85 Years Ago, These Still-Standing Model Homes Saw the Future
The 5 remaining houses from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair are still teaching us about innovative design
Gwendolyn Purdom
May 26, 2018
Lover of architecture, history, dogs, the Chicago Cubs, crowded bookshelves, and homes with a story. Former editor at Preservation mag and Culturess.com.
Lover of architecture, history, dogs, the Chicago Cubs, crowded bookshelves, and... More
May 27 marks 85 years since the opening day of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. The event drew millions to its international exhibitions promoting science and industry and its dozen imaginative houses meant to showcase the future of residential design. Five of those far-out homes, originally built only to make it through the fair, still stand on the shores of Lake Michigan in nearby Indiana.
When they were built, the model homes offered visitors a window into how Americans might one day live — complete with personal airplane hangars. Today the homes offer a window into how far we’ve come since the architects’ forward-thinking approach — and into how modern projects that incorporate a similar strategy are still relevant and fascinating to homeowners.
History of the Houses
The fair was initially conceived as a celebration looking back on Chicago’s first 100 incorporated years. But when the Great Depression hit, the theme shifted to a more hopeful one that looked ahead. Innovation was key. The Home and Industrial Arts Group section of the fair was home to the futuristic houses, along with exhibit halls devoted to the latest architectural advancements, building materials and interior design.
The fair was initially conceived as a celebration looking back on Chicago’s first 100 incorporated years. But when the Great Depression hit, the theme shifted to a more hopeful one that looked ahead. Innovation was key. The Home and Industrial Arts Group section of the fair was home to the futuristic houses, along with exhibit halls devoted to the latest architectural advancements, building materials and interior design.
The fair ended up being such a hit that organizers extended its run for another year. The model houses, particularly the ultramodern House of Tomorrow, were among the fair’s most popular attractions.
With that in mind, developer Robert Bartlett swooped in after the fair ended in 1934 and had five of the most talked-about houses moved across Lake Michigan to Beverly Shores, Indiana, where he planned to use them as a selling point for his latest residential community. The rest, except for a replica of Boston’s Old North Church that’s now privately owned, were demolished.
Interior of the House of Tomorrow
Imagining the Future
At a time when most Americans were living in modest bungalows or aging Victorians, the five saved structures — the House of Tomorrow, the Wieboldt-Rostone House, the Armco-Ferro House, the Cypress Log Cabin and the Florida Tropical House — were nearly revolutionary. Visitors flocked to see the designs up close and to marvel at their largely alien features.
Looking back, most of the architects’ predictions weren’t far off, and the ideas they posited made an impact. “They all had an influence in one form or another,” says Todd Zeiger, director of Indiana Landmarks’ northern field office.
Imagining the Future
At a time when most Americans were living in modest bungalows or aging Victorians, the five saved structures — the House of Tomorrow, the Wieboldt-Rostone House, the Armco-Ferro House, the Cypress Log Cabin and the Florida Tropical House — were nearly revolutionary. Visitors flocked to see the designs up close and to marvel at their largely alien features.
Looking back, most of the architects’ predictions weren’t far off, and the ideas they posited made an impact. “They all had an influence in one form or another,” says Todd Zeiger, director of Indiana Landmarks’ northern field office.
Cleveland architect Robert Smith Jr.’s Armco-Ferro House, for example, used bolted-together corrugated steel panels clad in porcelain-enamel steel panels and helped inspire some of the prefabricated homes that sprung up after World War II. (It’s also the only one of the remaining houses that stuck to the fair committee’s design criteria, which called for homes that were affordable for the average family and could be mass-produced.)
The Cypress Log Cabin was essentially a showcase for the versatility of cypress wood as an interior and exterior building material.
An experimental material called Rostone — made from limestone, alkali and shale and available in a variety of colors and styles —wrapped around the steel-framed Wieboldt-Rostone House. (Rostone wasn’t nearly as durable as builders hoped, and it didn’t catch on.)
The bright and cheery pink Florida Tropical House aimed to promote more seamless indoor-outdoor living with multiple balconies and terraces.
The pioneering House of Tomorrow, the most daring of the collection, has been called the first glass house, predating other groundbreaking properties such as Philip Johnson’s Connecticut Glass House and Mies van der Rohe’s Illinois Farnsworth House by more than a decade. Chicago architect George Fred Keck’s design included glass curtain walls and solar heating, plus such high-tech appliances as an air conditioner and dishwasher. (Oh, and that private hangar for the personal aircraft Keck incorrectly assumed all families would soon acquire.)
In addition to each house’s particular traits, many boasted then-rare features — such as attached garages and open-concept living spaces — that have since become standard.
In addition to each house’s particular traits, many boasted then-rare features — such as attached garages and open-concept living spaces — that have since become standard.
Preserving the Past
As buzzworthy as the properties were at the time of their construction, they saw their luster fade to varying degrees in the decades that followed. Different owners took hold for different periods, until the buildings reached a point in the 1980s where several were in danger of being lost forever. It was then that the National Park Service teamed up with the preservation group Indiana Landmarks to lease and restore all five. Today, four of the houses have been fully rehabilitated by private citizens, who get to live in the homes on a long-term lease in exchange for caring for them and opening them to tours annually.
The House of Tomorrow, always the outlier, will require a little extra love for its complex details. The National Park Service and the historic preservation group have just approved plans for a three-year, ground-up restoration that will revive everything from the house’s landscaping to its roof, Zeiger says.
“There really won’t be any inch not touched,” he says.
As buzzworthy as the properties were at the time of their construction, they saw their luster fade to varying degrees in the decades that followed. Different owners took hold for different periods, until the buildings reached a point in the 1980s where several were in danger of being lost forever. It was then that the National Park Service teamed up with the preservation group Indiana Landmarks to lease and restore all five. Today, four of the houses have been fully rehabilitated by private citizens, who get to live in the homes on a long-term lease in exchange for caring for them and opening them to tours annually.
The House of Tomorrow, always the outlier, will require a little extra love for its complex details. The National Park Service and the historic preservation group have just approved plans for a three-year, ground-up restoration that will revive everything from the house’s landscaping to its roof, Zeiger says.
“There really won’t be any inch not touched,” he says.
Imagining the Future — Again
While the 1933 houses themselves needed some help to endure, the concept of looking to the future of home design has never faltered. And it seems to be a universal one. At last year’s Property Buyer Expo in Australia, Nathalie Scipioni of Sydney architecture firm NS Studio and others created an interactive installation called the House of the Future, imagining once more how the way we live will shift in the years to come.
While the 1933 houses themselves needed some help to endure, the concept of looking to the future of home design has never faltered. And it seems to be a universal one. At last year’s Property Buyer Expo in Australia, Nathalie Scipioni of Sydney architecture firm NS Studio and others created an interactive installation called the House of the Future, imagining once more how the way we live will shift in the years to come.
Their vision, which includes a fully integrated server system that connects everything from thermostats to smart mirrors aiding with outfit selection, water-free laundry and toilets that conduct health tests, could be within reach by 2040, Scipioni says.
“The House of the Future isn’t just about appliances and technology. It’s also about sustainability,” Scipioni says. “Due to the continuing environmental issues, house owners, architects, builders and all that come along with it are constantly thinking about the environmental impact design has on our everyday lives.”
Zeiger and the Indiana House of Tomorrow team share a similar mindset. Preservationists, including representatives from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has dubbed the house one of its National Treasures, plan to bring the home full circle through its rehabilitation, once more making it a model of futuristic living. Zeiger says new features might include smart home technology similar to NS Studio’s project and environmentally conscious systems such as solar power and greywater recycling.
“We’re respecting the historic fabric but we’re also incorporating new ideas and technology where that’s appropriate in the spirit of George Fred Keck’s original design,” says Jennifer Sandy, the trust’s senior Chicago field officer.
As with all the houses built for the 1933 fair, the House of Tomorrow continues to inspire and educate home design fans and history buffs alike.
“We’re respecting the historic fabric but we’re also incorporating new ideas and technology where that’s appropriate in the spirit of George Fred Keck’s original design,” says Jennifer Sandy, the trust’s senior Chicago field officer.
As with all the houses built for the 1933 fair, the House of Tomorrow continues to inspire and educate home design fans and history buffs alike.
“It just gives modern homeowners an opportunity to glimpse what people thought was the future 85 years ago and see, really, how far things have progressed since 1933 if they think about their homes today,” Zeiger says. “But then I get a lot of comments when people come through the homes during tours that this could be a modern house today. So timeless design principals, good building principles will stand the test of time.”
Tell us: What do you think the homes of the future will look like? How close do you think the fair’s homes got to the way we live today? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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World of Design: A Tokyo Exhibit Experiments With the Future of ‘Home’
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Tell us: What do you think the homes of the future will look like? How close do you think the fair’s homes got to the way we live today? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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World of Design: A Tokyo Exhibit Experiments With the Future of ‘Home’
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Equally interesting is to see the resistance for meaningful and appropriate change via sentimentalism minus authenticity. Cultured stone, wood grain vinyl siding, shake style asphalt shingles, vinyl flooring, electric fireplaces etc. It gets hard to tell a rendering from the actual photo becasue the "real thing" often looks like a cartoonist rendering. It is interesting to see what stylistic elements/materials are kept to allude to former eras and quality. What used to be functional and authentic is now facade depth only. It is possible to have both.
Designed to strengthen family and use little energy.
The “spaceship” homes in Winnipeg
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/unique-structure-presents-design-challenges-471594874.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=spaceship disraeli&tbm=isch