There are plenty of abandoned places in Texas that are both eerie and fascinating, but the Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace in Houston takes the cake. Left to decay in our state’s largest city, the palace sticks out like a sore thumb with its 40-foot-tall golden orb. Just wait until you hear the tragic story behind it! One thing is for certain: this bizarre testament to one person’s vision is an odd reminder of the things we take for granted.
If you’ve ever been to the Alief area in West Houston, chances are you’ve noticed the giant golden orb that sticks out like a sore thumb through the trees - but do you know the story behind it?
Google/Judah Davis The orb sits atop Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace, also known as “The Palace of the Golden Orbs.”
This roadside oddity is the work of Kwai Fun Wong, the leader of a Chinese Taoist organization.
Google Maps She had a grand vision of a sprawling Taoist complex that would offer worship, daycare, retail, and residential living. She would build a castle, she decided, and people would come.
Wong began constructing her utopia in 1999; however, the process came to an abrupt halt in 2001 when she was deported for failing to secure permanent residency.
Google/Timothy Fisher-Afolabi Only the temple itself had been completed by the time she left the country, and since that time, nature has been slowly reclaiming it. It never realized its true potential, and now it’s a relic of the past.
Despite sitting abandoned for so many years, the palace is in surprisingly good shape.
Google/Julia Green Even from far away, its intricacy is unmistakable, and you can tell just how important it was to Wong.
How long the palace will remain standing before it succumbs to the elements is anybody’s guess.
Google/Hector Contreras It won’t be around forever, so next time you’re in the neighborhood, come take a look! You’ll be equal parts creeped out and fascinated. It’s just about as cool as it is unusual.
Here’s the location of the palace currently:
Google Maps
Did you know about the Palace of the Golden Orbs? What do you think about this unusual passion project? It just might be one of the eeriest abandoned places in Texas, we think! Tell us your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to poke around for more abandoned places in Texas that are sure to interest and amaze you.
Google/Judah Davis
The orb sits atop Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace, also known as “The Palace of the Golden Orbs.”
Google Maps
She had a grand vision of a sprawling Taoist complex that would offer worship, daycare, retail, and residential living. She would build a castle, she decided, and people would come.
Google/Timothy Fisher-Afolabi
Only the temple itself had been completed by the time she left the country, and since that time, nature has been slowly reclaiming it. It never realized its true potential, and now it’s a relic of the past.
Google/Julia Green
Even from far away, its intricacy is unmistakable, and you can tell just how important it was to Wong.
Google/Hector Contreras
It won’t be around forever, so next time you’re in the neighborhood, come take a look! You’ll be equal parts creeped out and fascinated. It’s just about as cool as it is unusual.
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Address: 3695 Overture Dr, Houston, TX 77082, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
Palace of the Golden Orbs January 09, 2023 Tori Jane
What is the Palace of the Golden Orbs?
Nestled within the beautiful city of Houston, Texas, is the Palace of the Golden Orbs, at 3695 Overture Drive. It certainly sticks out, as it’s highly unusual; otherwise known as the Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace, it was intended to be a wonderful complex of Taoist buildings, dreamt up by visionary Kwai Fun Wong. Unfortunately, in 2001, Wong was deported from the United States, ending the project for good. 2. What are some other interesting, abandoned places in Texas? Of course, the Palace of the Golden Orbs isn’t the only interesting, abandoned place in Texas – there are quite literally tens of thousands of others (more on that in a moment). Other interesting, abandoned places in Texas include places like:
The Mosheim School Baker Hotel The abandoned asylum near San Antonio
Rig Theater Marfa… well, most of it
3. How many abandoned places in Texas are there? There are more than seven and a half million residential properties in Texas; of that 17 million, about 1.29% of them are noted as vacant or abandoned (or, roughly 97,000 of them). And that’s just the homes! There are also thousands of abandoned buildings used for plenty of other things all over the Lone Star State, from grain elevators to farmsteads to churches, schools, and other places.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Palace of the Golden Orbs
January 09, 2023
Tori Jane
What is the Palace of the Golden Orbs?
Nestled within the beautiful city of Houston, Texas, is the Palace of the Golden Orbs, at 3695 Overture Drive. It certainly sticks out, as it’s highly unusual; otherwise known as the Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace, it was intended to be a wonderful complex of Taoist buildings, dreamt up by visionary Kwai Fun Wong. Unfortunately, in 2001, Wong was deported from the United States, ending the project for good. 2. What are some other interesting, abandoned places in Texas? Of course, the Palace of the Golden Orbs isn’t the only interesting, abandoned place in Texas – there are quite literally tens of thousands of others (more on that in a moment). Other interesting, abandoned places in Texas include places like:
The Mosheim School Baker Hotel The abandoned asylum near San Antonio
Rig Theater Marfa… well, most of it
3. How many abandoned places in Texas are there? There are more than seven and a half million residential properties in Texas; of that 17 million, about 1.29% of them are noted as vacant or abandoned (or, roughly 97,000 of them). And that’s just the homes! There are also thousands of abandoned buildings used for plenty of other things all over the Lone Star State, from grain elevators to farmsteads to churches, schools, and other places.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Nestled within the beautiful city of Houston, Texas, is the Palace of the Golden Orbs, at 3695 Overture Drive. It certainly sticks out, as it’s highly unusual; otherwise known as the Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace, it was intended to be a wonderful complex of Taoist buildings, dreamt up by visionary Kwai Fun Wong. Unfortunately, in 2001, Wong was deported from the United States, ending the project for good.
- What are some other interesting, abandoned places in Texas?
Of course, the Palace of the Golden Orbs isn’t the only interesting, abandoned place in Texas – there are quite literally tens of thousands of others (more on that in a moment). Other interesting, abandoned places in Texas include places like:
The Mosheim School
Baker Hotel
The abandoned asylum near San Antonio
Rig Theater
Marfa… well, most of it
- How many abandoned places in Texas are there?
There are more than seven and a half million residential properties in Texas; of that 17 million, about 1.29% of them are noted as vacant or abandoned (or, roughly 97,000 of them). And that’s just the homes! There are also thousands of abandoned buildings used for plenty of other things all over the Lone Star State, from grain elevators to farmsteads to churches, schools, and other places.
