Entry No. 39 — the Houston file — filed under: abandoned
Palace of the Golden Orbs (Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace)
A five-story, 40,000-square-foot Taoist temple with twin diagonal staircases and a giant golden geodesic orb erupts out of an ordinary Alief subdivision — construction on the $6 million complex froze in 2008 when founder Kwai Fun Wong was deported before the 'holy palace' was ever finished or occupied, and it's sat fenced and empty ever since.
The story
Cruising through the residential grid of Alief on Houston's west side, past ordinary brick homes and cul-de-sacs, you don't expect a five-story, 40,000-square-foot concrete monolith to erupt out of the neighborhood foliage. Known formally as Chong Hua Sheng Mu Holy Palace—and to locals as the Palace of the Golden Orbs—this massive unfinished Taoist complex looks like an alien mothership landed in the middle of a Texas subdivision. Its crown jewel is a giant 40-foot golden geodesic orb, flanked by sweeping diagonal staircases that ascend into empty space.
The history reads like a sudden freeze-frame. In the 2000s, founder Kwai Fun Wong kicked off a $6 million project to erect a grand sanctuary for the Tien Tao movement. Construction was well underway when federal immigration authorities deported Wong in 2008. The scaffolding came down, the gates were locked, and the entire complex was abandoned before a single service could be held or a single room occupied.
What sits at 3695 Overture Drive today is an eerie, decaying monument to interrupted ambition. The towering concrete staircases lead to blank entryways, while the central golden orb sits behind a chain-link fence, slowly weathering in the Gulf Coast humidity while surrounding neighborhood life carries on right beside it.
What it's like
You'll be viewing this strictly from the public street—the perimeter is fenced off and marked with clear no-trespassing warnings, so keep your feet on the pavement. Aim for late afternoon or golden hour, when the setting sun hits that massive central orb and glints off the bare concrete pillars. Take ten minutes to soak in the strange scale of the place, then drive over to nearby Bellaire Boulevard's Vietnamese restaurant row to debrief over a bowl of pho.
The move: A quiet drive-by from the public street at golden hour (it's fenced and abandoned, so viewing only, no trespassing), then swap theories over what the finished complex was meant to look like, followed by dinner on nearby Bellaire Blvd's Vietnamese restaurant row.
- 📍 Alief, Houston
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 3695 Overture Dr, Houston, TX 77082
Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary — Friday Night Hikes — Trade the locked fence of an abandoned concrete palace for a dark, guided walk through an 18-acre forest sanctuary just ten minutes north.
- Spa World Houston — Pair the sight of an empty, forgotten temple with the deeply communal experience of sweating in a wood-fired Fire Dome or soaking in Katy.
- Move One Place On (Alice in Wonderland sculpture) — Continue your tour of unusual suburban installations by heading east to sit with bronze Alice in Wonderland characters at an eternal tea party.
- The Beer Can House — Contrast one leader's unfinished $6 million dream in Alief with a retired upholsterer's completed 18-year obsession wrapped in 50,000 beer cans.
Good to know
Can you go inside or walk up to the building?
No. The property is fenced off and private. Viewing is strictly drive-by or walk-by from the public street outside the fence.
Why was the building abandoned?
Construction on the $6 million complex froze permanently in 2008 after founder Kwai Fun Wong was deported.
What was the complex built for?
It was designed as a massive Taoist holy palace and temple complex for the Tien Tao spiritual movement.
Where is it located?
It is located at 3695 Overture Dr in Alief, an unincorporated area in west Houston near Ashford Point.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: islands.com · secrethouston.com · Atlas Obscura · swamplot.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-19