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Built Around a 30-Meter Oak, the Tree House of the Founder of Raising Cane’s Has a New Orleans Bar, Ewok Bridge, and View of LSU
Todd Graves says: “It’s fun to have things that feel magical,” founder of Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, in his tree house. The structure, built among the gardens of his property in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is anything but simple.
With three floors and a cost of US$ 400 thousand (R$ 2.1 million), the space is a true suspended residence.
Built around a 30-meter tall living oak, the house combines the charm of a childhood retreat with the comfort of a luxurious home.
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Architecture and Unique Details
The location retains classic elements of an American tree house — such as the slide and observation tower — but goes far beyond that.
The outdoor deck has 452 square feet, while the indoor area totals 398 square feet, with a living room, bedroom, and half bath.
The pine ceiling was made with reclaimed wood from an old sewing factory. The bar and the stained glass window came from New Orleans, salvaged after Hurricane Katrina.
A disco ball hanging above the bed references the decor of the more than 900 Raising Cane’s restaurants.
A 69-foot suspension bridge, inspired by the Ewok villages from Star Wars, connects the space to an observation platform by the lake.
From there, it is possible to see the campus of Louisiana State University, reinforcing the atmosphere of a natural retreat.
The Project and Its Creator
Nothing was cheap. Inspired by the houses and forts he built in his childhood, Graves enlisted expert Pete Nelson from Nelson Treehouse and Supply in Washington.
The project was featured in 2015 on the show Treehouse Masters on Animal Planet.
The approximately US$ 400 thousand spent on the construction is equivalent to the average price of a house in the United States.
However, this amount represents less than 0.002% of Graves’ fortune, estimated at US$ 22 billion (R$ 116.2 billion).
In addition to being a personal whim, the entrepreneur says that the space also has a strategic function. He uses it as a retreat to reflect on and organize ideas related to managing Raising Cane’s.
Celebrities at the Suspended House
Over time, the space has transformed into a meeting point for celebrities. What started as a recreational space for Graves’ children and neighborhood kids became a destination for artists visiting Baton Rouge.
Among the visitors are rapper Nelly, American football player Ja’Marr Chase, and former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal.
The player was so impressed that he commissioned his own tree house, with a speakeasy theme, from the same builder.
“You can visit someone’s house, but there are few tree houses like this where you can spend time,” says Graves.
Rapper Snoop Dogg was also there when he performed in the city. “Todd is like family to me,” the musician stated.
Between the visits and the show’s reruns, Graves believes that the investment has paid off.
From Fried Chicken to Billionaire Fortune
Graves’ taste for the extraordinary goes beyond architecture. He is passionate about rare objects and unusual stories — something that aligns with his personal journey.
When no one believed in his idea of opening a restaurant specializing solely in fried chicken, he worked as a boilermaker and even salmon fished in Alaska to fund the dream.
Years later, he became the richest restaurateur in the United States and made it to the list of the 50 wealthiest billionaires in the country.
Todd Graves, A Collector of Oddities
Part of his fortune is dedicated to curious collections. Graves owns a 66-million-year-old triceratops skeleton, the jacket worn by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and even a pair of sunglasses that belonged to Elvis Presley.
“Today I even bought one of Napoleon’s hats at an auction,” he said, observing the view from the high balcony of the tree house, ten feet off the ground. “It keeps me dreaming.”
With information from Forbes.
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