The Atlas Obscura Podcast · Friday, August 28, 2026
A 10-foot-wide house in Long Beach, California, known as the Skinny House, was built in the 1930s on a narrow strip of land resulting from a surveying error. The owner, Newton P. Rumens, hired out-of-work builders, who showcased incredible craftsmanship, leading to media attention and jobs for the workers.
“This thing is thin, only 10 feet wide, just enough room for a squished French door.”
“The permit for the house was approved in 1930, just at the start of the Great Depression.”
“Oh, and all those unemployed workers who built the house, each one of them found a job thanks to all the publicity of the Long Beach skinny house.”