A Man Who Believes in Power of the Pyramid : Builder Lives in One; Plans War Memorial Shaped Like One

The gold-plated pyramid rises like a mysterious mirage from the flat farmlands of northern Illinois.

A 55-foot-high replica of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, it is also the bizarre home of millionaire builder James Onan and his family.

Onan, 50, now has an even more ambitious project in mind: Constructing the world’s largest war memorial 10 miles north of here in Kenosha County, Wis.

“Etched on the 13-story war memorial will be the names of 1.3-million Americans, every man and woman who died fighting for this country since the beginning of the nation,” he said, pointing to an artist’s drawing of the proposed monument. “On top of the pyramid-shaped structure with a four-acre concrete base will stand four 80-foot-tall statues of soldiers, one a woman.”

Onan said the war memorial will have two purposes: “to glorify America’s heroes” and “to wage war against this country’s No. 1 problem, drugs.” A sculptor, he added, is now working on the first of the four statues crowning the monument.

Those who visit the war memorial will be asked to sign a pledge: “To the memory of the 1.3 million American heroes who gave their lives, I will not take, be involved with or be influenced by drugs the rest of my life.”

Onan, who estimates the memorial will cost about $100 million, said he has not finalized plans to finance the project but added, “if you believe in something strong enough, then it will happen.” He hopes to have it completed by 1995.

His golden pyramid residence, located on the outskirts of this tiny farm community with a population of 500, was the culmination of 10 years of planning and construction. Onan said he went to Egypt to study, read all he could about pyramids and, during the design and construction phases, consulted with prominent Egyptologists.

Walls in the luxuriously furnished structure are decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphics and reproductions of ancient paintings and murals. More than 100 Egyptian artifacts and statues fill the rooms.

There are replicas of King Tut’s gold chest, gold coffin and gold throne. One room boasts three mahogany dining room chairs gilded in Egyptian motifs from the estate of film producer Samuel Goldwyn. A large portrait of Queen Nefertiti is in the foyer.

Outside the main entrance is a 200-ton statue of Ramses II. The pyramid is an island perched on a concrete foundation in the middle of a 20-foot-deep, spring-fed lake with access by causeway. The 12,000-square-foot glistening roof is made of stainless-steel plates electroplated with gold. There are three garages, all pyramids. Eighty miniature Sphinxes line the driveway to the main structure home. Onan also is building a replica of King Tut’s tomb on the property.

He lives in the pyramid with his wife, Linda, and the three youngest of their five children. The couple have been married 28 years.

“I have been intrigued with the mysteries of Egypt and fascinated with pyramids ever since I was a little boy,” Onan said. “For me, as a builder, pyramids are the most interesting structures on earth and one of the oldest. Look at the $1 bill. What do you see? A pyramid.”

He knew it was “far out” to build the pyramid and move his family into it, said the bearded builder. “When I told friends I was going to erect a pyramid, everyone thought I was off my rocker and would never do it. But I did. The golden pyramid has been a great home for my family the past four years. We love it. It has worked out far better than we dared expect.”

Their huge gold-plated pyramid has been open to the public the past three summers, on Wednesdays and Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $7.

“So many people wanted to see what the pyramid looked like inside we finally decided to let people in,” said Onan. “But come October we’ll end the tours and I will devote all my spare time to the war memorial.”