# If you could live in a replicated famous house (real or fictional) which would it be? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 19, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614 "2009-02-19T21:40:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/1 "2009-02-19T21:40:07Z")
Ground rules: It has to be a house or dwelling that can actually exist with modern technology: i.e. you can use Monica’s apartment on FRIENDS or Ponderosa Ranch but not George Jetson’s sky condo or the Enterprise. Famous can mean “locally famous” or “famous to you”, doesn’t have to be a place everyone would know. It can be real or fictional, but nothing _too_ outlandish- no Renaissance palaces, Versailles, Biltmore, or the Forbidden City or even the White House, but something more family scaled (though it can be a rich family). ## Assume you’ll be living in an exact replica of said structure that takes into account electricity/plumbing/etc.. I love the architecture of Thomas Jefferson and would probably choose a replica of his summer home, [Poplar Forest](http://images.google.com/images?q=poplar%20forest&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi). I like it better than Monticello even, and it has some of the same features (skylights, built in beds, etc.), though the slave quarters I’d probably make into something more along the lines of garages and storage rooms for now. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/2 "2009-02-19T21:54:53Z")
Wayne Manor. (I’ve wanted my own batcave since I was a kid.) ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/3 "2009-02-19T21:56:02Z")
Bag End. I like stone, wood, soil and curved lines. If I could have a version of Bag End done by Gaudi, that would be even better. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/4 "2009-02-19T22:01:44Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > It has to be a house or dwelling that can actually exist with modern technology: i.e. you can use Monica’s apartment on FRIENDS or Ponderosa Ranch but not George Jetson’s sky condo or the Enterprise. I guess that rules out my first answer, Hogwarts Castle. Lex Luthor’s crib from _Superman: The Movie_. ---
**Author:** ![JaneSaintClair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JaneSaintClair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneSaintClair)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/5 "2009-02-19T22:03:28Z")
I think I’d pick Tara, from Gone with the Wind. All of those high ceilings, wide porches, the windows, the drapes… ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/6 "2009-02-19T22:07:13Z")
does this mean we can also afford to live in it? if so, then Belcourt Castle in Newport RI … If not, a more affordable, and mre reasonable one would be [a house built by my great grandfather](http://www.nothnagle.com/properties/details.asp?mlsid=1&mlnum=812416) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/7 "2009-02-19T22:07:13Z")
Can I have the Magnum P.I. house? Sure, the decor is a little outdated, but it looks very comfortable and you can’t beat the location. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/8 "2009-02-19T22:07:45Z")
Wow, my first two picks already gone. So, with Hogwarts and Bag End out, that leaves on Rivendell. Oh wait, modern technology. Ok then, that’s easy. [Here](http://www.fallingwater.org/). ---
**Author:** ![Floppy\_Joe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@Floppy\_Joe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floppy_Joe)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/9 "2009-02-19T22:13:27Z")
Whaddaya mean “nothing _too_ outlandish”? I always figure that if you’re going to wish, no sense in being chincy about it. I’ve always wanted to revamp a Titan missile silo. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/10 "2009-02-19T22:17:33Z")
I’d have Frank Lloyd Wright build me a Fallingwater-ish place in a different location, but I’d also kick his fucking ass over those stupid low ceilings. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/11 "2009-02-19T22:32:17Z")
Manderley, maybe. Before the fire. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/12 "2009-02-19T22:33:35Z")
Bag End would be first, but unless I could kick out **3acresandatruck** , I’ll go with my second choice, Edgewood from _Little, Big_, a huge rambling place with four different fronts. (no offence **3acres** , but I don’t know how many bathrooms Bag End has and I’m a bad sharer. Also I like to walk around the house naked and wouldn’t want to shock/offend/horrify a fellow doper) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/13 "2009-02-19T22:34:35Z")
> [@Mr Bus Guy](#): > > Wow, my first two picks already gone. So, with Hogwarts and Bag End out, that leaves on Rivendell. Oh wait, modern technology. > > Ok then, that’s easy. [Here](http://www.fallingwater.org/). Bag end’s not [necessarily out](http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&ei=Z96dSa2zLJXlmQfik9CKDQ&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=bend+shire&spell=1). In fact, you might be able to[find a steal](http://blog.oregonlive.com/nwheadlines/2009/02/bends_shire_looking_for_financ.html) there.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/14 "2009-02-19T22:37:58Z")
I’ll take Buckingham Palace. What? I have a lot of stuff I need the closet space. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/15 "2009-02-19T22:38:14Z")
Dr. Zhivago and Lara’s last house in Varykino. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/16 "2009-02-19T23:16:40Z")
Johnny Cash’s house overlooking Henderson Lake. A few scenes from the movie “I Walk the Line” were filmed in the house. It has a great history, isn’t pretentious at all, has a huge screened in porch, lots of light, a great treed lot, and a great lake view. Perfect. I’d also take Charlie’s (of 2 and a Half Men) house in Malibu complete with a deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I like Frasier’s condo in Seattle, but it’s in Seattle and I need light. I realize my answers are more about the locations and views than the homes themselves. I really do appreciate architecture and things like turrets and beautiful woodwork, but I’d have a tough time living in a really old house. I mean, it would seem appealing to live in a great estate such as the one depicted as Mr. Darcy’s estate on A&E’s Pride & Prejudice, or the painted lady depicted in “Full House” but, frankly, I wouldn’t want the maintenance headache of owning an older home. Ditto for the hotel and grounds on the island of Kalokairi in Greece for the setting of “Mama Mia.” I’d stay there, but it’s too much work to own. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/17 "2009-02-19T23:18:06Z")
[Case Study House No. 22](http://sparklejet.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/shulmancasestudy22.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/18 "2009-02-19T23:21:08Z")
Either the Freeman house, the Hills house, the Evans house, or the Ingalls house from [here](http://www.prairiestyles.com/wright_comm.htm#adams). I love Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture. I would have picked Fallingwater as **An Arky** did but the interior seems so cold, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/19 "2009-02-19T23:38:24Z")
[Cá d’Zan Mansion](http://www.ringling.org/CadMansion.aspx), in Sarasota Florida. Build for John Ringling, of the circus family fame. It’s a gorgeous house right on the shore. And with 41 rooms, 15 bathrooms, and a huge terrace between the building and the shore, it would be great for parties. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614/20 "2009-02-19T23:39:43Z")
> [@Pochacco](#): > > [Case Study House No. 22](http://sparklejet.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/shulmancasestudy22.jpg) OOOH! Nifty! I’d go with a Modern or Art Deco building, with 3 flats. I’d rent out 2, & live in the 3rd. My tenants would pay my taxes & utilities. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-live-in-a-replicated-famous-house-real-or-fictional-which-would-it-be/486614.md?page=2)