Do You Know the Story of Galveston’s Strange Kettle House?

Take a drive down San Luis Pass Road on Galveston Island heading toward the island’s state park, and you’ll see a strange, out-of-place, and somewhat otherworldly, building on the right-hand side of the road at 1410 Miramar Drive called the “Kettle House.”

People have been curious about the structure for many years. Over on Yelp, users have uploaded several photos of the strange site. In 2015, Joseph S. posted a picture of the interior of the structure, saying “…someone is maintaining the house.” Though it didn’t look exactly livable, it did show that the inside of the building is somewhat cleaner and free of cobwebs than one would expect. The curvature of the walls can be seen, making for a dizzying effect. Living in the Kettle House would certainly feel odd, but its close proximity to the beach could make it all worth it!

But, Chron.com recently wrote that the Kettle House wasn’t meant to be a living space. The current owner of the building, Mary Etheridge-Rachels, says that her father intended for the Kettle to be a retail space. The company her father worked for (Graver Tank & Manufacturing Co. Inc.) had built the sphere building for a client, but the deal fell through. Her dad decided to purchase the structure and make it into a liquor/convenience store on the island. Sadly, after he began working on it along with some friends, he suddenly passed away.

Etheridge-Rachels is currently selling the property, so the future of the Kettle House is unknown.