8 Intriguing Architectural Oddities You Probably Never Noticed Before in NYC

New Yorkers have a tendency to feel like they've seen it all, but there are still some secrets in the city that stump even the most informed locals. Whether it be a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/the-underground-home-mystery-is-there-a-subterranean-house-hidden-beneath-queens/">1960s underground home in Queens</a> that no one is sure even exists anymore or a strip of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/too-perfect-bronx-townhouses-are-not-at-all-what-they-seem-photos/">too-perfect Bronx townhouses</a> that hides an unexpected surprise, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/">New York City</a> is home to a host of intriguing architectural oddities that keep us guessing. Read on to see which ones you're in-the-know about.

<h3><a href="https://inhabitat.com/nyc/new-york-citys-hidden-rooftop-houses/">Suburban House on Top of an Apartment Building </a></h3> Did a tornado rip through Long Island and deposit this<a href="https://inhabitat.com/nyc/new-york-citys-hidden-rooftop-houses/"> suburban house</a> atop a city apartment building?

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/dumpster-transformed-into-modern-home-by-artist-gregory-kloehn/">Guy That Lives in a Transforming Dumpster House</a></h3> Gregory Kloehn may live in a garbage can but he's no grouch. Kloehn is quite content in his <a href="http://inhabitat.com/dumpster-transformed-into-modern-home-by-artist-gregory-kloehn/">tricked-out dumpster home</a> complete with a toilet, a grill, a BBQ, a water tank, electricity and even granite countertops!

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/how-new-york-threw-away-the-worlds-oldest-subway-tunnel/">World's Oldest Subway Tunnel</a></h3> Being home to the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/how-new-york-threw-away-the-worlds-oldest-subway-tunnel/">world's oldest subway tunnel</a> seems like something a city would want to take advantage of, so why has NYC chosen to hide the historic passageway away from the public eye?

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/the-underground-home-mystery-is-there-a-subterranean-house-hidden-beneath-queens/">The Underground Home Mystery</a></h3> Hidden - or perhaps not - beneath one of Queens's most popular parks, the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/the-underground-home-mystery-is-there-a-subterranean-house-hidden-beneath-queens/">Underground Home</a> is a massive, 12,000-square-foot house that may or may not still be there. The subterranean residence was designed and built by businessman Jay Swayze for the 1964 World's Fair, but what happened after that is a mystery. Some say that the house, which featured all of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/the-underground-home-mystery-is-there-a-subterranean-house-hidden-beneath-queens/">latest technologies for underground living</a>, was filled in with rubble and destroyed while others hypothesize that Swayze would have opted to leave it intact since that was a cheaper option. For now, no one quite knows if it's still down there.

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/too-perfect-bronx-townhouses-are-not-at-all-what-they-seem-photos/">Too-Perfect Bronx Townhouses</a></h3> You might not think twice when passing by these quaint townhouses in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx, but stick around for a bit and you'll begin to notice something strange. For one thing, you'll never see anyone exit or enter out of the homes' green doors, which appear to be floating in the air with no actual steps leading up to them. So <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/too-perfect-bronx-townhouses-are-not-at-all-what-they-seem-photos/">what's wrong</a> with these too-perfect Bronx townhouses?

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/mysteriously-tiny-door-pops-up-in-williamsburg-brooklyn/">Curiously Tiny Door</a></h3> We knew people were downsizing to be able to afford New York, but this is ridiculous! All kidding aside, a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/mysteriously-tiny-door-pops-up-in-williamsburg-brooklyn/">mysterious, tiny red door</a> that recently popped up in Williamsburg has passersby wondering what the story behind it is. Can you guess?

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-unusual-wedge-shaped-shipping-container-townhouse-rises-in-brooklyn/">Sloped Shipping Container House</a></h3> Looking like a hedge that had an unfortunate run-in with a chainsaw, the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-unusual-wedge-shaped-shipping-container-townhouse-rises-in-brooklyn/">Carroll House</a> has been intriguing passersby with its tricky truncated design. The unique structure is made up of 21 stacked steel containers and is slowly taking shape.

<h3><a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/mysterious-brooklyn-heights-brownstone-actually-hides-a-secret-underground-portal-photos/">Brooklyn Townhouse with Underground Portal</a></h3> The coveted neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights boasts so many brownstones that they may all start to look alike to you. That's what one city agency was banking on when it orchestrated this feat of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/mysterious-brooklyn-heights-brownstone-actually-hides-a-secret-underground-portal-photos/">architectural deceit</a>.