In Idaho City, there is the craziest hodge-podge architecture I've ever seen. The building is called the Sluice Box and it has been a work in progress for decades. I use the word 'progress' but that may be the wrong word. You see, all the additional construction of added-on towers, curved stairways, false rooms, random signs, and window lookouts make this place look like it is about to fall over if someone breathes on it.

UPDATE: The Sluice Box has new owners as of 2021. The Lobby Coffee in the Sluice Box continues to do great things with the building and location. They recently announced on Facebook that they are closed for the rest of winter until spring. You can check their links to see when they reopen and what the hours will be and keep reading to learn more about the original Sluice Box.

Get our free mobile app

The Idaho City Sluice Box

Idaho City started as a gold mining town and was booming in the 1860s. More than 100 years later the Sluice Box, though not an original building from the mining era anymore, looks like it has been around since the beginning. The original Sluice Box was built using a structure from the late 1800s, but that building burned down in 1996. The owner rebuilt the Picasso-looking building using old barn wood and signs he found in Idaho, California, and Nevada. The Sluice Box was sold to new owners in 2014 according to their website.

Sluice Box New Ownership

On the website of the new owners, you can see a few pictures and get details on when the Sluice is open for visitors. They are closed in the winter months. You can see dozens of pictures of the interior and exterior of the Sluice Box on Facebook.

The Sluice Box is weird, but so is this so-called invisible house in California...and it's also awesome.

Seemingly Invisible House Built In California

This chameleon house in Joshua Tree, California reflects the surrounding landscape to blend in and almost be invisible. The current price tag is a less-than-invisible $18 million! Check out the pictures to see how well it blends in with the surrounding landscape during the day and also how it doesn't blend in at night.

More From Kool 96.5