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Egypt By Way Of Wadsworth

By Kevin Robinson in Miscellaneous on May 10, 2010 6:00PM

If you've ever noticed a gold pyramid while driving on 294 to Gurnee, you're not crazy. In Wadsworth, IL is a private residence, built in the shape of a pyramid, and decked out with all the trappings of an ancient Egyptian pyramid. Chicagoist Flickr pool contributor only-connect tells us, "I used to live in the northern suburbs and when driving on the tri-state, I would always see the tip of the pyramid. It looked bizarre and out of place, an instant eye magnet." The six-story-tall, 17,000-square-foot Gold Pyramid House was built by Jim and Linda Onan, after reading a University of Wisconsin study that suggested pyramids generate energy. The home, which also features a three-pyramid garage, sits on a natural spring, which forms a moat around the domicile. The water from the spring was reportedly so pure that Jim Onan was permitted to bottle and sell it.

Although the property is closed to the public now, the Onan's have, in the past, offered tours of the gold-plated home. In 1993, the Onans offered their odd home as a means to help pay down the national deficit, telling the Chicago Tribune [via The Beachwood Reporter] in a written statement that they "'offer today, free and clear, with no tax deduction or credit, the Gold Pyramid House!... We make this offer in the hope that the federal government will use the Pyramid House as a successful fundraiser, in much the same way as the state of California uses the Hearst Castle.'" The Gold Pyramid House is believed to be the largest 24-carat gold plated object in North America, among those that keep track of such things.