Casa Grande

Coolidge, Arizona

As Casa Grandé's name implies, not even the Spanish had a very clear idea of what it was or why it was built. Modern-day pseudo-scientists speculate that it was an ancient astronomical observatory, but all that's known for sure is that Casa Grandé is a big, brown, Indian ruin.

Standing in the middle of nowhere, this crumbling, four-story mud skyscraper has always attracted fans of architectural decay. What brings Casa Grandé into the Roadside realm is the gargantuan steel umbrella that towers over it -- built in 1936 by the WPA to shield it from the sun (rain would have melted it centuries ago). The umbrella cost $28,000 to build -- now it takes $38,000 to paint it every year.

Whatever its purpose, Casa Grandé -- augmented with New Deal deficit spending -- is the silliest-looking Indian ruin in the U.S. The Indians, who probably only used the thing to store grain, are having themselves a good laugh.