{"id":34373,"date":"2025-10-06T21:21:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T21:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/the-coolest-building-in-every-us-state\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T21:21:34","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T21:21:34","slug":"the-coolest-building-in-every-us-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/usa\/the-coolest-building-in-every-us-state\/","title":{"rendered":"The coolest building in every US state"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e42ad1cc993f9955cfa186?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Simmons Hall at MIT.\"\/><figcaption>Simmons Hall at MIT.<\/p>\n<p>IVY PHOTOS\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>The US has diverse architecture across its 50 states.<\/li>\n<li>Some buildings are grandiose and elegant, while others are quirky and unique.<\/li>\n<li>These buildings make for some cool and striking tourist attractions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The United States, with its extensive history, has given rise to some striking and unique architecture.<\/p>\n<p>From preserving local history to showcasing some of each region&#039;s unique cultural quirks, these 51 buildings across the US are worthy of being tourist attractions.<\/p>\n<p>Defining what we consider to be the &quot;coolest&quot; is hard. We evaluated every state on its own terms, and we&#039;ve found that the architecture across all 50 \u2014 and Washington, DC \u2014 is as diverse as its population.<\/p>\n<p>In states like California and Massachusetts, it meant picking buildings that look futuristic and elegant, like something out of a science-fiction movie.<\/p>\n<p>In other states, like Maine and the Carolinas, we&#039;ve found that the coolest buildings are distinctive because of their place in history or the state&#039;s culture.<\/p>\n<p><em>James Grebey and Jacob Shamsian contributed to an earlier version of this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>ALABAMA: Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Passenger Terminal<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e009965dbc4fd10daa27a2?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Passenger Terminal\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Cavan-Images\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Passenger Terminal in Mobile, Alabama, which has Spanish influences with its cream walls and red clay tiles, was designed by P. Thornton Marye. It was constructed in 1907 and has undergone restoration since passenger train service ceased in the 1950s.<\/p>\n<p>ALASKA: The University of Alaska&#039;s Museum of the North<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e009b6cc993f9955cf808e?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The University of Alaska Museum of the North\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Kit Leong\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The University of Alaska Museum of the North is home to numerous exhibits showcasing the native cultures, natural wonders, and wildlife of our nation&#039;s largest state. It&#039;s also a stylish refuge from the cold.<\/p>\n<p>ARIZONA: Chapel of the Holy Cross<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e009ec5dbc4fd10daa27b3?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Chapel of the Holy Cross\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Angel DiBilio\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona was finished in 1956, and it juts out majestically from a red stone butte some 200 feet above the ground.<\/p>\n<p>ARKANSAS: Thorncrown Chapel<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68deec7e5dbc4fd10daa15cb?format=jpeg\" alt=\"thorncrown chapel\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>barrywright\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The beautiful Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs looks like an open-air structure, but it&#039;s actually a serene, glass-enclosed architectural marvel.<\/p>\n<p>CALIFORNIA: The Chemosphere<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e00a6ccc993f9955cf80b5?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Chemosphere\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Jim Steinfeldt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was designed in 1960, but the Chemosphere still looks futuristic. It&#039;s a house with 2,200 square feet of space, perched atop a 30-foot concrete pole. And it&#039;s survived every single Californian earthquake to pass through the San Fernando Valley since it was built.<\/p>\n<p>COLORADO: Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e41e91cc993f9955cfa05e?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Mesa Verde National Park\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Laima Swanson\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features some of the best-preserved prehistoric landscapes of the Ancestral Puebloan people. These ancient dwellings, where the Ancestral Puebloans once lived, were constructed on the sides of natural cliffs.<\/p>\n<p>While most dwellings had only one to five rooms, the Cliff Palace, the largest known cliff dwelling in North America, had 150 rooms, 23 sacred meeting spaces, and housed approximately 100 people, according to the National Park Service.<\/p>\n<p>CONNECTICUT: Grace Farms<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e00b721c1f80efbec4e555?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Grace Farms\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>365 Focus Photography\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The main feature of Grace Farms in New Canaan is a serpentine wooden pavilion that links glass-walled rooms, including a library, stage, tea room, and a gym with a full basketball court. Completed in 2015, it&#039;s open to the public for free.<\/p>\n<p>DELAWARE: Wilmington&#039;s Grand Opera House<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e00c88cc993f9955cf8124?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Wilmington&#039;s Grand Opera House\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>JHVEPhoto\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The country&#039;s oldest state has some classic buildings that stand the test of time. Wilmington&#039;s Grand Opera House, built in 1871, is as classic as it gets.<\/p>\n<p>FLORIDA: The Salvador Dal\u00ed Museum<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e00cba1c1f80efbec4e5bc?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Salvador Dal\u00ed Museum\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Jeff Greenberg\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Salvador Dal\u00ed Museum in St. Petersburg is a fittingly unique tribute to the beloved master of surrealism. The museum boasts the largest collection of Dali&#039;s work outside Europe.<\/p>\n<p>GEORGIA: The Earth Lodge on Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e41a185dbc4fd10daa46f4?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Ocmulgee National Monument\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Jeffrey M. Frank\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This might not look much like other buildings in this list, but the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park&#039;s Earth Lodge dates back to the year 1015, per the National Park Service.<\/p>\n<p>The lodge is a reconstructed council chamber of the native Mississippian culture. While the walls and ceiling were reconstructed in the late 1930s, the clay floor remains the same as the original, dating back over a thousand years.<\/p>\n<p>HAWAII: \u02bbIolani Palace<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e00d49cc993f9955cf8165?format=jpeg\" alt=\"\u02bbIolani Palace in Honolulu is the only royal palace on United States soil. David Kal\u0101kaua, the last reining king of Hawaii and the first monarch to travel around the world, was inspired by European palaces he saw on his 1881 voyage.\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Michael Warwick\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u02bbIolani Palace in Honolulu is the only royal palace on United States soil. David Kal\u0101kaua, the last reigning king of Hawaii and the first monarch to travel around the world, was inspired by the European palaces he saw during his 1881 voyage.<\/p>\n<p>IDAHO: The Dog Bark Park Inn<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e00dea5dbc4fd10daa28bb?format=jpeg\" alt=\"dog bark park inn cottonwood\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Martyn Skorkin\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood is a delightful piece of American kitsch. The bed and breakfast is shaped like two charming beagles.<\/p>\n<p>ILLINOIS: Bah\u00e1&#039;\u00ed House of Worship<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e00e815dbc4fd10daa28ea?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Bah\u00e1&#039;\u00ed  Wilmette, Illinois\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Leotakespictures\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although there are between 5 and 6 million adherents to the Bah\u00e1&#039;\u00ed Faith, there are only eight continental houses of worship worldwide. The one in Wilmette, Illinois, is the oldest still standing, and the only one in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>INDIANA: West Baden Springs Hotel<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e00e9d5dbc4fd10daa28f4?format=jpeg\" alt=\"West Baden Springs Hotel\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>IN Dancing Light\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the West Baden Springs Hotel opened in 1902, it was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World. While enjoying the view from inside the massive domed atrium \u2014 at one point the largest in the world \u2014 it&#039;s easy to see why.<\/p>\n<p>IOWA: Grotto of the Redemption<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01088cc993f9955cf8237?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Father Paul Dobberstein promised to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary as she helped cure his grave case of pneumonia. His resulting Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend is made of rocks, shells, fossils, and gems pressed into concrete. It&#039;s the size of a football field.\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Tom Robertson\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Father Paul Dobberstein promised to build a shrine to the Virgin Mary as she helped cure his grave case of pneumonia. His resulting Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend is made of rocks, shells, fossils, and gems pressed into concrete. It&#039;s the size of a football field.<\/p>\n<p>KANSAS: Big Well in Greensburg<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e010aecc993f9955cf8243?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Big Well in Greensburg\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Mark Reinstein\/Corbis via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Big Well in Greensburg is a museum that rests atop its titular main attraction: the largest hand-dug well in the world, spanning 32 feet in diameter and reaching a depth of 109 feet.<\/p>\n<p>KENTUCKY: Churchill Downs<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e010ec5dbc4fd10daa2978?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Churchill Downs\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Chad Robertson Media\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Churchill Downs, most famously the host of the Kentucky Derby, can hold 120,000 excited, sometimes rowdy, racing fans at max capacity.<\/p>\n<p>LOUISIANA: The Pontalba Buildings<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e0110c5dbc4fd10daa2988?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Pontalba Buildings, which make up two sides of New Orleans&#039; Jackson Square, are emblematic of the French Quarter. Some of the residences on the upper floors are thought to be the oldest continuously-rented apartments in the country.\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Page Light Studios\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Pontalba Buildings, which make up two sides of New Orleans&#039; Jackson Square, are emblematic of the French Quarter. Some of the residences on the upper floors are believed to be the oldest continuously rented apartments in the country.<\/p>\n<p>MAINE: The Portland Head Light<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01130cc993f9955cf826d?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Portland Head Light\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Juliany&#039;s Torres\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Portland Head Light \u2014 one of the state&#039;s many lighthouses \u2014 has been around since 1791. It was built under the directive of George Washington himself.<\/p>\n<p>MARYLAND: The American Visionary Art Museum<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68dfd4a15dbc4fd10daa1da7?format=jpeg\" alt=\"American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Stoniko\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore showcases outsider art. All the works within its wonky exterior were made by inspired, self-taught creators.<\/p>\n<p>MASSACHUSETTS: Simmons Hall at MIT<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e011765dbc4fd10daa29a3?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Simmons Hall at MIT\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>f11photo\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Simmons Hall at MIT is the coolest dorm building in the US. It looks like a monstrous Tetris piece combined with underground caverns.<\/p>\n<p>MICHIGAN: Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e417f7cc993f9955cf9f6b?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Aaron J. Thornton\/Getty Images for Elley Orem<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The museum, one of the oldest and largest dedicated to African American history, is a three-story building designed with influences of African and local Detroit architecture. The building features a stunning 55-foot-tall glass dome ceiling.<\/p>\n<p>MINNESOTA: The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e011f4cc993f9955cf82a5?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Marjorie McNeely Conservatory\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Ken Wolter\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Saint Paul&#039;s Como Park was opened to the public in 1915 and features Japanese, Bonsai, and butterfly gardens, among others.<\/p>\n<p>MISSISSIPPI: Gehry&#039;s Pods at the Ohr-O&#039;Keefe Museum of Art<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e415d81c1f80efbec50353?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Ohr-O&#039;Keefe Museum of Art\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>EQRoy\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Designed by Frank Gehry \u2014 whose striking work also includes the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain \u2014 the curved metal pods, which house pottery at Biloxi&#039;s Ohr-O&#039;Keefe Museum of Art, are meant to look as if they were &quot;dancing with the trees,&quot; per the museum&#039;s website.<\/p>\n<p>MISSOURI: The Community Bookshelf<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e012515dbc4fd10daa29e0?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Community Bookshelf missouri\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Matt Fowler KC\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The parking garage at the Kansas City Library is called the Community Bookshelf. It displays the giant spines of 22 classic books that were suggested by Kansas City readers.<\/p>\n<p>MONTANA: Montana State Capitol building<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01289cc993f9955cf82c7?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Montana State Capitol\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Mihai_Andritoiu\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Construction started on the Montana State Capitol in 1896. The inside of the rotunda salutes four types of people central to the state&#039;s early history: a native American, an explorer, a gold miner, and a cowboy.<\/p>\n<p>NEBRASKA: Nebraska State Capitol Building<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e022eecc993f9955cf85f6?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Nebraska State Capitol Building\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Mihai_Andritoiu\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Nebraska Capitol in Lincoln is one of the greatest state capitol buildings in the US. Built between 1922 and 1932, the building features artworks representing the development of law and the state of Nebraska.<\/p>\n<p>NEVADA: Ward Charcoal Ovens<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e012c0cc993f9955cf82d7?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Ward Charcoal Ovens\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Kit Leong\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The distinctive beehive-shaped Ward Charcoal Ovens in Ely were built for silver mining back in the 1870s, and they still look like nothing else on the landscape.<\/p>\n<p>NEW HAMPSHIRE: Mount Washington Hotel<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e0230c5dbc4fd10daa2d1b?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Mount Washington Hotel\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Wangkun Jia\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Built in 1902, the Mount Washington Hotel \u2014 today operating as the Omni Mount Washington Resort \u2014 is one of the last remaining grand hotels in the state, and is rumored to be haunted.<\/p>\n<p>NEW JERSEY: Nassau Hall at Princeton University<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e013051c1f80efbec4e757?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Nassau Hall is the oldest building at Princeton University. While today it contains the school&#039;s administrative offices, during the Revolutionary War it was held by both British and American forces, and was damaged during the battles.\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Hansonl\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nassau Hall is the oldest building at Princeton University, dating back to the 1750s. While it now houses the school&#039;s administrative offices, during the Revolutionary War it was occupied by both British and American forces and suffered damage during the battles.<\/p>\n<p>NEW MEXICO: Taos Pueblo<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01345cc993f9955cf82fa?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Taos Pueblo\"\/><figcaption>This October 2012 photo shows adobe dwellings at the Taos Pueblo in Taos, N.M., a UNESCO World Heritage site where the Taos native people have lived for 1,000 years. Tours of the pueblo describe the community\u2019s survival and challenges across the centuries. The picture-perfect dwellings are multi-level, often with ladders to reach upper floors and round ovens outside.<\/p>\n<p>AP Photo\/Beth Harpaz<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hundreds of years old, Taos Pueblo is a multi-story complex built by Native Americans from the region. It looks like one big, molded piece, and it&#039;s still used as a residence.<\/p>\n<p>NEW YORK: The Chrysler Building<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e013a65dbc4fd10daa2a35?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Chrysler Building\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Stefano Politi Markovina\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Empire State Building gets all the hype, but it&#039;s the Chrysler Building that&#039;s really the most magnificent skyscraper in New York City. The Art Deco-style building was the tallest in the world when it was built, but it was beaten out by \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 the Empire State Building just 11 months later.<\/p>\n<p>NORTH CAROLINA: The Executive Mansion<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68dfe004cc993f9955cf7820?format=jpeg\" alt=\"north carolina Executive Mansion\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Dee Browning\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Give it to North Carolina for having its most beautiful building designated as a civil landmark. The state&#039;s Executive Mansion in Raleigh is the home of the governor and a high-profile event venue that&#039;s open to public tours.<\/p>\n<p>NORTH DAKOTA: The North Dakota Heritage Center<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e0141ecc993f9955cf8322?format=jpeg\" alt=\"North Dakota Heritage Center\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Nagel Photography\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the center of the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck is a great glass cube flanked by two copper-colored wings. It&#039;s the home of the state&#039;s greatest treasures, including Native American historical artifacts and lots of dinosaur fossils.<\/p>\n<p>OHIO: The Longaberger Company building<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e0144b1c1f80efbec4e79b?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Longaberger Company\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>CJM Grafx\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Longaberger Company, which makes baskets, made a building in Newark that perfectly matches its brand. The building was closed in 2016, and it has sat idle since.<\/p>\n<p>Plans for the property have included a hotel, a coworking space, and, most recently, a mixed-use development, but it still has an unclear path for the future.<\/p>\n<p>OKLAHOMA: First Americans Museum<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e413431c1f80efbec502e4?format=jpeg\" alt=\"First Americans Museum\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Kit Leong\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The First Americans Museum&#039;s 175,000-square-foot building in Oklahoma pays homage to the state&#039;s indigenous populations and their history. The design is inspired by the importance placed on the rising and setting sun by Native populations, with the Remembrance Walls being aligned with the sunrise.<\/p>\n<p>The central half-dome is supported by 10 pillars of various stones, which each represent a 10-mile stretch traveled by Native people during forced removal from their original homelands, per the museum&#039;s website.<\/p>\n<p>OREGON: The Portland Building<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e0182bcc993f9955cf83bb?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Portland Building\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>EQRoy\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2009, Travel + Leisure famously called The Portland Building &quot;one of the most hated buildings in America,&quot; and its reputation is split among architecture critics. But its shapes, strange geometric clashes of glass and stone, make it the weird building that Portland most deserves.<\/p>\n<p>PENNSYLVANIA: Frank Lloyd Wright&#039;s Fallingwater<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01859cc993f9955cf83c5?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Frank Lloyd Wright&#039;s  Fallingwater\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>WillAshley\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Frank Lloyd Wright&#039;s 1935 masterpiece Fallingwater remains Pennsylvania&#039;s greatest work of architecture. Water falls from each level of the building into the one below, perfectly integrating with the landscape.<\/p>\n<p>RHODE ISLAND: The Breakers<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e02828cc993f9955cf8708?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Breakers\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Built as a summer residence for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, The Breakers mansion in Newport has 70-rooms across 138,300 square feet, making itone of the largest houses in the US and an icon of Gilded Age architecture.<\/p>\n<p>SOUTH CAROLINA: The International African American Museum<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e412c6cc993f9955cf9e6e?format=jpeg\" alt=\"the international african american museum south carolina\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Sean Rayford\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In South Carolina, the International African American Museum stands on top of 18 13-feet pillars that keep the museum from touching the sacred ground on which it was built.<\/p>\n<p>The museum is situated on the historic site of Gadsden&#039;s Wharf in Charleston&#039;s Cooper River, which was the last and most significant disembarkation point in North America for enslaved Africans during the transatlantic slave trade, per the US Civil Rights Trail website.<\/p>\n<p>SOUTH DAKOTA: The Corn Palace<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e019aa5dbc4fd10daa2b28?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Corn Palace\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Dennis MacDonald\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The walls of the Corn Palace in Mitchell are adorned with complex murals and art that&#039;s all been made out of, you guessed it, corn. The design changes every year.<\/p>\n<p>TENNESSEE: Parthenon in Centennial Park<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e028ec5dbc4fd10daa2e4f?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Parthenon in Centennial Park\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>jdross75\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition \u2014 and then reconstructed between 1921 and 1930 \u2014 the Parthenon in Centennial Park is a full-sized replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Today, it&#039;s open to the public as an art museum.<\/p>\n<p>TEXAS: James Turrell&#039;s Twilight Epiphany skyspace<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e019df5dbc4fd10daa2b31?format=jpeg\" alt=\"James Turrell Skyspace\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>The Washington Post\/The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Designed by renowned artist James Turrell, the &quot;Twilight Epiphany&quot; Skyspace in Houston is a performance space that makes you feel as though you&#039;ve entered another dimension.<\/p>\n<p>UTAH: Natural History Museum of Utah<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01a785dbc4fd10daa2b53?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Utah&#039;s Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City looks like it could have been carved out of the landscape. It was designed by Todd Schliemann of Ennead Architects.\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>JHVEPhoto\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City looks like it could have been carved out of the landscape. It was designed by Todd Schliemann of Ennead Architects.<\/p>\n<p>VERMONT: The Old Round Church<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01b041c1f80efbec4e89f?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The Old Round Church in Richmond is technically a 16-sided polygon, but it&#039;s still enough of a circle to lend credence to a rumor that it was built in that shape so that the Devil had no corners to hide in.\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Wirestock Creators\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Old Round Church in Richmond is technically a 16-sided polygon, but it&#039;s still enough of a circle to lend credence to a rumor that it was built in that shape so that the Devil had no corners to hide in.<\/p>\n<p>VIRGINIA: Dulles International Airport<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01b8a1c1f80efbec4e8c0?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Dulles International Airport building\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Cheryl Lynn Photography\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If they&#039;re done wrong, airports can be the most insufferable place to spend a few hours. But we have to admire Virginia&#039;s Dulles International Airport, which almost looks like a futuristic aircraft itself.<\/p>\n<p>WASHINGTON: Seattle Central Library<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01bc25dbc4fd10daa2b8e?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Seattle Central Library\"\/><figcaption>SEATTLE &#8211; MAY 19: An exterior view of Seattle&#039;s new Central LIbrary on May 19, 2004 in Seattle, Washington. The glass and steel structure was designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture of the Netherlands and Seattle-based LMN Architects and cost $165.5 million to build. It is set to open to the public May 23.<\/p>\n<p>Photo by Ron Wurzer\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Forget the idea of a dusty old home for books nobody reads. The Seattle Central Library is a miracle of modern architecture.<\/p>\n<p>WASHINGTON, DC: The United States Capitol<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01c015dbc4fd10daa2b9f?format=jpeg\" alt=\"Capitol\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Getty Images\/Mark Wilson<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The United States Capitol is such a mainstay of nightly news and political pop culture that it&#039;s easy to take for granted. It&#039;s nice to step back once in a while and take in the grandeur and historical significance of this government building that reflects on America&#039;s complicated past.<\/p>\n<p>Construction on the Capitol began in September 1793, and much of the structure was built by enslaved workers working alongside free Black and white laborers, per the White House Historical Association. In 2012, a marker was added to the Capitol Visitor Center commemorating the unpaid labor of enslaved people who built the nation&#039;s Capitol.<\/p>\n<p>WEST VIRGINIA: The Palace of Gold<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01c61cc993f9955cf8485?format=jpeg\" alt=\"New Vrindaban west virginia\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Daniel L. Locke\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Palace of Gold is a majestic memorial shrine located in the Hare Krishna community of New Vrindaban.<\/p>\n<p>WISCONSIN: The Burke Brise Soleil<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e01ca71c1f80efbec4e8e9?format=jpeg\" alt=\"The most striking feature of the Milwaukee Art Museum is the Burke Brise Soleil, a towering sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan. It folds and unfolds twice a day.\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Photo Spirit\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The most striking feature of the Milwaukee Art Museum is the Burke Brise Soleil, a towering sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan. It folds and unfolds twice a day.<\/p>\n<p>WYOMING: Smith Mansion<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.insider.com\/68e02a38cc993f9955cf8780?format=jpeg\" alt=\"smith mansion wyoming\"\/><figcaption>\n<p>Grossinger\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This wacky-looking building is in the middle of the remote Wapiti Valley. In 1971, architect Francis Lee Smith started building the structure by hand as his and his family&#039;s home. After completing the first floor in 1973, he could not stop building. He died after falling from one of the balconies in 1992.<\/p>\n<p>Read the original article on Business Insider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Simmons Hall at MIT. IVY PHOTOS\/Shutterstock The US has diverse architecture across its 50 states. Some buildings are grandiose and elegant, while others are quirky and unique. These buildings make for some cool and striking tourist attractions. The United States, with its extensive history, has given rise to some striking and unique architecture. From preserving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34373","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-usa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/agooka.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}