Cathedral of Junk
by Ashley Weeks Cart
I’m working on a post covering all my favorite Austin experiences, but this one deserves a post of its own.
One of the many wonderful suggestions I received from Austin-based readers was to visit the Cathedral of Junk. I was already out and about exploring the city when this suggestion hit my inbox, so I punched “Cathedral of Junk” into my phone and found myself in a completely residential area of South Congress. Of course, my phone died as I aimlessly wandered around, asking passersby to help direct me to this alleged Cathedral. I eventually found my way to a modest one-story home with “junk” crawling up the background of the fence, surrounded by completely average, residential homes on either side. Signage informed me that I had to make an appointment to experience the Cathedral and I was not to knock on the door under any circumstances. I turned away disappointed, but did indeed call and make an appointment for later in my visit once I was back in my hotel room with a fully charged phone.
On Saturday afternoon, a sunny, warm Texas-in-January day, I made the trek back to the Cathedral and experienced firsthand the bizarre yet playful, strange yet fascinating place that is Vince Hannemann’s life’s work. Thirty years of junk collection and compilation that’s created a wild world of whimsy and refuse in this man’s backyard. For more context about the Cathedral visit here. Here’s a taste of the weird yet wonderful experience.
^^I bought these shoes on South Congress the first day of my trip. I couldn’t resist. Who would have thought that they’d have them in my enormous size 12?! It was meant to be.^^
To visit the Cathedral:
Private home. By appt. (Call to verify)
Phone: 512-299-7413
Address: 4422 Lareina Dr., Austin, TX
Directions: On the south side of town. US 81/290 to the Hwy 71 (Ben White Blvd E.) exit. Hwy 71 west to the Congress Ave. exit. Head south a couple of blocks, turn right on St. Elmo Rd W., then take the second left onto Lareina.