Alex Jordan, Jr.

Who was Alex Jordan, Jr.?

Alexander John Jordan, Jr. was best known as the creator of the House on the Rock, an eccentric architectural and entertainment attraction in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

Published information on Jordan's life is scarce. There are two biographies, both self-published. One is an unsympathetic 1990 biography by Marv Balousek, a newspaper reporter for the Wisconsin State Journal, who describes his book as "an unauthorized biography, ...not been sanctioned by the new owner of The House on the Rock, nor by those closest to Alex Jordan. Jennie Olson, his companion of 50 years, declined to be interviewed; so did Don Martin, who helped build every exhibit." A 1991 "authorized biography" by Doug Moe was published by The House on the Rock and is sold in its gift shop. Moe had access to and quotes Jennie Olson, Don Martin, and others not accessible to Balousek.

Balousek describes Jordan as "a shadowy figure as reclusive as the late multi-millionaire Howard Hughes" Moe agrees that "Alex Jordan did not like or seek personal publicity."

Jordan tried a variety of conventional paths in life before focusing on his childhood love of architecture and electronic gadgets.