Couse House / The Playhouse
The Hidden Playhouse
A delightful surprise greets visitors who discover the secret playhouse built for Couse’s five-year-old granddaughter, Elizabeth. The exterior, an adobe "Hobbit-house," has steps leading to a play space on the roof and a copper-clad slide for the descent back to the ground. Access from the main house is hidden behind a closet door. Entering the scaled down interior, appointed with some of the children’s furniture, toys, and books, brings to mind the magical worlds of Alice in Wonderland and Narnia. Elizabeth, and later her sister and brother, spent many happy hours entertaining their friends in this magical space.