John J. Makinen, Sr., (1871 - 1942) built this house out of over 60,000 bottles, most of which came from his business, the Northwestern Bottling Works. The bottles were laid on their sides with the bottom ends to the exterior. A native of Finland, Makinen moved to the area in 1903. He completed the house in 1941, but died before his family moved into it. In 1980 the building was purchased by the Kaleva Historical Society, which renovated it to house the Kaleva Historical Museum.

It was a dull and dreary rainy day, which was good for close-ups of the bottles (no glare), but I will go back on a bright day to see what the house looks like in the sun.