T.E. W. (terez93) reviewed American Murder Houses: A Coast-to-Coast Tour of the Most Notorious Houses of Homicide on + 323 more book reviews
Hot on the heels of another book I didn't really expect to read, about the possible multiple murders committed by a single, unimaginably deranged family annihilator (yes, there is actually such a thing, one which apparently has occurred with such frequency that there's a technical term for it) who may have traversed the United States, from coast to coast, murdering entire families over the course of nearly twenty years, I wanted to see if any of the unfortunate victims were listed in this volume.
We the People have had a long fascination with murder scenes, or at least those where notorious deaths occurred: The Shootout at the O.K. Corral (which wasn't really the actual scene), Bonnie and Clyde's ambush and death, the site of John Dillinger's death at the hands of the FBI, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre - these events and sites are household names, and are still frequently visited despite the chagrin of locals. Some herald these sites as tourist draws, but many don't.
Unfortunately for humanity, another entire category of sites is "murder houses," which is now, if it weren't before, a household name in the US - the initial American Horror Story series featured it as their first theme, which was based on something of a conglomerate of actual occurrences. This book is a catalog of some of the more famous ones, but some obscure ones are included as well, which I wouldn't really have thought to include, in favor of more significant sites.
Although it's somewhat light on detail, it does include a fairly diverse collection of them. That said, the author and I clearly have a different idea of what constitutes a "murder house." Mine would be that the murders have to have actually occurred at, you know... the house?? This collection takes quite a bit of liberty with regard to the actual locations. Cielo Drive/Sharon Tate House? Check. Lizzie Borden, Villisca Axe Murders, the Clutter Farmhouse, made famous by Truman Capote's immortal "In Cold Blood?" Check.
Others in this collection? Not so much. Those which made the list here but where the crimes didn't even occur in the house include the Dakota apartment building in NYC, outside of which the murder of John Lennon occurred, the apartment building where Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered, which wasn't in the apartment unit, and the one the author starts with, the sidewalk, basically, where Gianni Versace was gunned down. They may have been famous locations, but I wouldn't put them on a list of so-called "murder houses."
Another criterion for me would be that the "murder house" has to be the actual one where the crime(s) occurred, even if it's been restored. It can't have been demolished and something else rebuilt on the site. That knocks out several of these, where there's either nothing remaining of the structure where the famous crimes occurred, or something else was built in its place. So, Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, two of which burned down before the latest iteration, wouldn't make the grade for me, either.
That said, overall, it gets a three-star rating for the fact that someone put together a capable list of some of the more famous crime locations, if people want to visit them, but I also want to note that some of the material is out of date, so I would recommend checking online to make sure you get something more current. It offers at least an overview of the major points, but it doesn't have the depth to make it a guidebook, so if you do want to visit any of these location, especially if you're going out of your way to do so, I would definitely do supplemental reading and research before you go so you can get the most out of your visit. Something that the book does offer is a short bibliography of further reading on each of the entries.
There was one passage which really rubbed me the wrong way, so I thought I'd mention it. In the entry on the murder of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, the author writes, "The address of the house has been changed to limit gawkers, but they still come by. Perhaps eventually people will stop driving by and having their pictures taken in front of the house where the little beauty queen was murdered."
Except... YOU GAVE THEM THE ADDRESS (the old AND new one) in a book you ostensibly wrote to make money, based on the locations of houses where dozens of people, including numerous children, were slaughtered. So... now, you want to take the high road? Perhaps eventually people like him will stop publicizing and making money off them, perpetuating their infamy (doubtful). Yeah, you don't get to look down your long nose and judge other people when you're essentially facilitating "gawkers" visiting infamous crime locations. Dude put that in a book HE wrote, entitled AMERICAN MURDER HOUSES. Coast-to-Coast TOUR, no less.
Hypocrisy, much?
I would also like to note, although I'm not going to go into detail, that there are a fair number of factual errors and omissions here, which makes it somewhat irksome, if someone's done their homework and knows more about the individual sites or events than the author. As stated above, if you're really interested or planning a visit, do your own supplemental research, as there are some glaring errors here. Otherwise, it's worth a look, if you're into this sort of thing. Came across this while researching something else, but it's also interesting to see how various authors have interpreted and reported on these famous events.
ENTRIES AND INFORMATION
LaLaurie Mansion: New Orleans, LA: 1834. 1140 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Lizzie Borden House: Fall River MA: 1892. 230 2nd St., Fall River, MA, 02721
Conrad Aiken House: Savannah, GA: 1901. 228 E. Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah, GA 31401
Villisca Axe Murder House, AKA the Moore House: Villisca, IA, 1912: 508 E. 2nd St., Villisca, IA 50864
Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright House: Spring Green, WI: 1914. 5607 County Rd. C, Spring Green, WI, 53588 (Burned down/Rebuilt)
The "Hex" House: Stewartstown, PA: 1928. 1709 Rehmeyer's Hollow Rd., Stewartstown, PA 17363
The Clutter Farmhouse: (Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood"), Holcomb, KS: 1959. Oak Avenue, Holcomb, KS, 67851 (Private Road)
Richard Speck Nurse Murder House: Chicago, IL: 1966. 2319 E. 100th St., Chicago, IL, 60617
Manson Murder Houses: 1969
1) The Hinman House: 964 Old Topanga Canyon Rd., Topanga, CA, 90290
2) Cielo Drive/Tate House, 10066 Cielo Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (Demolished)
3) La Bianca House, 3311 Waverly Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90027
The Candyman Corll Murder House: Pasadena, TX: 1973. 2020 Lamar Dr., Pasadena, TX, 77502
The Amityville/DeFeo House: Amityville, NY: 1974. 108 Ocean Ave., Amityville, NY, 11701
Ruppert Family Murder House: Hamilton, OH: 1975. 635 Minor Ave., Hamilton, OH, 45015
The Unicorn Murder House: Philadelphia, PA: 1977. 2411 Race St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104
The Dakota Apartment Building: (Site of John Lennon's Murder), New York City: 1980. 1 W. 72nd St., New York, NY, 10023
Mercer-Williams House: (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), Savannah, GA: 1981. 429 Bull St., Savannah, GA 31401
The Wonderland Murder House: Los Angeles, CA: 1981. 8763 Wonderland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Chateau Marmont: (John Belushi), Hollywood, CA: 1982. 8221 Sunset Blvd., Bungalow #3, Hollywood, CA, 90046
Menendez Brothers Murder House: Beverly Hills, CA: 1989. 722 N. Elm Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Rifkin Murder House: East Meadow, NY: 1993. 1492 Garden St., East Meadow, NY, 11554
Brown-Simpson/Goldman Murder Site: (O.J. Simpson Murders), Los Angeles, CA: 1994. 879 S. Bundy Dr., Los Angeles, CA, 90049
JonBenet Ramsey House: Boulder, CO: 1996. 749 15th St., Boulder, CA 80302
General Wayne Inn: Merion, PA: 1996. 625 Montgomery Ave., Merion, PA, 19066
Versace Murder Site: Miami Beach, FL: 1997. 1116 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach, FL, 33139
The Green River Killer House: SeaTac, WA: 1998. 21859 32nd Pl., SeaTac, WA, 98198
Andrea Yates House: Houston, TX: 2001. 942 Beachcomber Ln., Houston, TX, 77062
Kreischer Mansion, Staten Island, NY: 2005. 4500 Arthur Kill Rd., Staten Island, NY, 10309
Gardette-Laprete House: New Orleans, LA. 716 Dauphine St., New Orleans, LA, 70116
We the People have had a long fascination with murder scenes, or at least those where notorious deaths occurred: The Shootout at the O.K. Corral (which wasn't really the actual scene), Bonnie and Clyde's ambush and death, the site of John Dillinger's death at the hands of the FBI, the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre - these events and sites are household names, and are still frequently visited despite the chagrin of locals. Some herald these sites as tourist draws, but many don't.
Unfortunately for humanity, another entire category of sites is "murder houses," which is now, if it weren't before, a household name in the US - the initial American Horror Story series featured it as their first theme, which was based on something of a conglomerate of actual occurrences. This book is a catalog of some of the more famous ones, but some obscure ones are included as well, which I wouldn't really have thought to include, in favor of more significant sites.
Although it's somewhat light on detail, it does include a fairly diverse collection of them. That said, the author and I clearly have a different idea of what constitutes a "murder house." Mine would be that the murders have to have actually occurred at, you know... the house?? This collection takes quite a bit of liberty with regard to the actual locations. Cielo Drive/Sharon Tate House? Check. Lizzie Borden, Villisca Axe Murders, the Clutter Farmhouse, made famous by Truman Capote's immortal "In Cold Blood?" Check.
Others in this collection? Not so much. Those which made the list here but where the crimes didn't even occur in the house include the Dakota apartment building in NYC, outside of which the murder of John Lennon occurred, the apartment building where Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered, which wasn't in the apartment unit, and the one the author starts with, the sidewalk, basically, where Gianni Versace was gunned down. They may have been famous locations, but I wouldn't put them on a list of so-called "murder houses."
Another criterion for me would be that the "murder house" has to be the actual one where the crime(s) occurred, even if it's been restored. It can't have been demolished and something else rebuilt on the site. That knocks out several of these, where there's either nothing remaining of the structure where the famous crimes occurred, or something else was built in its place. So, Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin, two of which burned down before the latest iteration, wouldn't make the grade for me, either.
That said, overall, it gets a three-star rating for the fact that someone put together a capable list of some of the more famous crime locations, if people want to visit them, but I also want to note that some of the material is out of date, so I would recommend checking online to make sure you get something more current. It offers at least an overview of the major points, but it doesn't have the depth to make it a guidebook, so if you do want to visit any of these location, especially if you're going out of your way to do so, I would definitely do supplemental reading and research before you go so you can get the most out of your visit. Something that the book does offer is a short bibliography of further reading on each of the entries.
There was one passage which really rubbed me the wrong way, so I thought I'd mention it. In the entry on the murder of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, the author writes, "The address of the house has been changed to limit gawkers, but they still come by. Perhaps eventually people will stop driving by and having their pictures taken in front of the house where the little beauty queen was murdered."
Except... YOU GAVE THEM THE ADDRESS (the old AND new one) in a book you ostensibly wrote to make money, based on the locations of houses where dozens of people, including numerous children, were slaughtered. So... now, you want to take the high road? Perhaps eventually people like him will stop publicizing and making money off them, perpetuating their infamy (doubtful). Yeah, you don't get to look down your long nose and judge other people when you're essentially facilitating "gawkers" visiting infamous crime locations. Dude put that in a book HE wrote, entitled AMERICAN MURDER HOUSES. Coast-to-Coast TOUR, no less.
Hypocrisy, much?
I would also like to note, although I'm not going to go into detail, that there are a fair number of factual errors and omissions here, which makes it somewhat irksome, if someone's done their homework and knows more about the individual sites or events than the author. As stated above, if you're really interested or planning a visit, do your own supplemental research, as there are some glaring errors here. Otherwise, it's worth a look, if you're into this sort of thing. Came across this while researching something else, but it's also interesting to see how various authors have interpreted and reported on these famous events.
ENTRIES AND INFORMATION
LaLaurie Mansion: New Orleans, LA: 1834. 1140 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Lizzie Borden House: Fall River MA: 1892. 230 2nd St., Fall River, MA, 02721
Conrad Aiken House: Savannah, GA: 1901. 228 E. Oglethorpe Ave., Savannah, GA 31401
Villisca Axe Murder House, AKA the Moore House: Villisca, IA, 1912: 508 E. 2nd St., Villisca, IA 50864
Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright House: Spring Green, WI: 1914. 5607 County Rd. C, Spring Green, WI, 53588 (Burned down/Rebuilt)
The "Hex" House: Stewartstown, PA: 1928. 1709 Rehmeyer's Hollow Rd., Stewartstown, PA 17363
The Clutter Farmhouse: (Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood"), Holcomb, KS: 1959. Oak Avenue, Holcomb, KS, 67851 (Private Road)
Richard Speck Nurse Murder House: Chicago, IL: 1966. 2319 E. 100th St., Chicago, IL, 60617
Manson Murder Houses: 1969
1) The Hinman House: 964 Old Topanga Canyon Rd., Topanga, CA, 90290
2) Cielo Drive/Tate House, 10066 Cielo Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (Demolished)
3) La Bianca House, 3311 Waverly Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90027
The Candyman Corll Murder House: Pasadena, TX: 1973. 2020 Lamar Dr., Pasadena, TX, 77502
The Amityville/DeFeo House: Amityville, NY: 1974. 108 Ocean Ave., Amityville, NY, 11701
Ruppert Family Murder House: Hamilton, OH: 1975. 635 Minor Ave., Hamilton, OH, 45015
The Unicorn Murder House: Philadelphia, PA: 1977. 2411 Race St., Philadelphia, PA, 19104
The Dakota Apartment Building: (Site of John Lennon's Murder), New York City: 1980. 1 W. 72nd St., New York, NY, 10023
Mercer-Williams House: (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), Savannah, GA: 1981. 429 Bull St., Savannah, GA 31401
The Wonderland Murder House: Los Angeles, CA: 1981. 8763 Wonderland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Chateau Marmont: (John Belushi), Hollywood, CA: 1982. 8221 Sunset Blvd., Bungalow #3, Hollywood, CA, 90046
Menendez Brothers Murder House: Beverly Hills, CA: 1989. 722 N. Elm Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Rifkin Murder House: East Meadow, NY: 1993. 1492 Garden St., East Meadow, NY, 11554
Brown-Simpson/Goldman Murder Site: (O.J. Simpson Murders), Los Angeles, CA: 1994. 879 S. Bundy Dr., Los Angeles, CA, 90049
JonBenet Ramsey House: Boulder, CO: 1996. 749 15th St., Boulder, CA 80302
General Wayne Inn: Merion, PA: 1996. 625 Montgomery Ave., Merion, PA, 19066
Versace Murder Site: Miami Beach, FL: 1997. 1116 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach, FL, 33139
The Green River Killer House: SeaTac, WA: 1998. 21859 32nd Pl., SeaTac, WA, 98198
Andrea Yates House: Houston, TX: 2001. 942 Beachcomber Ln., Houston, TX, 77062
Kreischer Mansion, Staten Island, NY: 2005. 4500 Arthur Kill Rd., Staten Island, NY, 10309
Gardette-Laprete House: New Orleans, LA. 716 Dauphine St., New Orleans, LA, 70116
