Status: Occupied

Some people know this bright purple house in Ringwood as the “Spam House” due to the shape and color of it. I can understand why people would deem it as such, given that it looks like someone cut a large metal tube in half and set it on the ground, giving it a dome-like shape. Unusual, yes they are, but most people don’t know that these are called “quonset huts”. Invented during World War I, quonset huts are made of corrugated steel and were once used by the military for their do-it-yourself ease and quick assembly time so untrained soldiers could have a lightweight shelter on the battlefield. They were strong against storms and hurricanes and proved to be great for storage and temporary living. By the end of World War II, there were 170,000 quonset huts made and the military began selling them to the American public for a thousand dollars each. To this day, quonset huts like this one can be seen in single family neighborhoods.

My father told me that he knew of three quonset huts in the general area, but this is the only one we’re aware of that’s still standing. He told me how my grandfather built a garage behind one in the 60s and everyone joked that the garage looked better than the house itself. Like this one, many of them are converted into permanent homes and are fixed up rather nicely. Usually, quonset huts are olive green by default, but as you can see, this one is purple and the fixtures on the property are painted to match. Most impressively, even the car is purple too! If I owned a quonset hut, I’d HAVE to do something similar.

- Ember, 2003