A look at abandoned locations lost to time
What is a Futuro House
In the late 1960’s Finnish architect Matti Suuronen came up with the plans for a new prefabricated home. He called it the Futuro House. By the early 1970’s nearly 100 of these spaceship shaped homes were built.
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The Futuro house was designed as a ski cabin that could be easily constructed and dropped anywhere by helicopter. The home featured a hatch entrance and was composed of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic. Each one measured just 13 feet high and 26 feet in diameter.
Did it catch on?
The simple answer is, no. Even in a time of heightened popularity for anything artsy, futuristic and space themed, it was too ‘far out’ for most people.
Marketing for the Futuro home was aimed at avant-garde young adults. The portable homes were supposedly ideal for beach life, skiing, or living high in the mountains. The need for fresh water and electricity would have made it difficult in any of those locations however.
So how did one end up in Texas?
In the United States, Futuro Houses were manufactured by the Futuro Corporation of Philadelphia. In total, only around 100 were made. Of those 100, just over 60 still remain today. 18 of those are still standing in various locations within the United States, two of which are in Texas.
The Royse City, Texas Futuro Home was originally purchased by an unknown buyer in Garland before it was eventually moved to Royse City by two brothers. They used the house for both business and pleasure before it was sold again and later, abandoned.
According to TexasHistoricalFoundation.org, “Despite its current state of disrepair, “the spaceship,” as longtime residents of Rockwall County call it, is a beloved landmark in their town, and it is definitely worth a visit to see such a rare oddity in north Texas.”
Have you seen one in person? Let us know.
Matti Suuronen died from a lengthy illness on April 16th, 2013 in Espoo, Finland at the age of 79. He had cancer, as well as heart and respiratory problems.
For more information on Futuro Houses, visit thefuturohouse.com. They even have a lamp/model for sale.
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