Ramses and the Gold Pyramid House (2005); Pyramid later rebuilt and painted black.

Golden Pyramid House

Wadsworth, Illinois

"The largest 24-karat gold-plated object ever created" is the private home of a rich Armenian garage builder and his family, built in 1977.

The Golden Pyramid conducts summertime weekend tours, weather permitting, of the lavish private pyramid home, a 17,000-square-foot six-story structure containing a replica of King Tut's tomb.

The walled property also features a triple-pyramid garage and a great 64-foot-tall statue of Ramses. Worthwhile just to photograph through the iron gates, but within the walls you may be chased by dogs, as we were on our first visit (and we've heard from others trying to visit when the public was not invited). It is always visible from outside the property walls, which are decorated with hieroglyphics, Egyptian busts and other ornamentation.

In 2011 neighbors forced the Pyramid's owners to replace its 24 karat gold plating with yellow paint because the house would become blinding on sunny days. And on July 17, 2018, fire gutted the Pyramid. The owners escaped, but lost one of their dogs, and many of the artifacts inside were damaged or destroyed. By 2022, the Pyramid had been rebuilt.