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While writing the previous post, I came across this quotation from Secret Chambers and Hiding-Places, a book by Allan Fea:

We do not intend to go into the matter of modern secret chambers, and there are such things, as some of our present architects and builders could tell us, for it is no uncommon thing to design hiding-places for the security of valuables. For instance, we know of a certain suburban residence, built not more than thirty years ago, where one of the rooms has capacities for swallowing up a man six feet high and broad in proportion. We have known such a person – or shall we say victim? – to appear after a temporary absence, of say, five minutes, with visible signs of discomfort...

A person who reappears after a temporary absence in the world of architecture could very well be a scene from the life of Howard Hughes – or Franz Kafka.
The rest of Fea's book is also well worth a skim.