Thrasher House

May 28, 2021

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About the Thrasher House

It breaks my heart having to automatically add this spot to my Lost History section, but unfortunately by the time I visited this spot, the Thrasher House was on its way to demolition.

This isn’t the only special back-yard spectacle I have visited in the past. This reminds of the Mud Huts in Alpine and the enraging way the county handled the property. Just like the Thrasher House’s fate, the Mud Huts are nothing but crumbled memories decaying in the ground.

The back-story of this tiny El Cajon town began 35 years ago, with a man named Andy Asaro and his tremendous child-like dreams.

It started with some recycled material and inspirations from visiting old ranches in his youth mixed with the Western theme of Knott’s Berry Farm. With every capability to create this old-time fantasy on his own, Andy got to building.

Slowly each structure was crafted with its own theme such as a jail house, saloon, bedroom, hotel, workshop and more.

Each wooded building was brimming with antique props, purchased from all over the place. It was truly remarkable to visit knowing we were in someone’s backyard and not an historic pioneer museum.

Andy built this town with nothing but love for the hobby which grew bigger and deeper over time. Each structure is named after one of his grandchildren which I can only imagine, this must have been the coolest place to grow up!

Beyond the structures having titles and themes though, each room was so highly detailed and he was able to explain every antique item and its back-story. He admitted to the sentimental value that this place held for him, but he also accepted the unfortunate reality the city threw at him.

TIP: If you’re into unique homes built by trash and recycled material by one man, definitely check out Nitt Witt Ridge next!

It took him a moment to process the enormity of the loss, but he was able to quickly detach himself from the sentimentality knowing holding would do nothing to save it.

When asked when his town was finished, like so many artists I know, his answer was that it was never finished. This was truly a project that could have continued for the rest of his life. Instead, the city got wind of it and within one week of the citation, he was told the entire village must topple down.