Spite fence
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A spite fence is an overly-tall fence typically constructed between adjacent lots by a property owner who is annoyed with, or wishes to annoy, a neighbor or who wishes to completely obstruct the view between lots. State and local governments often have fence height restrictions to restrict the construction of spite fences, though constructing a fence whose appearance just happens to annoy the aesthetic sensibilities of a neighbor is often permissible.
Famous San Francisco Spite Fence. In this 1878 panoramic photo of San Francisco taken from Nob Hill, the spite fence appears near the Charles Crocker Mansion and the Gen. David Colton/Collis Huntington Mansion on California Street. It looks much like a building in its own right. (There are two panoramic photos on this page. The second photo contains arrows pointing to streets and other features, including one arrow that points to the spite fence. You have to scroll to the right to see the entire photo. In the first photo, the one without arrows, the spite fence is about one-eighth the way into the photo from the left edge. In the second photo, the one with arrows, the spite fence is about three-quarters the way in.)
[edit] External links
Description of the Crocker spite fence from Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames web site: "The 'Spite fence' was a famous landmark in the history of the city. A Nob Hill property owner and railway baron, Charles Crocker, had built a huge fence around the modest residence of a German undertaker called Nicolas Yung, in order to spoil his view in the hope that he would sell his property. Only the chimneys are visible in Muybridge's picture of this unfortunate man's house. The fence is so high that supporting buttresses had to be used and it wasn't pulled down until Crocker purchased the property after Yung's death."
