Beach Bordello, Gargoyle-Encrusted
Venice, California
A few blocks from the beach in Venice you'll find a gilt-tipped iron fence framing a gargoyle-encrusted 2-story building. Dozens of statues, demons -- knights in armor, nymphs, and little demons -- scale the outer walls and roof. It's not an official tourist attraction or a haunted house; it functions as an apartment building, with tenants and a landlord. And a 10,000 year old curse?
We don't really know if it's cursed; perhaps it's just neighbors with misdirected curb appeal anger. No one can complain too much in a community that welcomes graffiti murals, urban folk art, and a Freak Show Museum -- just around the corner.
The apartment building is named "El Bordello Alexandra." Painted on the exterior are scenes of scantily clad women riding dragons, and ladies of the night peeking from balcony curtains.