Does this ghostly glass house for sale give mausoleum vibes? Judge for yourself
A glass house that looks like it should have its own soundtrack of creepy songs belted out by a children's choir has landed on the real estate market in Harvard, Illinois.
In all its glory the home sits in a vast field with looming trees serving as its backdrop. All that privacy for $499,000. And the peaceful surroundings aren't the only highlight of this futuristic little place — the interior is just as riveting.
'Welcome to Casina, a remarkable example of intellectual architecture designed by the late architects Alfred Swenson and Pao-Chi Chang. Constructed with concrete, metal, and glass, Casina is built to endure well beyond our lifetimes,' the listing on Zillow says.
'Alfred and Pao-Chi studied under Mies van der Rohe at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and Mies' influence on modern architecture is evident in this masterpiece. The home is named Casina, derived from the Latin word for 'small cabin,' and took several years to complete.'
The house was built for folks who, well, clearly hate other folks intruding on their space.
'Set on 10 serene, rolling acres, the house is intentionally positioned to maintain a sense of detachment from its surroundings, allowing the landscape to be admired from a distance,' the listing says. 'The architects drew inspiration from a Yuan Dynasty scroll depicting two scholars contemplating the vast landscape from an open-fronted pavilion.'
With one bedroom and two bathrooms, the 1,500-square-foot residence is modernism at its finest, with beige walls and a smooth, frosty teal look that makes the inside all the more sophisticated. Downstairs; a kitchenette with hidden cabinets and floor-to-ceiling windows. Upstairs; the loft area.
'The second-level open bedroom loft includes dual porches on each side, a full bathroom, and discreet built-in cabinetry. The loft comfortably accommodates a king-size bed,' the listing describes.
Other features, per the listing, include:
FireplacePartial basementFull upstairs bathroomOpportunities to walk around in the buff
The special house was featured on Zillow Gone Wild, a popular real estate Facebook page that highlights quirky houses on the market all around the country. People were impressed … and a little bit terrified.
'Looks like a great place to store 13 ghosts,' one person joked.
'Is it a mausoleum? Is it a potato shed? How do you get to this?' another chimed in.
'I feel like this may have been used in a psychological horror film. If not it definitely should be…' someone said.
'Was this a prop from 'Andor?' The building is tiny with all that open field.? Do you fly your star ship on the lawn? Then what?' one person asked.
'I actually like this house. It has a lot of potential and the right furniture and artwork could make it fabulous,' another noted.
'I've seen jazzier hospital decor,' someone joked.
Harvard is about an 80-mile drive northwest from Chicago.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Homeless numbers hit all-time high in Worcester County with 20% spike over 2024
WORCESTER — The latest homeless numbers are stark in Worcester County. In fact, they're record-breaking. The Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance annual homeless count released on Wednesday, June 4, showed an all-time high of 3,110 people are homeless in the county, a 20% increase over the 2024 count (2,600) and an eye-popping 93% jump over 2023 (1,607). Of the 3,110 homeless, 41% (1,262) are children and 52% (1,629) are Black, African American or African. The report noted another record that was shattered. On average, a household in Worcester County is homeless for more than half a year (213 days). "That's longer than we've ever seen," said Jack Moran, director of research and data analysis at the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance. Longer than the average of 207 days during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Moran, when policies focused on the homeless remaining in shelters to help prevent viral spread. The alliance's 'point in time' homeless count is not exact science. It's a snapshot because the count is taken one day out of the year, this year on Jan. 29. The figures were reported to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The count is reliable, said Leah Bradley, chief executive officer of the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance. However, it doesn't capture every homeless person, she said, because Worcester County is a large land area and it's possible not to count homeless who sleep in cars versus those living in known encampments. There's a lot of data in this year's report, but two numbers stand out as primary reasons for the record-high homeless number. One is the county's rental vacancy rate of 2.9% — around 1% in Worcester — that is below the 5% generally needed to keep rents somewhat affordable, said Bradley. Second, the county's market rate for an apartment is $2,205, according to Zillow figures, double that of a decade ago. A rent that is unaffordable for many in the county, because it takes an annual income of $86,000 to make the monthly payment. However, the county's median renter household income is $51,300, according to the U.S. Census. As Bradley sees it, there's an urgent need to build more affordable housing to fix the homeless crisis. "The lack of housing that's being built, so the supply is not matching the demand right now," she said. "That's the biggest thing, because that creates the high median rent and the low vacancy rate, and those are the two indicators that we know are the causes of homelessness.' When Housing Secretary Edward M. Augustus Jr. was in Worcester last month to tout what the Healey administration is doing to boost supply, he mentioned the Affordable Homes Act, which Healey signed into law last year, that allocated $5.3 billion to boost affordable housing. Zoning changes, streamlined permitting and state subsidies were also cited by Augustus as ways the state is upping housing supply. It won't be easy to meet the demand. Massachusetts needs to build 222,000 new homes by 2035 to fill a statewide supply gap, according to a Housing Advisory Committee formed by Healey's administration. Even if those units are built, there are more than 400,000 families who qualify for affordable housing but can't access it, according to a study by the Massachusetts Area Planning Council and Housing Navigator Massachusetts. More multifamily housing is needed in smaller communities, said Bradley. She also noted the 'not in my backyard' opposition is an impediment to expanding affordable housing supply. Bradley is particularly concerned about the rising number of older people who are homeless. Fifty-one people over 64 are in this year's count, including 32 in shelters and five on the streets. Some are homeless because they can't afford to make repairs so their homes are condemned. Others can't make rent, so they're evicted and live in cars. It's not just Worcester that sees the homeless crisis. Smaller towns are also feeling the impact, a situation Bradley said is 'most concerning.' Sturbridge had 14 homeless individuals without shelter and Webster had eight, according to this year's count. Some are living in parking lots, others in tents, said Bradley. Of the 221 homeless in the county who are 'unsheltered,' according to this year's report, the largest communities dominated the numbers: 120 in Worcester and 56 in Fitchburg. Meanwhile, 53% of renter households in the county spend more than 30% of their income on rent. That's roughly 58,000 households, and the danger is if something unexpected happens, like losing a job, that family could be evicted and become homeless. Eviction numbers in the report show 2,800 new cases filed in the past 12 months. One number that stands out in the report is families with children identified as homeless: a total of 2,368 people, a 19% increase over last year and an alarming 146% spike compared to two years ago (963). Housing advocates say permanent housing with the necessary social supports is needed to break the cycle of homelessness. Bradley stressed that if the focus remains on shelters, the cycle will continue. A data point in this year's report could support that thinking. For the past two years, 24% of the county's homeless residents have found permanent housing. That compares to 43% in 2016. Besides more affordable housing, Bradley said changes to local zoning regulations and streamlined permitting to cut costs for developers will boost housing supply. She cited Austin, the Texas state capital with nearly 1 million residents, as a prime example. Zoning changes in building heights and parking requirements cut rents by 22% in that city, according to Bradley. While Bradley praised Worcester for its inclusionary zoning and housing trust fund to increase housing stock, she said surrounding towns have to do their part. 'If we don't address this, it's going to get worse, We need housing of all types.' When asked where the money will come from to swell the amount of affordable housing, Bradley said local, state and federal governments must pitch in. Funds are coming from other sources, and Bradley noted the Determination of Need Program at UMass Memorial Health. Whenever the hospital system builds a capital project, Bradley said, UMass has to set aside money for community needs. Families who pay 30% to 50% of their incomes for housing and experience a financial crisis have benefited from the UMass program to pay rent, said Bradley. While the state has programs to build more housing, Bradley said, it can't control interest rates and home prices. In the interim, Bradley said, "We need to help people stay in their housing. We need more subsidized housing and prevention programs so people are not leaving their housing." Contact Henry Schwan at Follow him on X: @henrytelegram. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Homeless numbers hit all-time high in Worcester County with 20% spike
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
‘A trip of a lifetime:' Fallen American soldiers honored in French ceremony
A soldier with the 28th Division stands amid the ruins of Gathemo, France, in August 1944. (Screenshot from National Archives film) Shaun Nadolny is finally making the trip from Wisconsin to visit his great-uncle's grave in the Brittany American Cemetery in France. Last in a two-part series on Pennsylvania's 28th Division and a new memorial to soldiers who were killed in the fight to liberate Gathemo, France. Read the first part here. Tradition holds that for visiting family members, staff will place moistened sand on the engraving on the marker for Jerome Nadolny, who was killed in the fierce fighting around Gathemo, a small village in Normandy, using a wet sponge. The process brings the name out on the marble Latin cross, so it can easily be seen from 15 to 20 feet away. An American and French flag – standing about knee high – will be placed in front of the grave. Traditionally, the U.S. marker is symbolically on the right side – as if it were in the soldier's right hand and facing home. The French will be on the left – always toward inland territory. Then, he and his cousin, Kurt, will travel to Gathemo, where nine soldiers of the 28th Division, including three from Pennsylvania, lost their lives as the Allies pushed inland from the beaches of Normany to liberate Europe. They'll be the sole American relatives of the fallen soldiers who will be on hand for a ceremony Saturday honoring their sacrifice during the fight for the town 81 summers ago. The gathering will include the dedication of a plaque and memorial and a renaming of a street in honor of the 28th Division, a Pennsylvania National Guard unit before the war. The trip is the culmination of an improbable sequence of events that began when Nadolny went in search of the war history of a long-lost great-uncle. Nadolny admits to feeling a little pressure, because he doesn't want to let his family down or any of the other families. 'I know it's going to be a heavy experience for me personally. I wish I could share this with my dad,' he said. 'It was on my bucket list to just go to that cemetery, but now to actually go to the cemetery? It's obviously a trip of a lifetime, right?' Visitors to Normandy will notice Allied flags – American, British, and Canadian – hanging not just on poles, but in windows and on doors in village after village. This isn't just a phenomenon that happens in the typical tourist areas around the landing beaches or landmarks made famous in the 1962 movie, The Longest Day, or the HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers. The Battle of Normandy stretched beyond what happened on June 6, 1944. Allied troops applied relentless pressure in an effort to push the German occupiers back. The clash lasted for more than two months, as it became a war of attrition. Allied troops had to constantly resupply the front lines, while the enemy dealt with losses – in terms of men and machines – it simply couldn't replace In the end, the Allies suffered 210,000 casualties,while the Germans dealt with losses of 400,000 men. Town and after town touched by the Battle of Normandy has its own monuments or historical markers to pilots whose downed aircraft crashed nearby, soldiers who died in their streets or units that helped liberate them. In Periers for example, The Four Braves memorial honors the 90th Infantry Division — which liberated the town as part of Operation Cobra. This was a piece of the successful U.S. breakout — which played a big role in the rapid collapse of the Germans' defense in Normandy. Two Pennsylvanians who lost their lives — Private 2nd Class Andrew J. Speese III of Philadelphia and Sgt. Tullio Micaloni of Oneida — are immortalized as part of the memorial. One tour group recounted how in the town of La Haye du Puits, a man noticed they were Americans. He hurried home and later found the group at a restaurant eating lunch. He excitedly, in French, described what it was like as a boy in the summer of 1944 to see his home liberated. As his story was translated, he pulled a piece of silk parachute from his jacket — given to him by a U.S. soldier. He simply wanted to share his gratitude for the sacrifice made by the Allies. Even in 2025, people in Normandy's villages and towns still think there is history to be acknowledged and a debt owed. Gathemo, with a population of 267, will join the others Saturday, with a permanent 'thank you.' Over several days in early August, 1944, the 28th attacked German troops occupying the town. Progress was slow, measured in a few hundred yards at times, but by the afternoon Aug. 10, the 28th had liberated Gathemo. The division's losses were nine men killed, including three from Pennsylvania, and an estimated 235 wounded. 'For those few who bring up the Battle of Gathemo in some remote barroom in years to come – there will always be a lifting of glasses to our buddies whom we left behind in the orchards and wheat fields of that hallowed ground!' – From The Bloody Patch: A True Story of the Daring 28th Infantry Division – – From The Bloody Patch: A True Story of the Daring 28th Infantry Division The 77-day Battle of Normandy came to an end on Aug. 19, after tens of thousands of German troopers were captured when the Falaise pocket was closed by Allied troops. A mere 10 days after that, the men of the 28th Division were in Paris, taking part in the liberation day parade through the city. Located nearly 90 minutes from the English Channel and Omaha Beach, Mayor Christelle Errard describes Gathemo as having all the hallmarks of a quaint Norman community – a bakery, a bar, gift shops and five farms. The church, destroyed in the fight, was rebuilt after the war and features a pointed bell tower. According to the mayor, the granite used for the altar and the cross came from Gathemo's quarries. The town's role in the Allied push to encircle and destroy part of the German Army in the final weeks and days of the clash has largely been forgotten – overshadowed by the fight in Mortain and Saint-Lambert-sur-Dives, among others. Errard became mayor of Gathemo in July of 2020 and has lived in the community for a decade. She was born in another historically significant part of France – Verdun. It's the site of one the longest and most ferocious battles of the First World War. 'We have a mission in our world: to listen to our history, to transcribe it, so as not to forget Our duty to remember is here. And the witnesses of this period will soon all be gone. I also understood that many don't want to share what they experienced,' she wrote in an email exchange using Google Translate to go from French to English. 'My father never spoke about this period when he was 6-years-old, yet four years ago, on his deathbed, he relived the scenes he had witnessed.' Now, she said, it's Gathemo's turn to pay tribute to the young Americans who fought to liberate Europe. 'Many returned home with physical and mental injuries, but many, like Pvt. Nadolny, did not return to their families,' Errard wrote. 'My son will be 23 in June, the same age Pvt. Nadolny was when he lost his life in Gathemo, for Gathemo. I cannot remain indifferent. The tribute is small, but I hope it is the beginning of another story for Gathemo and all the people who will stop and pay their respects at this memorial.' The monument with the names of the nine men killed will be located close to the back of the church in Gathemo. It will be on a granite stone with an M1 helmet featuring the division logo placed on top. A plaque honoring the entire division will be dedicated, and a street will be renamed in honor of the 28th Division, which, according to unit lore was nicknamed the 'Bloody Bucket' by the Germans because of the red keystone patches worn on their uniforms. The Mike Pride Museum in Normandy covered the 1,800 Euro price tag. 'Dear American friends, there are no words strong enough to express our gratitude and respect,' Errard said. 'I would like to say BRAVO and THANK YOU.' Two men who were just children at the time of the battle will be on hand for the ceremony – 87-year-old Guy Lelandais and 80-year-old Michele Golonde. Errard says for Lelandais, whose cousin was killed by an exploding shell in front of his eyes, preserving the history of the liberation of his hometown has been a lifelong passion. He has – collecteding testimonies from around the region. Galonde was just six months old when the 28th Division pushed the Germans out of Gathemo, hiding in a cellar with his family, according to Gerrard. His older sister was in front of the baby carriage he was in when a shell exploded – wounding her in the leg, which left her permanently disabled. But as fate would have it, she likely saved Galonde's life because of where she was standing. Nadolny plans to have dinner with the mayor and hopes to shake Lelandais' hand and ask him what he remembers about the fight to free the town. 'I mean sincerely, we are so thankful…my family and I are almost just unbelievably thankful,' he said. '(Jerome) was a blue-collar soldier that gave everything and moved us along, So to me, that's what it's about. A lot of forgotten stories. So, if we can share a little bit of it or be a part of it, I think it's incredible.' The commemoration is a reminder that 'freedom has a cost and that true friendship endures,' Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a letter to the event organizers. 'More than 80 years ago, the sons of Pennsylvania crossed an ocean to stand in defense of liberty and peace, forging a bond of courage and shared sacrifice. The soldiers of the 28th Infantry Division fought with extraordinary bravery, with some making the ultimate sacrifice,' Shapiro said. 'The people of Gathemo have, across generations, honored the legacy of these brave men not only with gratitude, but with a deep and enduring partnership that continues to unite our communities. Pennsylvania is proud of the heritage of the 28th Infantry Division and of the shared history we hold with our friends in Gathemo.' The ceremony is set to begin Saturday, June 7, at 5 a.m. EST and will be livestreamed on the Mike Pride Museum YouTube channel: If you missed part one, read about the battle of Gathemo and the effort to track down the families of the men who died to liberate the town. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
ispace's Resilience spacecraft lands on the moon this week: Here's how to see the landing zone on the lunar surface
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. ISpace's private Resilience Lander will attempt to touch down on the Mare Frigoris region of the moon's surface on June 5, at 3:17 p.m. EDT (1817 GMT). While you won't be able to see the lander itself from Earth, you can spot its landing zone on the lunar surface — here's how. Mare Frigoris —Latin for the "Sea of Cold" — formed billions of years ago when lava flooded a colossal network of impact basins left behind by brutal asteroid strikes. These vast reservoirs of lava swiftly cooled to form dark scars on the lunar surface that we see today. The Sea of Cold occupies an 18,000 square kilometer (6,950 square mile) swathe of the surface close to the moon's north polar region, though its average depth of just 124 miles (200 km) can make it tricky to pick out with the naked eye. The Japanese-built Resilience lander is aiming to touch down 60.5 degrees north the the lunar equator, with a longitude of 4.6 degrees west, placing it close to Mare Frigoris center, according to the spacecraft's creator ispace. Resilience is far too small to be seen from Earth, but its approximate landing site on the lunar surface is easily identifiable, if you know where to look. In the nights surrounding June 5, look toward the southeastern sky — the moon will become more visible after sunset. A pair of 10x50 binoculars will help you find the slender form of Mare Frigoris darkening the northern region of the moon's surface, but a telescope with an aperture of 6 inches or more will help resolve smaller details and allow you to zero in on Resilience's landing site. A good way to find the Resilience Lander's forever home is to locate the Aristotles Crater, which sits above Mare Serenitatis on the southeastern shore of Mare Frigoris. From there, look to the northwest to find the Archytas Crater scarring the southern shore of Mare Frigoris and beyond that the similarly-sized Timaeus crater. The Resilience Lander will set down in the area below Timaeus, to the left of Archytas, fairly close to the line dividing the dayside and nightside of the lunar surface, known as the terminator. The Resilience Lander is due to touch down on Thursday, June 5, at 3:17 p.m. EDT (1817 GMT), though the exact timing is subject to change based on operational conditions. A live stream of the event will be available here on courtesy of ispace. from 2:10 p.m. EDT on June 5 (1810 GMT/3:10 a.m. JST on June 6), with both English and Japanese language versions available. This will be the ispace's second try at landing a spacecraft on the moon, following the unsuccessful landing attempt of the Japanese company's Hakuto-R spacecraft in April 2023. The company has also selected three backup landing sites further to the west in Mare Frigoris, should conditions make the primary touch down site untenable.
