Any one of these bizarrely named churches could be in your hometown though they appear to hale from an altered state… pray we do not “altar” them further.

Prayer House Rock

Elvis may have left the building but he left a half-eaten peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich on the collection plate. Welcome to the 24-hour Church of Elvis, a Portlandia attraction that isn’t really a church and has no known affiliation with The King’s estate. On the other hand, the eclectic storefront at 408 NW Couch is the self-stated “Worlds first 24-hour coin-operated Art Gallery” so at least it’s a profitable enterprise… like most churches. (images via brx0 and Steve Schroeder)

Let the Spirit Move You

Here’s the Palm Bible Church in Soweto, South Africa, whose sign out front bears the perplexing slogan “The Move of God”. Somehow we doubt that refers to Sunday being a popular moving day but hey, we’ve been wrong before. Let’s move on. (image via Paul Birnie)

Sin In Stranger

“Sin will find you out”? Hoo boy, that ship sailed a LONG time ago! Perhaps a better – or at least, more enticing – slogan might read “Salvation lies within”. We get it, though: neon signs don’t come cheap and like The Godfather says, fear can be a potent motivator. (image via Sam Lavy)

Pews ‘R Us

When they say “Find It Here”, they don’t mean sin… OK, depends on what type of used furniture you’re buying and what purpose it’s to be used for. Wait, you may be asking, what does used furniture have to do with a church? We can only shrug our shoulders and refer you to “Bill”… if you can find him. (image via Julia TortoiseHugger)

Fertile Pastors

The New Dimensions Worship Center might be “A Place of New Beginnings” but if their sign’s any indication, it’s also the scene of many happy endings. Gotta give ’em credit, though: while other churches advise that laying in bed on Sunday morning shouting “OH GOD!” doesn’t constitute going to church, New Dimensions replies “Why not both?” (image via David Smith)

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These closed & abandoned social clubs recall the pre-internet age when people seeking the company of others did so in person, not via keyboards and webcams.

Scotch Scratched

Even after years of abandonment, the County Social Club in Glasgow, Scotland still looks sharp. Closed in 2006, the combination cinema (until 1981), bingo parlor and social club was built in the late 1930s on the site of the former Lyceum Theater, after the latter burned down in 1937. Flickr members Tom Parnell (itmpa) and 1001things captured the expansive ex-club in 2013 and 2010, respectively.

Thanks for the Memberies

OK, we get that social clubs were (and still are, where available) popular with retired folks but couldn’t this abandoned social club do better than “Retired Social Club”? Seems that uninspired choice was a self-fulfilling prophecy as, according to Flickr member Robby Virus, the “Members Only” club in Saginaw, MI itself retired sometime before July of 2017.

Clubbed to the Curb

Never mind the bollard, it’s an abandoned social club in East London! Whew, no wonder local social butterflies crawled back into their basement cocoons, this place may be the most antisocial social club around. Or should we say “former” social club, as the ramshackle whitewashed hole-in-the-wall looks to have been put on lockdown long before Flickr member Nicolai Grut chanced by in February of 2010.

A Fuller’s Earth House

Sorry Lori Loughlin, there’s no school behind the above blackboard. Though Flickr member Paul (holzey) doesn’t specify this abandoned social club’s geographic location, the “Fullers Earth Union Sports and Social Club” legend above the worn felt-green board leads one to believe it may be the old Tucking Mill works in Somerset, UK, that closed in the mid-1940s. “What’s On”? Not much, not much at all.

Smokin’ Not

A members only social club that doesn’t allow smoking? Yeah, good luck with… oh wait, it’s already closed, to the shock and surprise of nobody. So much for Babylon – the nation-state AND the Chicago social club. Flickr member bluefishtuesday stopped by for a snap in September of 2007, stating “I wonder what goes on here…” Certainly not smoking, or anything else for that matter.

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It’s a simple but powerful idea, spreading out and embedding hotel rooms into the urban fabric to give visitors a space from which to explore as well as a place that feels like it’s more part of the city than a monolithic tourist resort. The Hotel Enso Ango features a series of zen-inspired buildings and landscaping in what it boasts as Japan’s first ‘dispersed hotel’ in the ancient capital of Kyoto.

The idea, in part, is to encourage travel between the buildings in the hotel network, both to experience their amenities but also to explore more along the way. In simple terms: it aims to combine the best of staying at a cozy bed-and-breakfast with the benefits of a high-end hotel.

Each unit features courtyard gardens and meditation spaces, aimed at providing a relaxing experience to compliment city exploration. There are also spaces, like a central bar, that are open to the public, offering opportunities to mingle with locals.

The spaces are spread out through key neighborhoods of Kyoto and crafted to be both contemporary while also including local art and craftsmanship. As the hotel grows, it aims to build out additional spaces around the city.

Each building is located within walking distance from the others, as well as from a hotel hub space where the lobby, gym and tearoom can be found, providing an opportunity for guests to mingle, but at their discretion rather than by necessity. Those who wish to can participate in group meditation lessons, tatami craft and runs through historic parts of the city.

“Welcoming visitors is a building which embodies classical Machiya construction featuring a front desk and corridor-cum-gallery space decorated with art by Masanobu Ando. At the end of this corridor, the gallery space opens into a lounge area with a small garden known as Tsuboniwa – a typical feature of Kyoto houses, providing a spot to enjoy nature and relax in the safety of a private space.”

The site and setting of Modernist masterpieces is a key ingredient of their aesthetic, so what, wondered one architect, would happen if these famous buildings were repositioned, set instead in oddly idyllic landscapes ala painter Thomas Kinkade?

Suddenly, the Eames House, Farnsworth House, Eames and Glass Houses are all transformed into surreal standouts against incongruous backdrops of cobblestone walks, colorful gardens and old-fashioned wells. Some, though, like Gehry’s Deconstructivist home (actually located on a residential street in Santa Barbara) look surprisingly cozy in an impossibly idyllic rural setting:

Robyniko explains that it started as a one-off suggestion: “A fellow architect I’m friends with on Twitter asked if anyone did modernist paintings in the style of Thomas Kinkade. It was one of those things you chuckle to yourself thinking about ‘what if’ and then move on with your life.

“But my family was gone for the weekend,” he explains, “so I decided to indulge my curiosity about how these famous modernist homes would fit into Kinkade’s universe.”

The architect started with well-known photographs of these iconic structures, then set to work in Photoshop hacking them into new environments. The result is weirdly jarring in some cases, and oddly satisfying in others.

Overall, the mixed effects show just how much buildings (and our images of them) rely on what surrounds them, for better or worse.

See the creature, be the creature… live in the creature? These animal-shaped buildings take the concept of surreal estate to a newer, wetter-nosed level.

Whose necks? Youse necks! The Giraffe Childcare Center in southwestern Paris’ Boulogne-Billancourt district certainly stands out amongst the French capital’s classic architecture.

Then again, the design by Paris-based Hondelatte Laporte Architects would probably stand out just about anywhere.

The giant yellow giraffe appears to provide support to the building’s cantilevered roof while creating visual interest for students and staff who pass by its tree-trunk-sized legs as they come and go. Flickr member Inter- snapped the shots above in the summer of 2013.

See Food

Café Fish (also known as the Fish Dance Restaurant) in Kobe, Japan was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry and was built in the late 1980s.

Located in Kobe’s gritty docklands district, the four-story-tall sculpture sits cheek-by-jowl (do fish have jowls?) with the actual restaurant, so don’t expect to dine Jonah-style. Flickr member Jacome (jacomejp) captured the metal-scaled eatery in November of 2013.

World’s Coilest Tower

Who knew Thailand had kaiju too? The coral-hued Wat Samphran Dragon Temple near Bangkok towers 16 stories into the sky.

The dragon is hollow and features an internal stairway. Flick member Serg Brandys visited the temple complex in late 2014.

Terrapin Stationary

The Kura Kura Ocean Park on Kartini Beach in Jepara, Indonesia opened in February of 2011. The park combines the attractions of a water park with those of an educational aquarium.

The main building is cast in the shape of an enormous sea turtle (“kura-kura” in the Bahasa Indonesia language) and is divided into two floors. Flickr member Diza Abdulloh (Diza5) visited the park in April of 2016.

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