12 iconic buildings and their copycats – can you spot the difference?

Iconic homes... but not as you know them

Copycat buildings that mimic famous real-life and fictional homes are rare, but these remarkable residences are fitting a homage to the originals. From the White House of Dallas to a version of Marie Antoinette's home at Versailles, we have found some amazing imitation abodes.

Click or scroll and see if you can spot the difference between the real and the fakes...

Buckingham Palace

Possibly the most famous home address in the world, Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the British monarch.

The enormous building houses a total of 775 rooms, including 19 staterooms where the monarch conducts official business, 52 royal and guest bedrooms (plus 188 staff bedrooms!) and 78 bathrooms. 

Filled with priceless works of art by Vermeer, Rembrandt and Rubens, the finest antique furniture and decked out with gold and crystal chandeliers, it's probably the most luxurious home in the world.

'Buck House': Strathmore House, Poundbury, UK

King Charles lll, who has always been passionate about architecture, developed a model town called Poundbury in Dorset on his own land.

From its earliest conception in the 1980s, Poundbury was to be built according to the principles laid out in the King's book 'A Vision of Britain', which champions traditional architecture, closer communities and sustainability.

It also celebrates many aspects of the royal family and its history, including the grand facade of Strathmore House, which has been nicknamed 'Buck House', such is its likeness to the London original.

'Buck House': Strathmore House, Poundbury, UK

The replica contains eight luxury private residences available to buy above two retail units.

The flats were snapped up almost immediately when they became available in 2016, reported the BBC, and have rarely come up for sale since. You’re more likely to find a similar property next door at The Royal Pavilion, seen here, which was designed by celebrated architect Ben Pentreath, and features well-proportioned rooms and high ceilings. 

'Buck House': Strathmore House, Poundbury, UK

The Royal Pavilion, which was named after one of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s racehorses, and possibly borrows from its namesake in Brighton too, has become an important landmark in Poundbury.

Designed for contemporary living, all 20 apartments and penthouses feature well-appointed spacious rooms, luxury fittings and underfloor heating, along with beautiful terraces overlooking Poundbury.

Bilbo Baggins' Hobbit House

Located near Matamata, New Zealand, this hobbit hole was built as a film set for Lord of the Rings (LOTR) and The Hobbit.  

It now forms part of Hobbiton Movie Set Tour, where you can experience the magic of the shire and, if you're really lucky, bump into Bilbo Baggins.

A homage to Hobbiton: Chester County, USA

Inspired by the movies, this replica of the house in Chester County, Pennsylvania was commissioned by an avid Lord of the Rings fan who wanted to create his own cosy hobbit home complete with all the detail you'd expect from the real thing.

A homage to Hobbiton: Chester County, USA

The house, which was designed by Archer & Buchanan Architecture, spans 600 square feet and features its own hobbit hole-style door, made from Spanish cedar, a handmade clay-tile roof and a large fireplace.

Beautiful beams give the place an authentic look and complement the wrought iron lanterns on either side of a stone fireplace. We can just imagine Bilbo roaming these rooms.

A homage to Hobbiton: Chester County, USA

The perfect place for hiding away, the hobbit retreat is also a sanctuary for its owner who has filled the home with their LOTR collections including a treasure trove of Tolkein-related books, manuscripts and artefacts.

But be warned, the home is hobbit-height, meaning it isn't tall enough for fully-grown humans. Visitors will have to be prepared to stoop to make their way around.

Mount Vernon

This is Mount Vernon, the Palladian-style Virginia plantation house of George Washington, the first president of the USA. The land had been in the Washington family since 1674, and the mansion was built by George’s father around 1734. Washington expanded the house twice and it remained his home for his entire life.

As a plantation and farm of 8,000 acres, the estate was also home to hundreds of enslaved people who worked the land and served in the house under Washington's control.

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Mount Vernon 'The Orchard': Suffolk County, New York

More than 160 years later, Wall Street stockbroker, James L. Breese commissioned a prominent firm of architects to build a house, also known as 'The Orchard' in the style of Mount Vernon between 1897 and 1906.  

With European design elements running through it that echoed the original, it includes classic columns and porticoes, plus two dormer windows on the roof, which is grey instead of the brick red of the Washington house.

Mount Vernon 'The Orchard': Suffolk County, New York

The portico and columns are especially reminiscent of Washington’s property, although inside it is perhaps even grander than the original.

This house eventually comprised 32 rooms including a 72-foot-long music room, with an ornate Italian ceiling. The rest of the mansion was also designed in the European style.

Mount Vernon 'The Orchard': Suffolk County, New York

Breese commissioned his friend, Stanford White, as the architect to design it, and they continued to make additions and alterations until White's death.

The property was used as a summer house and featured stunning gardens to the rear, with brick paths through the flower garden leading to the back of the house.

'The Orchard' is in Southampton Village Historic District and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Up house

Film lovers will no doubt recognise Carl Frekricksen and his unmistakable home from the animated classic Up.

A real-life version of the colourful house was built by Bangerter Homes in a Salt Lake City suburb in 2011 and sold later that year to Disney fans Clinton and Lynette Hamblin for $400,000 (£314k).

A Disney-approved 'Up' home: Salt Lake City, USA

The whimsical sherbet-hued home is a full-scale replica of Carl and Ellie's house, just without any balloons...

Getting the all-clear from the Walt Disney Company to build the reproduction was no mean feat, but Bangerter Homes did just that in 2010, on the proviso that just a single copy of the house would be built. 

A Disney-approved 'Up' home: Salt Lake City, USA

The interior of the four-bedroom home is just as faithful to the movie house as the exterior. Everything from the mantelpiece to the light switches and wallpaper mimics fixtures and fittings in the Pixar home.

You'll even see Carl and Ellie's chairs in the living room, with a picture of the latter on the mantel. Ellie's artwork in the nursery is also a wonderfully accurate replica of the bittersweet opening scenes of the movie.

A Disney-approved 'Up' home: Salt Lake City, USA

Rocking a cool 1950s vibe, the kooky home's kitchen is decked out in true retro style and comes complete with an antique range cooker and old-fashioned refrigerator for added authentic appeal. 

You can visit the home for a pre-arranged photo shoot, to create your own bit of Disney magic.

The White House

When it comes to famous buildings, the US president's residence is one of the most imitated. Here's the original, and you can always take a closer look at its fascinating evolution in our gallery.

There are a few copies or inspired-by homes based on the original, but we are particularly fond of this one in Dallas...

The Dallas White House: Dallas, Texas, USA

Impressive right? And as pricey as it is beautiful, this Texan beauty was last sold in 2016 for an estimated $15 million (£11.8m).

Known as the Dallas White House, the four-bedroom mansion, which sits on several acres of manicured grounds, boasts 16,000 square feet of living space and nods to the real thing with its whitewashed facade and columned portico.

The Dallas White House: Dallas, Texas, USA

The imitation presidential pad, which was photographed by Jason Anderson of JA2 Photo, more than justifies the multimillion-dollar price tag thanks to its high-end interiors and luxury facilities.

The rooms are decorated in opulent style and feature French parquet flooring and grand chandeliers plus unique and vintage furniture.

The Dallas White House: Dallas, Texas, USA

There's even a 24-seat cinema, seen here, and enormous wine cellar in the building, not to mention a ridiculously swanky no-expense-spared bathroom with twin marble hot tubs and gold-plated taps.

Marie Antoinette's château at Versailles

Originally conceived for Madame de Pompadour (Louis XV's mistress), the Petit Trianon, the bijou château on the grounds of Versailles in France, was later gifted by Louis XVl to his young bride in 1774. 

That was none other than the ill-fated Queen Marie Antoinette, whose lifestyle and tastes have inspired films and interior design choices around the world.

Marie Antoinette-inspired Washington Street mansion, San Francisco, USA

This turn-of-the-century landmark building in San Francisco is a decent approximation of the famous neoclassical structure, down to the stonework and Corinthian columns. 

Built by a wealthy wool merchant in the early 1900s after visiting the original in Paris, the property survived an earthquake and long periods of neglect before being given a modern face-lift by its last owner, who hoped to sell the property for $30 million (£23.6m) in 2019. 

Marie Antoinette-inspired Washington Street mansion, San Francisco, USA

While many of the original features have been removed, the 18,000-square-foot mansion is fit for a queen, to judge by these listing images. It boasts nine bedrooms, two kitchens, and several reception rooms, including this stately grand living room which juxtaposes Neoclassical-style architecture with contemporary fittings. 

Once one of the city’s most prominent homes, it was last open to the public in 2019 when it hosted the annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase.

Marie Antoinette-inspired Washington Street mansion, San Francisco, USA

Extravagant social butterfly Marie Antoinette would certainly have approved of this basement ballroom-turned nightclub which has been dressed to impress in marble and gold.

Sadly, the property does not appear to have reached its lofty target, however. According to reports, the mansion was reduced in price several times before eventually trading hands for an estimated $12.65 million (£10m).

Monticello

The former home of the third US President, Thomas Jefferson, Monticello mansion in Charlottesville Virginia is the only private home in the United States to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Construction began in 1769 in keeping with Jefferson's first design and was completed by 1809. The site is surrounded by gardens and a working farm.

Monticello 2.0: Somers, Connecticut, USA

This impressive five-bedroom Connecticut pile is a copy of the historic landmark. Monticello Somers was built by ice cream tycoon S. Prestley Blake for $7.7 million (£6m) in time for his 100th birthday in November 2014, says Untapped Cities.

Contractor Bill Laplante painstakingly recreated the building by studying the original plans and using traditional materials: the bricks for instance were sourced in Virginia and laid to match Monticello's Flemish design.

Monticello 2.0: Somers, Connecticut, USA

The interiors, seen here courtesy of Concierge Auctions, are worthy of any president. Think lots of gleaming white marble, polished parquet flooring and elegant plasterwork.

Jefferson was a self-taught architect who was inspired by the work of 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. We're sure Thomas Jefferson would feel most at home in this lookalike mansion.

Monticello 2.0: Somers, Connecticut, USA

Interestingly, Blake, who was a big admirer of Jefferson, never actually lived in the mansion. He and his wife lived in a neighbouring house instead and used the copycat property as a venue for charitable events.

In 2019 the Blakes donated the building to Hillsdale College, a private Christian school, and it now serves as the Blake Center for Faith and Freedom, a religious event space.

The Munster Mansion

Built on an external set in Universal Studios in 1950, this Victorian-style mansion had a starring role in the television show The Munsters in the 1960s.

The building was originally constructed for a romantic movie called So Goes My Love but is best known as the ghoulish backdrop for the popular sitcom in fictional Mockingbird Heights. It also features in Desperate Housewives, after undergoing a Wisteria Lane makeover of course!

A Munster mock-up: Waxahachie, Texas, USA

This replica of the house in Waxahachie, Texas, is the brainchild of Sandra and Charles McKee.

The McKees, who clearly can't get enough of the monster sitcom, built their dream home in 2002. The couple combed through hours of footage of the show, reports say, to create the spooky-looking structure accurately.

A Munster mock-up: Waxahachie, Texas, USA

Each room in the copycat Munster Mansion has been decked out to look uncannily like the real thing. The dining room for example is covered in creepy cobwebs and features a life-size model of Lily Munster.

Sandra and Charles say the house is "...a living work as each year more detail is added, and more items collected to make this as exact as it can be". They try to collect items used on the show, or exact replicas, for the ultimate authenticity.

A Munster mock-up: Waxahachie, Texas, USA

While the Munster Mansion isn't open to the public 24/7, the McKees organise occasional events and Murder Mystery Dinners in their ghoulish home. You can also book a private tour of the house via the Munster Mansion website.

The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is perhaps India's most famous building. It's visually stunning. From the Persian meaning 'palace of the crown', the impressive mausoleum was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, as the tomb for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth.

It's now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered a masterpiece of Muslim art and architecture.

The Royal Pavilion: Brighton, UK

This former royal home in Brighton, England is a dead ringer for the Taj Mahal.

Known as the Royal Pavilion, it was constructed as the seaside pleasure palace of King George lV in the mid-1780s. Originally a relatively modest structure, George hired architect Henry Holland to transform his Brighton residence into a villa known then as the Marine Pavilion.

The Royal Pavilion: Brighton, UK

The domes and minarets of the current pavilion are the work of Welsh architect and designer John Nash, who was commissioned in 1815 to extend and redesign the property into the magnificent oriental palace we see today. 

No expense was spared on its eye-catching exterior, nor its opulent rooms and galleries which were richly furnished and decorated.

The Royal Pavilion: Brighton, UK

Though rather less busy than the building it resembles (the Taj Mahal welcomes around eight million visitors each year), the whimsical residence is no longer a royal residence.

Queen Victoria wasn't a fan of the building and sold it to Brighton in 1850. It is now open to the public and often used as a wedding and events venue. 

Hagrid’s Hut

Harry Potter and his friends often dropped by Hagrid’s cottage in the Harry Potter movies. Tucked away in the grounds of Hogwarts school, the simple dwelling was a safe haven for the young wizard, where he could confide in the loveable ground keeper. 

Hagrid’s Hut is one of the structures featured at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida and has also inspired a few other buildings around the world. 

Hagrid’s Holiday Hut: Ground Keeper’s Cottage, North Shire, Yorkshire, UK

One of them is this stone cottage in North Shire, a fantastical holiday park near Saltburn, on the edge of the North York Moors National Park.

Comprised of three interlocking circular rooms, with squat medieval-style turrets and mismatched stained-glass windows, owner Carol Cavendish built the holiday home in honour of the magical franchise after reading JK Rowling’s series in her early twenties.

Hagrid’s Holiday Hut: Ground Keeper’s Cottage, North Shire, Yorkshire, UK

Near the North Yorkshire coast, and photographed here by Charlotte Graham, the cottage features a stone fireplace and lots of rustic touches that would make Hagrid feel right at home.

A luxurious version of the Hogwarts ground keeper's home, there are two comfy sofas in the living room and a bathroom where the star feature is a huge freestanding copper bath with green subway tiles reminiscent of those in the Ministry of Magic.

Hagrid’s Holiday Hut: Ground Keeper’s Cottage, North Shire, Yorkshire, UK

It’s more spacious than Hagrid’s one-room cottage and sleeps up to six thanks to a handmade wooden bunk bed built into the wall of the master bedroom. Another two people can sleep on the sofa bed in the living room.

The owner has also added 'Hagrid paraphernalia' like old ropes, baskets, leather bags and lanterns so guests can step into their favourite storybook and immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter.

Hogwarts Castle

The centre of the world of Harry Potter, Hogwarts, seen here at Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure amusement Park in Orlando, Florida, is an imposing castle with turrets and towers and secret passageways.

Many of the outdoor scenes in the Harry Potter franchise were filmed at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, while Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire was a stand-in for some Hogwarts interiors, the most recognisable location being the cloisters which were used as the halls of the castle. 

'Harry Potter House': Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

The mythical location has proved an inspiration for many Potter fans designing their own homes too. And perhaps this is the closest you'll get to stepping inside Hogwarts halls.

This Gothic mansion in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a showcase of twisty staircases, big stone open fireplaces and decorative ironwork that would not look out of place in one of the franchise movies. 

'Harry Potter House': Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Musician and restaurateur Jeff Arundel, the man behind the project, spent seven years transforming the property into a witchy wonderland, which is known locally as 'Harry Potter House' and features a distinctive copper tower and a handcrafted metal staircase, old-world light fixtures and exposed wooden beams. 

'Harry Potter House': Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

A former blacksmith shop, the 4,547-square-foot home has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a formal dining room and an open-plan living space with a kitchen, as well as a rooftop terrace and interior courtyard with a tree growing in the middle of it.

Arundel bought the property for $1.1 million (£855k) in 2002 and it was last on the market in 2018 for $3 million (£2.3m). People also know it as the Wizard House. “I have always gravitated to castles,” Arundel told CBS News.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater

Designed by the celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater in Pennsylvania was originally built as a weekend residence for the Kaufmann family in 1935. Daringly constructed over a waterfall, the property attracted major publicity and is often considered his most admired work.

The property was considered a masterpiece of Wright’s theories on organic architecture, which sought to integrate humans, architecture and nature and opened as a museum in 1964.

A replica Fallingwater: Wisconsin, USA

While this property in Wisconsin is not cantilevered over a waterfall like the original, it bears a striking resemblance to Wright’s Fallingwater.

Built in 1991, the property has been constructed in the same materials, namely steel, glass and stone, and has been incorporated into its natural surroundings with ten stone terraces overlooking its lush landscapes and well-tended gardens, with views of the lake in the distance.

A replica Fallingwater: Wisconsin, USA

Inside the design is clearly inspired by Wright’s work, with a floating staircase painted in his signature Cherokee red, as well as a light ochre shade overlaying the terraces, reports House Beautiful.

Glass and steel windows and doors allow lights to flood the interior, while the stunning stone floor and walls, three fireplaces and cherry cabinetry make it a cosy retreat whatever the weather.

A replica Fallingwater: Wisconsin, USA

Set in 3.2 acres of gardens and woodland stretching down to the shoreline, the house is a landmark on the north shore of Lake Geneva and was last on the market in 2020, when it was listed with Geneva Lakefront Realty for $6.6 million (£5.1m). 

Many of the local homes are built in French château and English Tudor styles, which makes this Wright-inspired home stand out like a modern masterpiece in its natural setting. 

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