Folly  

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1. foolishness

   The purchase of Alaska from Russia was termed Seward's folly.

2. thoughtless action resulting in tragic consequence

   This is a war of folly.

3. a fanciful building built for purely ornamental reasons.

   See folly (architecture)

In architecture, a folly is an extravagant, frivolous or fanciful building, designed more for artistic expression than for practicality.

The term comes from the fact that such structures have often been dubbed "[name of architect or builder]'s Folly", in the sense of foolishness, fun or light-heartedness. Particularly because some follies were built by one individual alone, such as the massive complex by Ferdinand Cheval.

However, very few follies are completely without a practical purpose. Apart from their decorative aspect, many originally had a use which was lost later, such as hunting towers. Headley & Meulenkamp in Follies Grottoes & Garden Buildings defined a folly as a "misunderstood building".

Follies are often found in parks or large grounds of houses and stately homes. Some were deliberately built to look partially ruined. They were especially popular from the end of the 16th century to the 18th century.