Opened in 1959,[2] it is a complex of architecturally distinct rooms, streets, gardens, and shops designed by Alex Jordan Jr.

Jordan Sr. supposedly drove with Boyum to Taliesin to show Wright the plans for a building, the Villa Maria in Madison.

Wright looked at the plans and told Jordan: "I wouldn't hire you to design a cheese crate or a chicken coop.

The complex now features "The Streets of Yesterday", a re-creation of an early twentieth century American town; "The Heritage of the Sea", featuring nautical exhibits and a 200-foot model (61 m) of a fanciful whale-like sea creature battling a Kraken; "The Music of Yesterday", a huge collection of automatic music machines; and what the management bills as "the world's largest indoor carousel",[13] among other attractions.

[14][15] During the winter, the attraction features a Christmas theme, with decorations and a large collection of Santa Claus figures.

According to a likely apocryphal story, the building actually began partly to spite the master architect, who ran his Taliesin communal school near Spring Green.

Jordan sold the house in 1988 to a friend who continued building on the site, adding to the collections of knick-knacks and exhibits featuring authentic pieces, reproductions, and specially-made examples of everything.

Jane Smiley wrote this about the complex in 1993: Though most people outside of the Midwest have never heard of it, the House on the Rock is said to draw more visitors every year than any other spot in Wisconsin.

Also in the Wyoming Valley, but on top of a huge monolith, the House on the Rock reveals the spirit of its builder, Alex Jordan Jr., to be as single-minded and eccentric as Wright's, but in substance almost absurdly opposed.

[16][17] The 2017 film American Fable features parts of the house, including the carousel and Infinity Room, in a dream sequence.

[24]The "Phelps Car" in the Streets of Yesterday, for example, was made by Jordan associate Bob Searles from an old carriage and some motorcycle parts.

[27] Today, the nature of the exhibits is disclosed, though perhaps not emphasized, by the management; for example, the current website notes, "All the armor featured in this elaborate collection was made for The House on the Rock".

According to Balousek, before 1978 brochures advertised authentic Tiffany lamps, said the Gladiator Calliope dated from 1895, that the Franz Josef music machine had actually belonged to the Austrian emperor, that the Tusk of Ranchipoor was genuine ivory carved by an "unknown Punjab artisan," and so forth.