Here’s an amazing time capsule house, first spotted by Retro Ruth of No Pattern Required: The 1964 Dome House in Midland, Michigan — now for sale for the first time since it was built by the original owners, architect Robert Schwartz and his wife Barbara. Robert Schwartz was a student of Buckminster Fuller, father of the geodesic dome. According to this informative story in the Midland Daily News, which gave me permission to feature a few of their photos:
The shell of the house is made of foam — Styrofoam, manufactured by The Dow Chemical Co., which furnished the foam in exchange for cost information from Mr. Schwartz, who already had considered the concept of a hemispherical abode. At the prompting of his college mentor, R. Buckminster Fuller, Schwartz pursued the idea and Dow agreed to the experimentation. Schwartz was one of a handful of students Fuller was using to design geodesic domes for U.S. Marines Corps housing. In this case, the domes were made of cardboard and airlifted by helicopters.
Dow had developed a “spiral generation” machine that allowed for “spinning” a dome from Styrofoam. The machine rotated long pieces of four-inch thick Styrofoam in a circular manner that eventually became a dome. The foam was bound together with intense heat. A layer of concrete averaging two inches thick was sprayed on the dome using the Gunite method. The exterior was finished with a coat of Dow acrylic paint and a coat of Dow Corning Corp. sealant. It took only 14 hours to spin the … dome….
The story also points out that because its construction and materials, the house is very energy efficient. Well, what’s old is new again: Let’s build more of these, that Buckminster Fuller was a genius!
Where to see more photos, and additional links:
- Midland Daily News story. Thanks also, Kevin Prior, for permission to show a few of your photos.
- The real estate listing includes more photos (link now broken but redirects here) — the price, $325,000 — and a link to the realtor if you are in the market. This house is dreamy!
Mike says
The outside, I could take or leave it….but I love the mid-cen modern interior!
Kathie says
I absolutely love, love, love this house! Such a wonderful use of space, and so bright, and inviting. While watching the video I kept visualizing my extended family enjoying a fabulous party in that dining and sunken living room! Fabulous.
Just another Pam says
Sigh, brutal house envy attack…..how wonderful!
CindyD says
Worth every penny and more – and I’d buy the furnishings, too! Talk about open concept living! I love the glass panels throughout the first floor. And that hex floor is gorgeous. My guess is the styrofoam helps keep the noise down from room to room. Can you imagine waking up in one of those bedrooms with the light streaming in (actually, I know that’s not everybody’s favorite way to wake up, but it’s energizing to me. The whole home is. Thanks for letting us peek inside!
Nina462 says
I do live in MI – and yes, there are a ton of mid mod homes here for sale. There’s also alot of antique fairs with midmod items for sale (you’d just swoon!).
I think there is a Buckminster Fuller home at the Henry Ford museum that I mentioned last year – I’ve still yet to get there and take photos for you.
pam kueber says
yes, there is a dymaxion house at the HF Museum/Greenfield Museum. Maybe I will get there this summer — if so, we’ll do a meetup!
Michael says
I visited it two years ago and it *is* super cool!
joelaroo says
How cool to see this here! I’m originally from Midland and grew up near this house.
johnny dollar says
i love me some bucky fuller and domes (they looked like what the future was going to be). from a practicality standpoint, dome construction didn’t really filter down to the common homebuilder/owner until the late 60s and early 70s… and at that point became more of a symbol of counterculture / commune life. i remember reading a spinoff of the whole earth catalog that listed the pros and cons of dome living. one practical issue is that if the interior of the dome is not of the appropriate material, sound is constantly focused back to you. the other was the abilility to subdivide a hemispherical volume effectively.
regardless, i would rock a house like this. extremely “bond supervillian.”
leftofcentergirl says
I think I will start playing Lotto once a week. My friend just moved back to Michigan. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a vacation “dome” to stay in while in town??? LOL, love it!
Jay says
Oh my, takes me back to college days, one of my design classes had required reading that included a book called The Dymaxion World of Buckminster Fuller”. He was quite a thinker/ inventor; but years ahead of his time. The geo dome is an engineering marvel! I think the style was a little unorthodox for most.
Lynn-O-Matic says
This house manages to combine high modernist style with a very warm, human, inviting vibe. In other words, perfection! Although it’s not my first favorite style, I could easily live here happily and scarcely change a thing. The glass room dividers are to die for. The spaces look very well thought out, comfortable, and efficient. My hat is off to Mr. Schwartz.