A Million Dollar Idea
This exquisite abode is the Villa Lewaro, a 34-room 20,000-square-foot home – built by the first female self-made millionaire in the U.S., a Black American woman named Madame C.J. Walker.
Groundbreakers
Kelly Murray is a multidisciplinary artist and writer whose diverse portfolio of work includes contributions in art, film, and creative writing. She holds a dual B.A. degree in English Literature and History from the University of Delaware. Her love of history, travel, and literature permeates her work.
Kelly has written professionally for 10+ years and has been published in a variety of lifestyle and travel publications including Delaware Business Magazine, Odyssa Magazine, and The WC Press. When she’s not writing, Kelly shifts her focus to the visual arts. She is currently a resident artist at Aston Mills Arts in Aston, PA where she creates landscape paintings and photography. Kelly is also an active member of the Philadelphia independent film community focusing on writing/directing narrative films, with a special interest in historical period dramas.
Kelly lives and works just outside of Philadelphia.
This exquisite abode is the Villa Lewaro, a 34-room 20,000-square-foot home – built by the first female self-made millionaire in the U.S., a Black American woman named Madame C.J. Walker.
Groundbreakers
A well-loved landmark of Kanab, the Theater has continued the town’s tradition as a Hollywood destination – and the small theater has grown to screen first-run releases from major motion picture studios.
Adventurer Stories
This 19th-century Hotel is home to 871 rooms -- and countless ghosts who roam its halls.
George McLaurin, OU's first African American student, studied in the mezzanine of the Bizzell Memorial Library while earning his doctorate, because he was not allowed in the Great Reading Room due to his race.
Groundbreakers
The Luvaria Ulisses glove shop has been creating custom gloves within its 4-square-meter store for more than a century.
Designed to resemble an ocean liner, this office block is located on one of the city's last remaining medieval-era streets.
Local lore suggests the pastel facade of Rainbow Row once helped drunken sailors find their way home.
This Art Nouveau building was once home to France's most powerful grocer's union.
This Austrian palace is celebrated for its fountains and water tricks.
This Museum goes on underwater archeological expeditions to gather artifacts for its exhibits.
The Alpe di Siusi is the largest and highest alpine plateau in Europe.
The largest labyrinth in Argentina boasts nine entrances for visitors to enter its maze.
This bar is housed in a historic 19th century bakery.
AWA visted hereThis Mexican resort was once the private mansion of British tycoon Sir James Goldsmith.
This motel is famed for handmade Native American-inspired wooden flutes sold in its gift shop.
The colorful facade of this Greek church stands out among the traditionally blue and white buildings on the island of Paros.
This all-brick building is the last remaining original structure of the Fresno Brewing Company.
This mosque is believed to be the location where Muhammed prepared for his peaceful pilgrimage to Mecca.
This lighthouse is built near a forest once used for archery by an ancient king.
Two railroad companies waged war to complete this historic rail line.
This historic theater was almost turned into a fast food chain.
This custom residential home belonged to textile entrepreneur Salvador Ubach.
Three townhouses and a palace were combined to create this town hall.
This lighthouse is located on the most south-westerly point in Europe.
In 2014, the MAK Museum became the first museum to use bitcoin to acquire art.
Originally built in 1547, this Palace was a centerpiece of the British monarchy during the Protestant Reformation.
The 19th century garden park was created after an amateur botanist convinced the King of Sweden to build it.
The Hydro Majestic Hotel was originally built as a hydropathic treatment center.
The Linthorne Loft was the first residence in Bonavista to include a general store on the first floor.
The Reserve is home to the first sustainable forest in Canada.
Completed in 1881, this mosque served as refuge during the 2004 earthquake and tsunami.
In 1924, the construction of this town hall was funded for a total of $137.13.
A historic community center that served as the meeting place for the formation of the Negro National League.
This historic lighthouse was saved from a land dispute in the 1990s.
Athens' largest church began construction on Christmas Day in 1842.
This Hotel was designed by one of the most prolific movie theater architects of the 20th century.
This royal palace was renovated in the 18th century by one of Poland's most powerful noblewomen.
This art museum is located in the former vacation home of billionaire tobacco heiress Doris Duke.
London's law courts are rife with superstition and rooms with mysterious origins.
Next to one of Tokyo's bustling train stations, this ancient Shinto shrine offers an oasis of tranquility.
This palace was built by Peter the Great as a gift for his second wife Catherine.
This Villa's history is entwined with a 16th century love story that could rival Romeo and Juliet.
This medieval castle-turned-private club was once owned by a Scottish-American steel tycoon.
This Hotel was financed by the inventor of the aseptic bandage.
The Swan Hotel, and the brewery behind it, has a 600 year history of brewing ale.
This small Irish church has hosted more than 2,000 weddings.
California's first two-story brick schoolhouse.
It is tradition that each time a hot-air balloon lands, champagne is shared.
In Macbeth, the Scottish king is referred to as the Thane of Cawdor, but his connection to this castle is rooted in fiction.
This star-shaped villa is located in the middle of a hunting preserve.
PSA: This building has *NOTHING* to do with our friends at Whalebone Magazine.
This Swiss Cable Car is located in a town with medieval origins - and an origin story that involves slaying a dragon.
A failed plan for a dream beach house led to the successful creation of Days' Cottages.
This station building serves the oldest funicular railway in the Basque country.
Experience early American cowboy life at this Florida dude ranch.
According to legend, the Toompea Castle sits on a hill created by hand by an ancient woman named Linda.
This lovely 19th-century church was built thanks to a land grant from a militia veteran of the War of 1812.
Storms from the Atlantic sea have shaped the resilient history of the the Harbor of Refuge Light.
Containing 1.5 billion pounds of steel and bronze, the Palace of Parliament is the heaviest building in the world.
Explore this unfinished mansion on a secluded island in Germany's Lake Chiemsee.
During WW1, an illustrious lightkeeper cultivated an abundant Victory Garden at this Washington state lighthouse.
This cathedral was once the tallest building in the world -- surpassing the Pyramids of Giza.
Once a royal residence, this Mansion now welcomes university students through its halls.
This Railway shares a surprising partnership with a railway across the world -- in Switzerland.
Situated next to ancient burial grounds has drawn grave robbers to this Sicilian lighthouse.
Bill Haley and the Comets launched the hit single “Rock Around the Clock” from the stage of the Wildwood’s Hof Brau Hotel.
This Egyptian city was built to accompany the digging of the Suez Canal.
The first public park in Paris was once owned by a nine year old monarch.
Intellectual debates and lively parties were enjoyed at this residence for Harvard research fellows.
This luxury hotel has been transformed into HoChiMinh City's city hall building.
A shipwreck on display once drew thousands of tourists to this iconic New Jersey beach.
This assembly hall has played host to a slew of visitors from rebellious revolutionaries to notorious bank robbers.
Hop on a hot air balloon to explore this region's ancient villages carved in soft rock.
Twenty-seven mini lighthouses can be found on Lake Havasu.
Off the beaten path
A ride down the Park's Speed Slide is very much like gliding down a rainbow.
This formidable factory building played a pivotal role in the Easter Rising of 1916.
This centuries-old estate has been home to a long line of eccentric noblemen, the Harpur Crewes.
As New York City’s oldest active original Jewish deli, Katz’s is an unquestioned institution of both culinary and cultural influence.
AWA visted hereSince 1871, the melodies of the carillon in the bell tower of City Hall have rung out every hour on the hour, signaling the passing of time.
Jules Chéret was painter and lithographer who had a widespread impact on the city and French culture and some may say he was the father of the modern poster.
This art gallery, nestled in one of the oldest working harbors in Cape Town, curates traditional art from all over Africa.
After working in publishing for many years, Sarah McNally opened McNally Jackson Books in 2004.
Built in 1892, the Provinciaal Hof was formerly used for provincial government meetings in Bruges.
Built in 575 BC, the Ishtar Gate was conceived as part of a grand processional way into the city of Babylon.
Engine 55 was one of the first two fire companies to arrive at Ground Zero on 9/11.
Situated on the banks of the Bosphorus Strait, the Dolmabahçe Palace is the former administrative center for the Ottoman Empire.
Built in 1695, Poplar Cottage is the last remaining weatherboard cottage in London's Charlton Village.
During the 14th century, the Bubonic Plague led to the founding of Corpus Christi College.
AWA visted hereOpened two years before the Great Depression, the Campana Factory manufactured Italian Balm, a popular hand lotion.
Situated on the banks of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Mount Pleasant mansion hosted many leading figures of the American Revolution.
The Joseph Carroll Carriage House is located among distinct mansions of New Orlean's Garden District.
The Royal Palace of Cambodia has been the official residence to Cambodia's kings since 1866.
Opened in 1950, the Dehli District German Home celebrates and preserves German tradition through events and gatherings.
The Amstel Hotel is the vision of Samuel Sarphati, a physician and politician who made major strides in public health during the 19th century.
Nyboder Mindestuer was created to house sailors of Denmark's Royal Danish Navy.
Opened in 1953, the Rifugio Mont Bianco is a rest stop on the Tour du Mont Blanc.
The St. Lawrence Presbytery is located in a former 17th century coaching inn, a rest stop for travelers with horses.
Established in 1889, the Whitworth has steadily transformed itself over the decades to remain one of England’s preeminent art galleries.
Touted as the most famous nightclub in the world, Annabel's counts Mick Jagger, Jack Nicholson, and the Royal Family among its members.
The Dutch House at Kuskovo Palace once hosted dinners for guests of Russian nobility during the height of the estate's popularity.
One of the oldest movie theaters in DC, the Lincoln Theatre hosted silent films, vaudeville acts, and legendary jazz performers before being transformed into a movie theater.
AWA visted hereOpened in 1930, Suburban Station is an underground station built to replace the above ground Broad Street Station.
The inner city of Napier is now recognized as having one of the largest and most beautiful concentrations of Art Deco buildings in the world.
Architectural Wonders
Installed in 1999, the Ballon Generali is a tethered helium balloon that also tracks air quality in the skies of Paris.
Groundbreakers
Established in 1891, this bottling factory in Texas was the first facility to produce Dr. Pepper.
This impressive house was completed in 1931, but the intended resident, George Baker Sr., passed away before ever stepping foot inside. At the time of his death, he was the third richest man in the U.S., behind Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller.
The only monument to Islam in Odessa, the Al Salam Mosque and adjoining Arabian Culture Center are emblems of the long Muslim history of the Ukranian port city.
The name of this historic fortification surrounding Jaipur means "The Abode of Tigers".
The invention of the letter slot dates back to 1840s England, but wasn't patented until 1892 by George Becket of Providence, Rhode Island.
Located in Washington Square, the Judson Memorial Church emerged as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community in the 1960s.
The first aerial tramway in North America, this cable car transports passengers between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island.
AWA visted hereOnce the Grand Palace of the Emperor Menelik II, Unity Park features a sculpture garden, zoo, and museum of Ethiopian history.
In the now-empty homes, delicate detail can still be found in the doorways, staircases, floors, and ceilings.
Architectural Wonders
Situated within the luxurious Gstaad ski resort, this gondola lift carries skiers up the La Vidamenette mountain in the Swiss Alps.
This historic Santa Fe railway has been restored by fantasy author George R.R. Martin.
Resembling a Turkish mosque, this pumping station houses a masterpiece of mechanical engineering.
This historic theater is currently available to rent.
This Palace is named after Queen Sophia Charlotte, who only allowed her husband, King Frederick, to visit her here by invitation.
Once the home of a cardinal and the French king, this palace was the place to see and be seen in the 19th century.
This cable car rests on the site of the first Winter Olympic games at France's oldest ski resort.
Although nestled in a serene setting, the Chateau Malou holds a harried past.
Modern thermal baths touted for the healing powers of their waters - just don't forget your bathing suit.
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