6 The Republic of Georgia fired the majority of its traffic police consisting of 30,000 officers in 2004 due to corruption. Then they built a glass police station to encourage transparency. Since then, crime in Georgia has actually dropped, also increasing the public confidence in the traffic police.  

The traffic police reform in Georgia fired 85% of the entire force, of which 20,000 were imprisoned for on average 10 years. 

The transparent police station is situated in Tbilisi, and it is a London-based practice. The building appears like an extensive charcoal-colored frame holding together the different internal offices and meeting rooms.

The designers of the building say that the design is a metaphor. Almost 70% of the entire building is transparent, which lets passers-by spy in on the different building parts.  

The building also serves as recreation for the officers. There are balconies and terraces where they can spend their leisure time, and the roof garden is perfect for celebrations and events.

Whenever it comes to Georgia, the first thing that people usually think about is the police reform and the transparent glass building which played a substantial role in its success. (1, 2)

7 In 1818, the US began building a fort near the border of New York and Quebec to defend against an invasion from Canada. After a couple of years of construction, they realized that the fort was actually on the Canadian side, so they abandoned it and named it “Fort Blunder.”

Fort Blunder is located at Champlain Lake bordering the state of New York, and it was originally named “Fort Montgomery” during the construction. 

It is a three-storied, stone structure primarily built to prevent a British invasion from the Canadian side. 

The fort was intensively strategic, nonetheless, the original plan was to build it more than a half-mile on the wrong side of the border. 

The construction ended halfway in 1818 when it was left abandoned for 25 years. The locals literally quarried the stones for their own use. After a number of border disputes, Britain and the US acknowledged the matter during a treaty in 1842. 

Reconstruction started in 1844 with fervor and ended up in 1870. It was then sold at an auction in 1926. It was again put forward for auction at a greatly reduced minimum-bid price. 

Despite its bizarre story, the fort is still magnificent and its presence was comforting during the Civil War. (source)

8 In 2004, police found a movie theatre in the Paris Catacombs which was equipped with a giant cinema screen, seats, projection equipment, film reels, a fully stocked bar, and a complete restaurant with tables and chairs. An organization called the “UX,” short for “Urban eXperiment,” took credit for making the theatre.

The restaurant was found after exploring the underground tunnels of Paris by police. While entering the place, it automatically captured the image of the incomers and triggered a tape of a dog barking to scare people off. 

It is a 400-meter square cave found 18 meters underground. Police mentioned that they found tapes of movies, but nothing offensive. The restaurant was a smaller cave located just next door to the one where they found the cinema screen. 

The UX claimed that they developed the caves found underneath the Trocadero. No evidence was  found of who possessed the place, and also, just after three days of the place’s discovery, police found a note on the floor saying, “Do not try to find us.”

The place has been opened for visitors to take a guided tour but only around tightly restricted sections. (source)

9 Sarah Winchester believed that she was cursed by those who were killed by the Winchester rifle, and the only way she could protect herself was by building an expansive mansion. She did build the Winchester Mystery House over 38 years, which had around 40 bedrooms, 47 fireplaces, staircases leading nowhere, winding corridors, doors that only lead to walls, and other such eccentric features.

Sarah Winchester was the widow of firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester. Her husband died in 1881, and she lived alone until 1922. 

The mansion that Sarah built was at first just an eight-room farmhouse, but she transformed it into a sprawling mansion spanning over 24,000 square feet. It is located in San Jose, California. 

There are different theories of the purpose of building the mansion, but the most popular and bizarre one is that she was acting on the advice of a medium who said she needed to build enough rooms for all the souls of individuals who’d been killed by Winchester rifles. 

The weird design of the entire mansion was said to be part of the plan – to confuse the spirits of the dead. (1, 2)

10 A renowned ophthalmologist, Dr. John Tyler, in Fredrick, Maryland in 1814 was not happy with the plan of extending a road through one of the lands he owned. so he started building a new residence right there overnight. He did that so the road could not be built according to the local law. He never lived in that residence.

The house built by Dr. Tyler is called “a house built out of spite.” Just when he learned that a crew was going to extend the road running through his yard, he immediately hired a crew to dig the foundation for his new residence. 

The solution that Tyler came up with was not so obvious. He had to go through law books only to find out a law that stated roadwork couldn’t be commenced if its path was blocked by the substantial buildings which included buildings under construction as well.

Tyler’s plan was successful, and the next morning the road work was stopped effectively. He then finished constructing the building but never lived there. He did rent it out sometimes.

His true purpose of protecting his front yard and his neighborhood was surely accomplished. (1, 2)