Of all the mid-century historic houses I’d like to visit, Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion House — which has been reassembled inside the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich. — is at the very top of my list. This is the only known prototype of Bucky’s dream home, envisioned as a solution to provide affordable housing to the masses after World War II. The Museum acquired the house in 1991 and over the next decade restored the priceless relic. The Dymaxion House — which was officially known as The Dymaxion Dwelling House — was opened to the public in 2001.
“Comprehensive, anticipatory design scientist”
Buckminster Fuller is such a fascinating person. He had to have been one of the most genius minds of the 20th century… According to his daughter, he identified himself as a “comprehensive, anticipatory design scientist.” He is most famous for working with the geodesic dome. He coined the term “spaceship Earth”… and the word “synergy.”
Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion Dwelling Machine
The Museum says:
Conceived and designed in the late 1920’s but not actually built until 1945, the Dymaxion House was Fuller’s solution to the need for a mass-produced, affordable, easily transportable and environmentally efficient house. The word “Dymaxion” was coined by combining parts of three of Bucky’s favorite words: DY (dynamic), MAX (maximum), and ION (tension). The house used tension suspension from a central column or mast, sold for the price of a Cadillac, and could be shipped worldwide in its own metal tube. Toward the end of WW II, Fuller attempted to create a new industry for mass-producing Dymaxion Houses.
The story gets pretty fascinating. Fuller created a company to try and produce the house. But only two prototypes were made before the company collapsed over creative differences. An investor, William Graham, purchased the two prototypes and in 1948, incorporated at least one of them into a house he built for his family in Wichita, Kansas. The family lived in the house into the 1970s and in 1991, donated the Dymaxion to the Henry Ford Museum.
The Dymaxion House was built of aluminum. Fuller chose this material because it was light to transport, strong enough to withstand a Kansas tornado, and because after World War II, there were aircraft manufacturing facilities with capacity to manufacture it.
The house was “designed to be about 1,100 square feet or about the size of a small Cape Cod-style bungalow. It was supposed to cost about $6,500 in 1946.” The efficient and ingenious layout held “two bedrooms, foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, kitchen storage, stainless steel fireplace, optional folding stairs to the balcony, accordion doors, O-Volving shelves, revolving shoe and clothes rack, tie and hat rack, and the Dymaxion bathroom.”
Hey-Wake in the Bucky living room 🙂
“Everybody is an astronaut… You all live aboard a beautiful little spaceship — called Earth.” – Buckminster Fuller
Link love:
Jeff says
Live between The Henry Ford Museum and Cranbrook Academy, and count myself as fortunate as it gets when it comes to fabulous mid century modern architecture and artifacts. The Dymaxion House is indeed worth a pilgrimage, as is the entire museum/Greenfield Village. Detroit as the center of the American design world for decades, and still a major player has some of the best art and architecture from Saarinen, to Frank Lloyd Wright, Albert Kahn, the Eames’, and so much more.
Scott says
The Henry Ford is a wonderous place. I have visited three times and was able to walk through the Dymaxion House on my last trip. The bathroom concept is a spooky but I sure love the idea of having all your clutter tucked neatly inside the walls.
One of my other favorite things there is the big collection of neon including a (gasp) Holiday Inn Great Sign.
ScottG says
Wow, polishing all of that aluminum in the springtime sure would be a pain in the butt.
Janice says
Whodda thought that something so forward looking and thinking would be in Wichita, Kansas where I happen to live?! How did I miss knowing this? I guess it was because I didn’t give a hoot about mid century design back then. Not sure I would want to live in this, but I do appreciate the creativity of this home and can imagine that it is much more energy efficient. Thanks for another educational read!
P.S. I know that Whodda isn’t a real word. 🙂
Jay says
Yes, us loyal RR fans don’t give a hoot, we always make up words. The grammar and historical accuracy police need to troll elsewhere and leave us to celebrate MC design.
vegebrarian says
There is a novel that came out a few years ago called The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni, about a teen and his grandmother who live in one of Fuller’s domes. I had a good time searching for photos of geodesic domes after I read it.
nickarmadillo says
If they made these in a slightly larger size I’d be all over it. Such a shame that these didn’t make it but the McMansion did.
Emily says
Ever since I was a little kid, this was my favorite part of the museum. It it truly amazing in person!
anne says
I have been to this exhibit and toured the home. If you happen to be in the Detroit Metro area, the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are very much worth a visit. The Dymaxion is worth walking through, but my impression was something along the lines of “I would never want to live in this old, claustrophobia-inducing, dusty tin can.” Zero privacy, awkwardly shaped rooms. There is a reason that these homes, as well as his car, never caught on. They are duds that only a central planner enamored of his own genius, would love. Neat for a museum piece to illustrate the history of the mid century fetish for standardization, efficiency, and mass production. The opposite of a cozy and practical home.
Robin, NV says
The last time I was at the Henry Ford Museum, the Dymaxion House was still being restored, so I didn’t get to go in. I’d love to see it now. I wonder if a community of Dymaxions would have ever caught on. It strikes me as a wonderfully engineered house but I think most people are a bit too traditional in their tastes to live in something so space age looking. It’s not something that would appeal to everyone. Sarah’s roundhouse is a great example of a home that incorporated some of Bucky’s engineering concepts but mixed with a more traditional design.
The fact is that most of us live in “boxy” homes with straight walls because construction is based on standard milled lumber sizes. Boards of standard sizes are readily available and don’t require a tremendous amount of skill to put together.
Sandra says
Only 50 years of domes? I guess they don’t count igloos? And their mud and wattle counterparts used all over the world? Sheesh. Journalism sure isn’t as good as it ought to be. I, too, LOVE the Internet and the opportunity to discuss news reports, especially when they’re wrong. I sure hope that isn’t ever outlawed!
pam kueber says
I looked at the story again, did some more quick research, and changed the word “invented” to “work with”. Thank you for the push that encouraged me to make that clarification.
Other than that, I am not sure what your issue is. I don’t think I’m saying these are the only dome structures ever in human history. ?
Robin, NV says
Only 50 years of domes with O-volving shelves, bathrooms, aluminum construction, and the strength to survive tornados! Sure it’s a glorified yurt but what a yurt! 😉