Entry No. 39 — the Houston file — filed under: abandoned

Palace of the Golden Orbs (Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace)

A five-story, 40,000-square-foot Taoist temple with twin diagonal staircases and a giant golden geodesic orb erupts out of an ordinary Alief subdivision — construction on the $6 million complex froze in 2008 when founder Kwai Fun Wong was deported before the 'holy palace' was ever finished or occupied, and it's sat fenced and empty ever since.

The move: A quiet drive-by from the public street at golden hour (it's fenced and abandoned, so viewing only, no trespassing), then swap theories over what the finished complex was meant to look like, followed by dinner on nearby Bellaire Blvd's Vietnamese restaurant row.

📍 Alief, Houston
💸 Free
⚡ Up for anything
🌗 Outdoors

Where: 3695 Overture Dr, Houston, TX 77082

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

#abandoned #unfinished monument #roadside oddity #drive-by #weird architecture

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: islands.com · secrethouston.com · Atlas Obscura

last checked: 2026-07-19