From Wikipedia - Reading time: 9 min
This is a list of fake buildings which are structures that use urban and suburban camouflage to disguise equipment and city infrastructure facilities that are aesthetically unpleasing in non-industrial neighborhoods. The list does not include utility sheds such as small pumphouses.
This lists fake buildings that are used for communication facilities such as telephone exchanges and data centers.
| Name | Image | Address | Town / City | Country | Coordinates | Purpose | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Hartford Data Center | 130 South Main Street | West Hartford, Connecticut | United States | 41°45′12″N 72°44′36″W / 41.75336°N 72.74336°W | Data center | Built for telephone exchange, but later converted into a data center.[1][2] | |
| 636 Orange Center Road | 636 Orange Center Road | Orange, Connecticut | United States | 41°16′48″N 73°01′38″W / 41.27995°N 73.02723°W | Telecommunication equipment | Frontier Communications building disguised as a single family home with blackout windows[3] | |
| 335 Glen Road | Upload image | 335 Glen Road | Rochester, New York | United States | 43°07′39″N 77°31′09″W / 43.12738°N 77.51907°W | Telecommunication equipment | [4] |
| 91 Pinegrove Avenue | Upload image | 91 Pinegrove Avenue | Rochester, New York | United States | 43°13′33″N 77°35′49″W / 43.22593°N 77.59686°W | Telecommunication equipment | [5] |
| Henson | 13352 Blossomheath Lane | Dallas, Texas | United States | 32°55′48″N 96°46′10″W / 32.93005°N 96.769412°W | Data center | Owned by AT&T. Disguised as a large suburban house.[6][7] | |
| Henson 2 | 13229 Southview Lane | Dallas, Texas | United States | 32°55′47″N 96°46′10″W / 32.92961°N 96.76949°W | Data center | Previously owned by AT&T. Disguised as a large suburban house.[8][9] |
This lists fake buildings that are used for ventilation of enclosed spaces such as tunnels.
| Name | Image | Address | Town / City | Country | Coordinates | Purpose | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thornton Tunnel Ventilation House | Upload image | 3911 Frances Street | Burnaby, British Columbia | Canada | 49°16′46″N 123°01′06″W / 49.27954°N 123.01840°W | Ventilation shaft | Part of Thornton Tunnel for Canadian National Railway[10] |
| Towers substation | Upload image | 1423 rue Towers | Montreal, Quebec | Canada | 45°29′34″N 73°34′53″W / 45.49273°N 73.58139°W | Ventilation shaft | Historical landmark rebuilt brick by brick as a ventilation station for the Montreal Metro[11] |
| 23–24 Leinster Gardens | 23–24 Leinster Gardens | Bayswater, London | England | 51°30′45″N 0°11′01″W / 51.51261°N 0.18361°W | Ventilation shaft | For the London Underground. Disguised with grayed out windows[12] | |
| 2 Old Eldon Square | 2, Old Eldon Square | Newcastle upon Tyne | England | 54°58′27″N 1°36′52″W / 54.97430°N 1.61445°W | Ventilation shaft | For Tyne and Wear Metro, vents on the roof (seen on the right of the photo)[13] | |
| 145 rue La Fayette | 145, rue La Fayette | 10th arrondissement of Paris | France | 48°52′45″N 2°21′22″E / 48.87920°N 2.35614°E | Ventilation shaft | For RATP Paris Métro[14] | |
| 29 rue Quincampoix | 29 rue Quincampoix | 4th arrondissement of Paris | France | 48°51′37″N 2°21′00″E / 48.86029°N 2.35008°E | Ventilation shaft | For RATP. Trompe l'oeil paintings on windows.[15] | |
| Ventilation shaft of the Magenta station | Upload image | 174 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis | 10th arrondissement of Paris | France | 48°52′48″N 2°21′27″E / 48.87998°N 2.35763°E | Ventilation shaft | Part of EOLE project[16] |
| 3 rue de l'Aqueduc | Upload image | 3 rue de l'Aqueduc | 10th arrondissement of Paris | France | 48°52′47″N 2°21′29″E / 48.87978°N 2.35800°E | Technical shaft | Part of EOLE project[17] |
| Yarmouth Street Ventilation Shaft | Yarmouth Street | Boston, Massachusetts | United States | 42°20′46″N 71°04′38″W / 42.346207°N 71.077265°W | Ventilation shaft | The ventilation shaft (the rightmost portion) was wrapped by a brick facade to create an appearance of a bow-front townhouse[18] | |
| 58 Joralemon Street | 58 Joralemon Street | Brooklyn, New York | United States | 40°41′36″N 73°59′51″W / 40.69345°N 73.99740°W | Ventilation shaft and emergency exit | For the New York City Subway. Disguised with blacked out windows.[19] |
This list fake buildings that are used to house equipment for water distribution networks, sewage management, and stormwater management.
| Name | Image | Address | Town / City | Country | Coordinates | Purpose | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duffus Street pumping station | Upload image | 5211 Duffus Street | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Canada | 44°40′15″N 63°36′07″W / 44.67087°N 63.60195°W | Sewage pumping station | Halifax Water underground station with an entrance disguised as a split-level home.[20] |
| North Oakville East Wastewater Pumping Station | Upload image | 345 Dundas Street West | Oakville, Ontario | Canada | 43°28′12″N 79°44′24″W / 43.470066°N 79.739913°W | Sewage pumping station | Disguised as an early 20th century fire station.[21] |
| WNY1 Solids & Floatables Facility | South of 6400 Anthony M. Defino Way | West New York, New Jersey | United States | 40°47′11″N 74°00′12″W / 40.78640°N 74.00329°W | Combined sewer overflow screening facility | A facility disguised as townhouses, built in 2009 by North Hudson Sewerage Authority[22] | |
| H1 Screening and Wet Weather Pump Station | 99 Observer Highway | Hoboken, New Jersey | United States | 40°44′08″N 74°01′53″W / 40.73546°N 74.03131°W | Combined sewer overflow screening and flood pumping station | Disguised as a modern building that has an architectural connection to the Hoboken Terminal[23][24] | |
| Belindeer Pump Station | Upload image | 5700 Belinder Avenue | Fairway, Kansas | United States | 39°01′33″N 94°37′01″W / 39.02586°N 94.61692°W | Sewage pumping station | Johnson County Wastewater[25] |
| Nall Avenue Holding Station | Upload image | 7490 Nall Avenue | Prairie Village, Kansas | United States | 38°59′36″N 94°38′58″W / 38.99347°N 94.64951°W | Sewage pumping station | Johnson County Wastewater[25] |
| Wade Avenue Pump Station | Upload image | 3215 Wade Avenue | Raleigh, North Carolina | United States | 35°48′03″N 78°40′43″W / 35.80076°N 78.67854°W | Water booster pumping station | Raleigh Public Utilities Department[26] |
| Lake Gaston Pipeline Pump Station | Upload image | 207 Beddingfield Way | Valentines, Virginia | United States | 36°32′48″N 77°51′46″W / 36.54661°N 77.86273°W | Water source pipeline pumping station | Lake Gaston is a water source for Virginia Beach, Virginia. The station is disguised as a lake house.[27] |
| Alline Avenue Pump Station | Upload image | 2921 W Alline Avenue | Tampa, Florida | United States | 27°53′54″N 82°29′32″W / 27.89821°N 82.49224°W | Stormwater pumping station | Disguised as a bungalow[28] |
| Locust Valley Pump Station | 20 Meleny Rd | Locust Valley, New York | United States | 40°54′17″N 73°34′58″W / 40.90480°N 73.58274°W | Sewage pumping station | Disguised as a small single family house[29][30] | |
| Glannon Pump Station | 3788 Mt Royal Boulevard | Allison Park, Pennsylvania | United States | 40°33′15″N 79°58′16″W / 40.55423°N 79.97106°W | Sewage pumping station | Disguised as a single family home with a front porch[31] | |
| Highland Park Wastewater Treatment Facility | 316 Highland Park Road | Sellersville, Pennsylvania | United States | 40°20′42″N 75°18′06″W / 40.34509°N 75.30164°W | Wastewater treatment plant | Hilltown Township Water & Sewer Authority. Plant disguised as a red barn.[32] | |
| Wyndgate Subdivision Wastewater Treatment Plant | Upload image | 128 Wyndgate Valley Drive | O'Fallon, Missouri | United States | 38°44′53″N 90°48′30″W / 38.74815°N 90.80847°W | Membrane bioreactors wastewater treatment plant | A subdivision of Duckett Creek Sanitary District. Plant disguised as a two-story single family house to blend in with the neighbors.[33][34] |
| Riverdale Subdivision Wastewater Treatment Facility | Upload image | 1400 Riverdale Manor Drive | O'Fallon, Missouri | United States | 38°53′01″N 90°44′38″W / 38.88364°N 90.74379°W | Membrane bioreactors wastewater treatment plant | A subdivision of Duckett Creek Sanitary District. Plant disguised as a horse barn.[33][35] |
| Southport Unit 5 Vacuum Station | Upload image | 2281 SE Sidonia Street | Port St. Lucie, Florida | United States | 27°16′22″N 80°18′14″W / 27.27287°N 80.30376°W | Sewage pumping station | Disguised as a bunkalow.[36] |
| Kennedy Avenue Pump Station | Upload image | 6448 Kennedy Avenue | Cincinnati, Ohio | United States | 39°11′16″N 84°24′49″W / 39.18771°N 84.41348°W | Water pumping station | Disguised as an apartment building in the Kennedy Heights neighborhood.[37] |
This lists fake buildings that are used for providing heating and cooling services such as district heating, district cooling and cold district heating.
| Name | Image | Address | Town / City | Country | Coordinates | Purpose | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Nashville District Energy System | Upload image | 90 Peabody Street | Nashville, Tennessee | United States | 36°09′30″N 86°46′13″W / 36.15847°N 86.77039°W | District heating / District cooling | Enclosure with facade that has fake windows[26][38] |
This lists fake buildings that are used for electric power distribution, such as distribution substations and transformer houses.
| Name | Image | Address | Town / City | Country | Coordinates | Purpose | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strecker Memorial Laboratory | Southpoint Park, Roosevelt Island | New York, New York | United States | 40°45′08″N 73°57′30″W / 40.75230°N 73.95822°W | Power conversion substation | Converted from an infectious disease laboratory[14] | |
| Mott Haven Substation | 415 Bruckner Boulevard | Bronx, New York | United States | 40°48′28″N 73°54′22″W / 40.80783°N 73.90622°W | Substation | ConEdison substation made to look like townhouses in a gated community.[39][40] | |
| 51 W Ontario Street | 51 W Ontario Street | Chicago, Illinois | United States | 41°53′35″N 87°37′48″W / 41.89306°N 87.63000°W | Substation | Georgian building with fake front doors, and windows that are used as vents.[14] | |
| 4227 40th St NW | Upload image | 4227 40th St NW | Washington, DC | United States | 38°56′39″N 77°04′42″W / 38.94409°N 77.07843°W | Substation | Pepco substation disguised as a two-story brick house. Side windows painted as blinds.[41] |
| 4225 40th St NW | Upload image | 4225 40th St NW | Washington, DC | United States | 38°56′39″N 77°04′42″W / 38.94414°N 77.07820°W | Substation | Disguised as a shred behind 4227 40th St NW[41] |
| 4000 Van Ness St NW | Upload image | 4000 Van Ness St NW | Washington, DC | United States | 38°56′34″N 77°04′44″W / 38.94264°N 77.07900°W | Substation | Pepco substation disguised as an office building with blacked out windows[42] |
| 1001 Harvard St NW | Upload image | 1001 Harvard St NW | Washington, DC | United States | 38°55′37″N 77°01′35″W / 38.92698°N 77.02645°W | Substation | Pepco substation that imitates an old train station but with whited out windows[42] |
| Pepco Darnestown Substation | Upload image | 16010 Riffle Ford Road | Gaithersburg, Maryland | United States | 39°07′04″N 77°15′46″W / 39.11778°N 77.26282°W | Substation | Pepco substation that imitates a large barn with metal silo in a rural area[42] |
| 2530 Norton Street | Upload image | 2530 Norton Street | Rochester, New York | United States | 43°11′19″N 77°33′13″W / 43.18862°N 77.55358°W | Substation | [43] |
| 250 Seneca Park Avenue | Upload image | 250 Seneca Park Avenue | Rochester, New York | United States | 43°13′32″N 77°36′28″W / 43.22552°N 77.60778°W | Substation | [44] |
| Detroit Edison Lake Orion substation | 215 E. Church Street | Lake Orion, Michigan | United States | 42°47′15″N 83°14′13″W / 42.78745°N 83.23695°W | Substation | Constructed in 1926 in Tudor Revival style to match the residential neighborhood.[45] | |
| Peermont Substation | Upload image | 271 61st Street | Avalon, New Jersey | United States | 39°04′37″N 74°44′27″W / 39.07707°N 74.74086°W | Substation | Atlantic City Electric Company substation disguised as a shore house[46][47] |