Normally, a house is made of materials such as wood, cement, brick, stone… However, it is strange that in a state like Massachusetts, there is a house made of paper. Paper is a material that is used a lot in life, but few people think that it can be used to build a house.
However, in 1922, a man discovered a method to turn paper into a building material durable enough to keep a house intact, even furniture.
The Paper House in Rockport, Massachusetts was created entirely out of paper. The walls, tables and chairs, shelves… in the house are all made of this special material. After 100 years, the building is almost still standing like the first day.
The house was built by Mr. Eilis F. Stenmen , a mechanical engineer. His job was to manage the stamping machines. Stenman’s descendants later said that he was always curious and loved to explore, experimenting with many inexpensive but good insulation construction materials.
With many years of working experience, Mr. Stenmen is particularly knowledgeable about paper. That is also the reason for him to start building this “unique” house.
The house is made of paper. (Photo: Internet).
At first, he built the house in the traditional way with wooden frames, stone floors… Then he came up with the idea of making walls out of paper.
The main material for building a house is newspaper. Eilis F. Stenmen used about 100,000 used newspapers. The wall was created with about 215 layers of paper glued together. The furniture in the house is also created with the same form.
At first, the homeowner was afraid that the wall would not be stable, so he planned to make a layer of boards outside. However, the first winter passed, the layers of paper were still strong, so he did not reinforce them. After 2 years, the skillful owner finished building the house and continued to add more details for the next 20 years. Today, when visiting the house, visitors can still read the news from 1922.
Stenman made chairs, tables, bookshelves and even curtains and clocks from the pages of newspapers and magazines. Only the piano is made of wood and covered with paper to maintain uniformity. Only the fireplace is still made of bricks.
Many people question how homeowners can build a house from paper? In fact, to hold the newspapers together, Stenmen concocted a homemade glue made from flour, water, and apple peel. So far, although the wall has been peeled off, the glue is still intact.
After 100 years, the top layers of the walls are slowly starting to peel off, revealing fragments of articles and advertisements from the past that visitors find it enjoyable to read. On your desk you can catch reports of Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, while the radio is plastered with news from Herbert Hoover’s presidential campaign.
Surprisingly, the paper house survived in the face of harsh New England winters and intense storms.
The details are meticulously crafted. (Photo: Internet).
The piano incorporates newspaper reports of Admiral Byrd’s expeditions to the North and South Poles. Over time, many of the walls will peel off, revealing old news outlets.
By the 1930s, the house had become such a popular attraction that the couple had to move to another house in the same neighborhood. After Mr. Stenman died in 1942, the newspaper house became a tourist museum. After 100 years, the house is still intact and carefully preserved by Mr. Stenmen’s descendants.