Hole N" The Rock

Moab, Utah

What will each of us leave behind that is truly lasting, as evidence of our time upon this good earth? What Albert and Gladys Christensen left behind in Southeastern Utah will last for many years to come -- an entire 14-room house carved out of a sandstone cliff! In an incredible feat of labor, over the course of 12 years Albert used dynamite and hand labor to excavate 50,000 cubic feet of solid rock. The 5,000-square-foot house was completely furnished and was lived in by Albert and Gladys; they also operated a restaurant which catered to travelers on the highway that passed their front door. After Albert passed away in 1957, Gladys continued to live in and develop the house until her own death in 1974. Tourists are still attracted by the words HOLE N" THE ROCK (we will forgive the nonstandard punctuation) painted on the cliff in ten-foot high letters, where for a small fee they can enter the house and learn to story of its construction on a "12-minute tour."

The house windows face south, allowing much of the interior lighting to be natural.
Since photography is not allowed on the tour, this photo and the next one are copied from the brochure sold in the gift shop. This is the entry; the chimney for the fireplace on the far left was drilled through 65 feet of solid rock.
Gladys' bedroom, with her antique doll collection.
Even the gift shop is carved out of the cliff!
Albert was an artist and a great admirer of Franklin D. Roosevelt; he sculpted (uh, "sculptured") this portrait into the cliff above the house.
On the grounds are an extensive rock and cactus garden that is loaded with antiques and humorous displays. This is a two-story outhouse: Mine Boss on the top, Miners on the bottom. Haw haw!
Along the path, signs point the way to "Bigfoot." At the end, this is what we find. What a knee-slapper!
Giant lizard clinging to the cliff.
Also on the grounds are many metal artworks by Lyle Nichols -- including this statue of a golfer, made from old golf clubs.
This Nichols sculpture is called "Organized Chaos" and "is made from crushed fuel tanks, chunks of glass & rebar. The center is twelve pieces of Kansas Cream limestone."
Bone-Mobile; the body of the jeep is completely covered in old license plates; each "tire" is a metal sculpture by itself.
This separate alcove is the final resting place of Albert and Gladys. The headstone was sculpted by Gladys herself.

Directions: 11037 S. Highway 191 (12 miles south of Moab; you shouldn't have any trouble spotting it from the highway!). Free to walk around the grounds, but a small fee is charged to tour the house.

Last visited: October 2008.

Standard disclaimer: Sites are described for entertainment purposes only, as they were at the time of my last visit. I can not vouch for the current condition of the site or its accessibility.