In a city whose motto is “Keep Austin Weird,” there is perhaps nothing weirder than the Cathedral of Junk. A labor of love by Vince Hanneman that he has constructed in his backyard for the last twenty years, the Cathedral of Junk is, as the name implies, a monument to garbage. Standing about thirty feet tall and comprised of a network of rooms, stairs, ladders and hallways (three stories worth) it is a surreal odyssey to explore. Chandeliers of CDs hang from the ceiling, walls made of bicycles house staircases leading up to the roof, where discarded chairs await you to take a seat and study the detail of every aspect of the building.
It is easy to spend hours here looking over the walls, spotting Nintendo controls dangling from guardrails or monkey masks staring out at you from a hidden corner. A friend of mine even found a long-lost childhood toy amid the wreckage, a Ghostbusters firehouse. It is a must-see for anyone wanting to truly see how weird Austin can get.
The Cathedral of Junk is located at 4422 Lareina Drive. It’s a good idea to call first to make sure it’s open.
Adam Breckenridge is a graduate of the MFA in creative writing program at Antioch University in Los Angeles and currently lives in Oklahoma City where he works on classified military documents. He has traveled much of the United States and Europe and plans on taking on the rest of the world. He also writes a film column for http://www.examiner.com/x-3282-Oklahoma-City-Film-Examiner.
Last 5 posts by Adam Breckenridge
- Austin Blog: Alamo Drafthouse - August 4th, 2009
- Getting "In The Know" Austin - July 27th, 2009
- Zilker Park: An Escape from Austin, in Austin - July 24th, 2009
