Random World's Most Interesting Unfinished Buildings (12 items)

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  (#12) Plaza Rakyat

  • Malaysia

  Plaza Rakyat, known as the People's Plaza in English, is a mixed-use building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was one of many buildings to suffer abandonment after the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s.

  Work slowed and then ceased fully in 2007, but construction is actually set to resume in June 2017. For the urban adventurers, that means exploring this one in its unfinished form is a race against time. Although many of the magnificent-but-unfinished buildings around the globe claim to be resuming their efforts, the team working on this one has actively begun to reach out to the former investors who have waited 20 years to see their dreams become reality. 
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  (#5) Cathedral of Saint John the Divine

  • New York City, New York, USA

  Although the Cathedral of Saint John the Devine is still incomplete, it is a fully functioning Episcopal church. The cornerstone was laid in 1892, and construction on the mixed influence Gothic-Romanesque behemoth continued at a steady pace until WWII. 

  Some cheeky estimates in the 1920s suggested construction would be finished in 700 years, but it looks like that might never happen. Most of the work done over the course of the 20th century was restorative; even the "temporary" dome ceiling remains, despite plans to replace it with a spire. Still, the building is open, and hosts services every Sunday. 
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  (#11) Szkieletor

  • Poland

  The official name of this building in Krakow, Poland, building is NOT Tower, but it has been become known as Szkieletor. That makes sense; Szkieletor is the Polish word for skeleton, and the building has never been much more than that.

  Construction began in 1975 and was brought to a halt in 1979. The building has stood empty ever since, rooms that were meant to be offices and TV studios left completely bare. It has changed owners several times over the years, with all of them doing nothing to the structure but using the 22-story frame to hang massive advertisements.

  For avid explorers, this one comes with a bit of a time limit. Different sources say that the building has been purchased by a new owner and will most likely be refurbished or demolished very soon.
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  (#1) Sagrada Família

  • Barcelona, Spain

  The first stone of this massive church was laid in 1882, and construction is still marching on today. The Sagrada Família is set to be completed in 2026, with all of the construction costs financed by donations and ticket sales. Tours of the basilica are a popular activity when visiting Barcelona, Spain, and visitors are encouraged to spend time taking a close look at the facade to search for the cleverly hidden Biblical images. 

  Architect Antoni Gaudí took over the planning of the Gothic-style church in 1883, the second year of its construction. From there, it became his life's work, until he passed away in 1926. The original plans have been used during the entire process; although some assumptions have been made along the way, since the plans have been slightly damaged over the many, many decades it has taken to complete the church.
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  (#3) Woodchester Mansion

  • United Kingdom

  The Woodchester Mansion in Woodchester, England, is a bit of a trickster; from the outside, it almost looks like a regular, old mansion. But once you get inside, it becomes clear that construction was never completed. Construction on the Victorian-Gothic house began in 1855 and continued until 1873. It was made using local limestone, with vaulted stone ceilings that were unique for that time period. 

  Because the house is still missing floors, it allows visitors to actually see how houses were constructed during that time. Construction eventually ceased due to lack of funds – more specifically, a lack of the yearly income that the owner would have needed to actually run the place.

  In spite of the fact that it was never finished, it still has a lot of beautiful details, especially in the chapel and on the facade.
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  (#2) Winchester Mystery House

  • North America

  Pure paranoia has never looked so beautiful. In the mid 1800s, Sarah Winchester, wife of rifle manufacturer William Wirt Winchester, turned to spirituality to cope with the deaths of her husband and and infant daughter. A medium told her that the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles were responsible for their deaths, and, in order to avoid a similar fate, she needed to move out West and begin building a grand house for them. As long as the house was never fully completed, she would be safe.

  The house, located in San Jose, California, began being constructed in 1884. The workers did not stop adding strange and mostly unnecessary details and additions until 1922, when Sarah passed away.

  The beautiful Victorian-style Winchester Mystery House is a museum today, where visitors can go on a tour through the extremely quirky layout. There are secret passageways, staircases to nowhere, and oddly-shaped rooms built in an attempt to throw off the spirits.

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