailed us because I mentioned with some woe that I was not going to make it to San Francisco in time and said hey, you know, it's coming to Houston after that, so see you soon. Houston. I'm going to make it work, however, I have to. Even if it's just a quick day trip where I fly out and see it and come right home because I really want to see this exhibit. So thank you, thank you, thank you for writing us. It is an interesting thing. Her name becomes this kind of swirl if nobody really has a solid decision on it, which cracks me up a little bit. It seems very much in line with her as a person. She'd probably chastise us and take our plates of food away. In any case, if you would like to write to us, you could do so at history podcast@iheartradio. You can also subscribe to the show if you haven't already on the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you listen to your favorite shows.

[T.R. Tracy V. Wilson]

Stuff youf Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio for more podcasts from iHeartRadio visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite show.

[Maria Tremarki]

Welcome to the Criminalia podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarki]

Each season we explore a new theme, from poisoners to art thieves.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.

[Maria Tremarki]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro, and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

[Holly Fry]

I love storytelling and I love you, so I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

Why does the Godfather of AI warn that the very thing he helped create now has a 10 to 20% chance of leading to human extinction in the next three decades? And what did he learn from losing his wife to cancer about how to approach the future of AI? I'm Os Velocian, host of Tech Stuff, and I'm so excited to share this memorable and intimate conversation with Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton. Listen to Tech stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jon Stewart is back at the Daily show, and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports, and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondence and contributors, and with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.