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Photos: Huell Howser's Amaaaazing Volcanic Desert Lair Is For Sale
Huell Howser's former volcanic lair in the Mojave Desert can be yours for only $650,000!
Known as the Volcano House, this one-time lair of the late Huell Howser actually sits on top of a real volcanic cinder cone, according to Curbed LA. It's surrounded by 60 acres of desert and also has a smaller building in front of the volcano that houses a garage and an upstairs one-bedroom apartment. The home itself has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, so it's perfect for you and your arch nemesis to go on a retreat to hash some things out. There's an observation deck at the top of the 150-foot-high dome, plus a fireplace and views from every angle. The listing also mentions an on-site lake.
The address is listed as being in Newberry Springs, which is a small town off Interstate 15 near Barstow. Newberry Springs is also home to the abandoned Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark, which is also a good place for confrontations with an arch nemesis.
Howser was not the original owner of the dome house. Vard Wallace, who sold drafting machines and airplane parts during WWII, originally had the house built by architect Harold Bissner, Jr. in 1968, according to the L.A. Times. Howser bought the house in 2003 from Richard Bailey, a developer from the U.K. Ray Leporte, who acted as the home's caretaker, told the OC Register that it was an impulse buy that Howser used infrequently as it's pretty isolated, and the road to get up to the dome is very narrow and hard to navigate. Howser once tried to sell the house in 2009 for $750,000, but ended up donating it to Chapman University in 2012. The University is now selling the property.
Sponsor
Howser also had another desert home in Twentynine Palms that can be rented for special events or retreats. This house isn't on top of a volcano, but it is rather pretty and Howser considered it his "dream home."
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