In Iquitos, there is an unusual architectural monument that can be called the symbol of the riches of the kings of the rubber industry and reckless waste of money. It is the famous Iron House, whose history is as interesting as it is ridiculous.

According to legend, in 1889, French engineer Gustav Eiffel created the most innovative project of the time – a huge iron house. All the parts for the building were molded in Belgium by a famous atelier. Eiffel planned to build such houses in America. The simplicity of their production and installation was appealing. Besides, it was possible to make any design you want.

After a few months since the presentation of the unusual project, rubber baron Anselmo del Aguila heard about it and expressed his wish to buy the wonder house for himself. Eiffel dismantled his oeuvre, and, having cut it into two symmetrical parts, loaded them on board a ship and sent it to Peru.

Waiting for the new house, Aguila imagined how other rich men would envy him. To have an iron house, when everybody built ones of wood and stone, was a luxury. And with such a unique design! And it wasn’t created by some local masters, but by Europeans who got much respect from wealthy Peruvians of the 19-20th centuries. Was there a better way to demonstrate the riches and the scale of expenditure for a millionaire?

But everything didn’t go according to the rubber baron’s plan. The problems started when the ship arrived in Peru. It was impossible to transport the parts directly to Iquitos. They had to be transported manually through the jungles of the Amazon River. The workers, who were hired for the job, rioted and threw the heavy loads on the ground. They were left in the woods, rusting. In the end, only one part of the house reached the town.

When it was assembled and installed almost on the central square of Iquitos, Aguila’s exaltation saw no bounds. The house looked marvelous. But it turned out that it was unfit for life: during the day, the metal plates got so hot that it was impossible to stay inside. The owner spent just a few days inside it and then abandoned both the idea and the house.