One of the most beautiful collections of buildings in America is also one of the oldest: 

Taos Pueblo (or Pueblo de Taos) is an ancient pueblo belonging to a Taos-speaking (Tiwa) Native American tribe of Puebloan people. Lying about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the modern city of Taos, New Mexico, on either side of Rio Pueblo de Taos, in a setting backed by the Taos Mountains of the Sangre de Cristo Range, these awe-inspiring structures stand at one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the entire United States.

Taos Pueblo’s most prominent architectural feature is a multi-storied residential complex of reddish-brown adobe built between 1000 and 1450. The north-side Pueblo is said to be one of the most frequently photographed and painted buildings in North America. 

The pueblo was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 9, 1960. In 1992 it was designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site. As of 2006, about 150 people live in the historic complex full-time.

The homes in this structure usually consist of two rooms, one of which is for general living and sleeping, and the second of which is for cooking, eating, and storage. Each home is self-contained; there are no passageways between the houses. 

A unique and venerable assemblage, the Taos Pueblo is without a doubt one of the best buildings in America. 

The Winchester Mystery House is perhaps the most spectacular, and peculiar, of all the historic houses in San Jose, California. Once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearm magnate William Wirt Winchester, it is an outstanding example of a Queen Anne Style Victorian mansion. Impressively large, it is famous not so much for its size, but for its architectural oddities.

Construction began in 1884, and as the widow Winchester gave day-to-day guidance, without any master building plan, work proceeded around the clock — by some accounts, without interruption, right up until the moment of her death on September 5, 1922.

Though said to be haunted by the ghosts of those who were killed with Winchester rifles, the Winchester Mystery House is one of the most interesting buildings in America.  

Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, is famous for its apparently authentic medieval appearance, an affect given by the great number of stained-glass windows, pointed arches, flying buttresses, and carved decorations. The sculptural work over the main entrance was created by Frederick Hart, and it portrays the creation of the world, rather than the Last Judgement—as was the tradition in medieval churches. 

The Cathedral was completed 83 years to the day after it was begun (September 29, 1907–September 29, 1990). It is the second-largest church building in the United States.

An unusual, innovative museum space, the Salvador Dalí Museum is an art museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, dedicated to the works of Salvador Dalí. One of the best museums in America, it happens to house the largest collection of Dalí’s works outside Europe. 

Shortly before marrying in 1942, collection founders Reynolds and Eleanor Morse attended a Dalí retrospective at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Intrigued by the artist’s subject matter, and impressed by his draftsmanship, they bought their first painting a year later. 

Until 1971, the Morses displayed their artwork in their Cleveland, Ohio, home. When they loaned over 200 pieces to a Dalí retrospective in 1965, they realized that their 25-year passion had in fact produced one of the best and most comprehensive collections of artist’s original work. It was a great collection, and it was in need of a permanent home.

In March, 1971, as Salvador Dalí himself presided over the opening, the Morses opened a museum adjacent to their office building in Beachwood, Ohio.By the end of the decade, overwhelmed by the number of visitors, the Morses decided again to move their collection.

After a drawn out search which drew national attention, a marine warehouse in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida was rehabilitated and the museum opened on March 7, 1982. To honor their legacy, in mid-2008, a new location for the Dali museum was announced. Designed by Yann Weymouth of the architectural firm HOK and built by The Beck Group under the leadership of then-CEO Henry C. Beck III, it was built on the downtown waterfront next to the Mahaffey Theater, on the former site of the Bayfront Center, an arena which had been demolished in 2004. A new, larger and more storm-secure museum opened on January 11, 2011.

The surrealism-inspired structurefeatures a large glass entryway and skylight made of 1.5 inch thick glass. Referred to as the Enigma, the glass entryway is 75 feet tall and encompasses a spiral staircase.The remaining walls are composed of 18-inch thick concrete, designed to protect the collection from hurricanes. 

A wonderful work of unbridled imagination worthy of the great artist himself, the Salvador Dalí Museum is among the most interesting buildings in America.