Sometimes the memories and the experience we’ve had in our home makes them worth way more than the millions offered in return to the property. That must have been the case with at least a few of these “holdouts” and “nail houses” that refused to budge when pushed by governments and corporations to sell their property.
While some of the houses merged with the environment in a particularly quirky way, the others stand out high and proud in the middle of roads and under bridges. Whatever the place, they all, however, are monuments that remind us to stand up for ourselves and what we believe in, and don’t allow anyone bully us into submission.
Scroll down below to admire the persistence of house owners all over the world.
1 Edith Macefield Refused To Sell Her Home Even After Being Offered More Than 1 Million Dollars For It. She Later Became The Inspiration For The Movie “Up”
2 Mary Cook Had Refused To Sell Her Narrow, Handsome Home While All The Neighboring Homes Were Demolished. Today The House Sits Tightly Squeezed Between Its Giant Neighbors, Looking Much Like An Illustration From A Children’s Story Book
Vera Coking First Refused To Sell Her House To Bob Guccione, Who Wanted To Build His Casino Around It. Later She Refused To Sell To Donald Trump
An Owner That Refused To Sell His House In Melbourne, Australia
One Resident Of A Toronto Duplex Refused To Sell, So They Cut It In Half
This Slender Gothic-Inspired Townhouse, Flanked By Massive Prewar Apartment Buildings Up And Down The Block
China’s Government Paved A Highway Around These Stubborn Homeowners. The Residents Eventually Moved Out But The House Had Become A Symbol Of Resistance Against Developers
Randal Acker Refused To Sell His Small Queen Anne Victorian Home In Downtown Portland, So They Built A Huge Portland State University Residence Hall Around It
In Guangzhou, The Authorities Have Had To Build A Ring Road Around This Block Of Flats Because Three Families Would Not Budge
The House Of Austin Spriggs, Washington D.c. The Owner Was Offered $3 Million, Said No, And Later Sold It For $4 Million
Although His Is The Only Standing Building In What Used To Be An Old Neighborhood Of Roubaix, In Northern France, Salah Oudjani Refuses To Sell The Coffee House He Has Worked In For The Last 46 Years
Now A Church, This Queen Anne House Prevented Yet Another Apartment Building From Being Constructed
Living Under A Bridge
Developers Were Forced Into Building Around These Holdouts In Washington DC
A Lone Resident Holds Out Against Luxury Villas In Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, In July 2013
The Founders Of This Hotel Couldn’t Buy These Houses Due To The High Asking Price. So The Hotel Was Built Around The Two Buildings Instead, And They Are Now Souvenir Shops
Farmers Live Stuck In Between Three Highways. Hundreds Of Households Were Relocated But The Government Wasn’t Able To Reach A Consensus With This Family
One Chinese Family Refused To Move Their Relatives Ancient Graves. The Small, Bizarre Column Stood 10 Meters Above The Foundation Floor For Months, Until They Finally Accepted Compensation
Mrs Wu Ping Was The Only Person From 241 Properties Who Refused To Leave. She Battled With Contractors And Bids For Almost 3 Years Before Caving In April Of 2007 For Quite A Pretty Penny
This “Nail House” Is Blocking Traffic In Shanghai
The Spiegelhalter Family Refused To Sell Their Shop To The Expanding Wickhams Department Store
This Saloon Refused To Sell Their Property To An Apartment Company And Now The Apartment Has To Build Around Them
The Tenant Of This Apartment Building In Kunming, China, Has To Cross A Moat After The Contractors Dug A Ditch To Force The Last Family Out.
The Entire Rockefeller Plaza Complex Was Moved, Due To These Two Buildings Whose Owners Refused To Sell
A Nail House Sits In The Middle Of A Road Under Construction In Nanning, China, In April 2015. The Owner Of The House Didn’t Reach An Agreement With The Local Authority About Compensation For The Demolition
Residents Of The Guangfuli Area Of Shanghai Have Collectively Decided Not To Leave Their Homes, Creating An Entire “Nail Neighborhood.” Tao Weiren Sits In Front Of His Two-Story House, Which Is Now Surrounded By High-End Condominium Buildings
The Farm In The Middle Of Narita Airport. Farmers Are Refusing To Give Up Their Land In The Middle Of This Airport In Japan. The Runway Is Only Half Usable Because Of Their Refusal To Relocate. They Are Currently A Literal Stones Throw Away From The Flight Path And Must Be Living An Earth Shaking Experience.
Hard-Line Developers In China Diverted A River To Encircle Householders Who Refused To Move From Their 900-Year-Old Village
Zheng Meiju Outside Her Nail House In Rui’an, Zhejiang Province, In July 2013. She Has Been Living In The Partially Demolished Home For Nearly A Year, Even Though The Water And Electricity Supply Were Cut
The Last House In This Area Stands In Front Of A Shopping Mall In Central China’s Hunan Province
The ‘Million Dollar Corner’ That Macy’s Had To Build Around, And Then Hide Behind A Billboard
The Last House Of An Old Neighborhood Stands Alone In A Future Shanghai World Expo 2010 Parking Lot, Under Nanpu Bridge On April 6, 2010, In Shanghai, China. The Holdout Owner Of The House Was Shi Yuji. The House Was Destroyed Days Later, And The Owner Moved Into A Workers’ Dormitory
This “Nail House” House Sits On A Mound Above Ground Level Because The Developer Dug Out The Land Around It
Nail Houses Whose Owners Refused To Relocate, At The Construction Field In Taiyuan, Shanxi Province Of China
A New Motorway In China Has Been Cut In Two After A Homeowner Refused To Sell Their House To Developers. The Homeowner Has Been Considering Whether To Move Or Not For Years Now
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