Conrad Schuck moved to Florida in the 1920s, after doctors told him he only had one or two years to live. He settled in Bartow in Polk County, hoping the climate here might extend his life a little. He wanted to make sure that his wife and their nine children would live comfortably after he had passed, so he began building a house with his five sons.
But Schuck didn’t just build any home, he built a mansion so magnificent it would later become a Depression-Era attraction, as seen in these postcards from the early 1940s.
The Wonder House was built of concrete, decorated throughout with glass and tile. It had four stories, two below ground, and two above. Holes were left in the concrete in the front so houseplants could grow in the facade, giving it its unique appearance. There were hollow columns for rainwater to run through on the exterior, watering the plants, and on the interior, cooling the house without air conditioning.
There were also outdoor baths and a fish pond on the third floor balcony. The whole house is decorated with hand carvings and mosaics. He even devised a series of mirrors so he could see someone knocking at the door from the bathtub upstairs.
Schuck gave up after building for over a decade without finishing the incredible home (which is when the tours began), but his passion and determination kept him going a lot longer than a couple of years. In fact, he lived to the age of 94. The home was finished by another owner after his death, and well loved for many years. Then it was lost by another owner in a foreclosure 2011. Thus, it sat abandoned for years, sold and resold several times. For many years, this local landmark’s fate was up in the air. You can see its abandoned state in the video below.
There may be a happy ending for the Wonder House, after all, though. A Jacksonville man who purchased it recently said he had plans to restore the home. We hope he will return it to its former glory, and maybe even let us take a tour someday.
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