Welcome to my crib: fictional edition

By Seth Pyle

Staff Writer

There have been thousands of homes shown in movies and on television, but few of those homes are ever remembered. Here are eight #iconic homes that have become architectural mainstays.

Mansions/Castles

Rich Mansion, “Ri¢hie Ri¢h” (1994): Like your fourth-grade North Carolina history teacher, I am going to enlighten you with some North Carolina geography trivia. The house and grounds scenes from Richie Rich were filmed at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The 250-room Biltmore House is impressive in real life and was made even more so for the movie. Perfect for an immeasurably rich only child who must save his parents.

Hogwarts, Harry Potter Series: Harry, and presumably Tom Riddle, considered Hogwarts their first real home, like some students consider Chapel Hill. The castle-turned-school is replete with ghosts, a poltergeist and basilisk but also offers a first-rate education in wizardry and enough adventure to fill seven books. The castle is surrounded by beautiful grounds, a lake and a forest. Perfect for magically-gifted, troubled young wizards.

Underground

Bag End, The Lord of the Rings series: Men, elves and wizards will be in discomfort when visiting Bag End, since it was built with only hobbits in mind. Sort of like the basement floors of residence halls. The hobbit-hole more than makes up for its lack of height, though, with its fully-stocked larder and well-furnished rooms. Perfect for an adventurous hobbit.

Teletubbies’ Home, “Teletubbies” (1997-2001): In a world where a baby’s head is the sun, a colorful being must do what it can to survive. The Teletubbies’ subterranean headquarters remains an architectural mainstay in blending technology and simplicity. Perfect for anthropomorphic beings whose life goals are to entertain babies.

Underwater

Anemone, “Finding Nemo” (2003): Considered a prime real estate spot for clown fish, this anemone is well in distance of a nice school and friendly neighbors. I imagine it as being like a house in Carrboro, except underwater. Perfect for a single dad trying to raise a son in safety.

Pineapple, “SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-ongoing): SpongeBob’s house was made by carving out a pineapple. Like many of buildings on campus, this one-of-a-kind house features a dimension-defying number of rooms. This one-bedroom house is perfect for a bachelor looking to make a name for himself in the culinary world.

Non-traditional

Carl Fredricksen’s House, “Up” (2009): The house in “Up” is a typical suburban house — that is, until a host of balloons are deployed from the top of house and it becomes a flying vacation home. The engineering marvel of a house is excellent for any retiree wishing to see a little bit of the world before they blow out the candles for the last time.

Yoda’s Hut, “Star Wars, Episode V: the Empire Strikes Back” (1980): An example of seamless natural architecture, Yoda’s hut might be just a one-room hut, but it is surrounded by wildlife as far as the eye can see. It’s similar to what living in the Arboretum would be like. An excellent choice for a force-using hermit.

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