The coolest building in every US state, from historic estates to futuristic designs

The Salvador Dalí Art Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, is one of America's coolest buildings. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The US has diverse architecture and building designs across the 50 states. History, art, and local aesthetics are all reflected in some of America's most unique buildings. From prehistoric dwellings to kitschy designs, these buildings make for unique tourist attractions. Throughout its 250-year history, the US has produced some striking and unique architecture that you can't find anywhere else — and lots of it can look wildly different across state lines. Defining what we consider "coolest" is hard. We evaluated every state on its own terms and found that the architecture across all 50 states and Washington, DC, can be as diverse as the country's population. In states like California and Massachusetts, picking the most striking building meant finding ones that look futuristic and elegant, like something out of a science-fiction movie. In other states, like Maine and the Carolinas, we found that the coolest buildings are distinctive because of their place in history or their states' cultures. Whether you're looking for a piece of history or a glimpse into the future, these buildings can show you what different worlds look like. James Grebey and Jacob Shamsian contributed to an earlier version of this story. ALABAMA: Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Passenger Terminal George Dodd/Getty Images The Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Passenger Terminal in Mobile, Alabama, which has Spanish influences with its cream walls and red clay tiles, was designed by P. Thornton Marye. It was completed in 1907 and has undergone restoration since passenger train service ceased in the 1950s. ALASKA: The University of Alaska's Museum of the North pabradyphoto/Getty Images The University of Alaska Museum of the North is home to numerous exhibits showcasing the native cultures, natural wonders, and wildlife of our nation's largest state. It's also a stylish refuge from the cold. ARIZONA: Chapel of the Holy Cross The Chapel of the Holy Cross sits on a hillside. ANNA WILCZYNSKA/Getty Images/iStockphoto The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona was completed in 1956, and it juts majestically from a red stone butte, some 200 feet above the ground. ARKANSAS: Thorncrown Chapel BanyanRanchStudios/Getty Images/iStockphoto The beautiful Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs looks like an open-air structure, but it's actually a serene, glass-enclosed architectural marvel. CALIFORNIA: The Chemosphere FG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images It was designed in 1960, but the Chemosphere still looks futuristic. It's a house with 2,200 square feet of space, perched atop a 30-foot concrete pole. And it's survived every major Californian earthquake in the San Fernando Valley since it was built. COLORADO: Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park Gert Hilbink/Getty Images/iStockphoto Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, features some of the best-preserved prehistoric landscapes of the Ancestral Puebloan people. These ancient dwellings, where the Ancestral Puebloans once lived, were constructed on the sides of natural cliffs. While most dwellings had only one to five rooms, the Cliff Palace, the largest known cliff dwelling in North America, had 150 rooms, 23 sacred meeting spaces, and housed about 100 people, according to the National Park Service. CONNECTICUT: Grace Farms SBWorldphotography/Getty Images The main feature of Grace Farms in New Canaan is a serpentine wooden pavilion that links glass-walled rooms, including a library, stage, tea room, and a gym with a full basketball court. Completed in 2015, it's open to the public for free. DELAWARE: Wilmington's Grand Opera House JHVEPhoto/Getty Images The country's oldest state has some classic buildings that stand the test of time. Wilmington's Grand Opera House, built in 1871, is as classic as it gets. FLORIDA: The Salvador Dalí Museum Sean Pavone/Getty Images The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg is a fittingly unique tribute to the beloved master of surrealism. The museum boasts the largest collection of Dalí's work outside Europe. GEORGIA: The Earth Lodge on Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Jeffrey M. Frank/Shutterstock This might not look much like other buildings in this list, but the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park's Earth Lodge dates back to the year 1015, per the National Park Service. The lodge is a reconstructed council chamber of the native Mississippian culture. While the walls and ceiling were reconstructed in the late 1930s, the clay floor remains the same as the original, dating back over a thousand years. HAWAII: ʻIolani Palace DaSza64/Getty Images/iStockphoto ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu is the only royal palace on United States soil. David Kalākaua, the last reigning king of Hawaiʻi and the first monarch to travel around the world, was inspired by the European palaces he saw during h