Harkleroad wind turbine
The Harkleroad wind turbine was a noted landmark in Novato, California. It was built to generate electricity for the workshop on which it was mounted. It was visible from U.S. Route 101, a heavily traveled freeway. In 2021, the turbine was removed from the roof of the workshop, and it is no longer visible from the freeway.
Sam Harkleroad
Sam Harkleroad was born on October 20, 1909, and grew up on a farm in Fresno. His education ended with high school. He lived much of his life in Marin County. Harkleroad died on June 12, 1993, at the age of 83. Harkleroad had a wife Fern and a daughter, Renee Israel.
Harkleroad was a contractor, who liked to use recycled materials.
Around 1960, Harkleroad designed and constructed three unusual structures on a low hill on Harkle Road in Novato:
- A round home that rotates
- A home built in 1959, with a roof shaped as a hyperbolic paraboloid, known as the "Taco House" or the "Parabola House"
- A workshop building, with the Harkleroad wind turbine mounted on the roof
Harkleroad built various other unusual dwellings in the area. Most were destroyed when the U.S. Route 101 was built across his land. Sam Harkleroad was known as "The Frank Lloyd Wright of Marin County."
Round house
The round house is able to rotate 320 degrees, while the plumbing and electrical systems continue to function.
The house rides on "inverted" railroad track and is powered by a used washing machine motor. The rooms are pie shaped. There is a spiral staircase in the middle leading to the basement and motor room. The dark squares around the outside of the house are gates. There is one stationary stairway leading up to the deck, so regardless of how the house is rotated, a gate is available to allow access to the deck from the stairway.
Taco house
This residence has a parabolic saddle roof made of 2-by-4 lumber.
This house was for sale in 1959, with a minimum bid of $32,000. It has movable interior walls so the occupant can change the shape and size of rooms.
Workshop
Harkleroad's Savonius wind turbine was mounted on the roof of the workshop. The turbine once provided electricity for the workshop, but it was removed from the roof in 2021.