Magic Mushroom House

Aspen has long been established as a winter wonderland for the rich and famous, and in the 70s, the party was in full swing. Architect Andre Ulrych not only joined the party, but supplied a most unusual inspiration for those dabbling in mind expansion through hallucinogenics. He built them a house.

Ulrych had never built a house before, and decided that the best way to tap into a rich, creative vein within and construct the house that represented his most inner-self was to build it while tripping on mushrooms, and occasionally LSD. Six years and countless caps and stems later, he finished what is known as the Magic Mushroom House.

While not the most practical or architecturally consistent house by any stretch, the Magic Mushroom House is undeniably beautiful, and many artists and celebrities stayed, played, and found illumination here, including Andy Warhol and Hugh Hefner.

Coiling around itself in the natural curves and open spaces of a nautilus design, the house gives off warm, comfortable vibes whether your mind is altered or not. The round staircases, railing-free balconies of varying levels, and logarithmic spirals still encapsulate the sexy, free-spirited character of the counter-culture it was born into. The light constantly moves and changes through windows that have no uniform cut or size, and the womb-like bedroom is reached by step ladder.

The house is now owned by Peter and Patty Findlay, who appreciate and preserve its fundamental grooviness, but admit to doing a thorough scouring before moving in. Patty Findlay told the New York Times, “I don’t know what they did there, but when we moved in, I did extra cleaning,”