The Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition was part of the 1933 Chicago World's Fair

World's Fair

World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...

. The Fair's theme that year was a Century of Progress

Century of Progress

A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...

, and celebrated man's innovations in architecture, science, technology

Technology

Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...

 and transportation. The "Homes of Tomorrow" exhibition was one of the most noteworthy exhibits of the Fair, and showcased man's modern innovations in architecture, design, and building materials.

In addition to several unique art deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 and contemporary designs for a dozen model homes, futuristic home furnishings and accouterments such as a personal helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

 pad were anticipated. Several architects and firms used the model homes to demonstrate their techniques for the pre-fabricated home and new materials. Baked enamel

Vitreous enamel

Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...

 and Rostone — a man-made type of masonry that could be molded into specific shapes and produced in various colors — were hailed as affordable and durable home construction options.

The following homes were showcased in the exhibit which ran the duration of the fair:

• Weiboldt-Rostone House
  Wieboldt-Rostone House
  The Wieboldt-Rostone House is a house that was built in 1933. Framed in steel and clad with an artificial stone called Rostone...
  
  , Walter Schuler, Architect
• Good Housekeeping Stran-Steel House and Stran-Steel Garden Home, O'Dell & Wirt C. Rowland, Architects
• House of Tomorrow
  House of Tomorrow
  The House of Tomorrow at 241 West Lake Front Drive, Beverly Shores, Indiana, was originally part of Chicago's 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition. Designed as the house of the future, this house included its own airplane hangar...
  
  , George Fred Keck
  George Fred Keck
  George Fred Keck was an American modernist architect based in Chicago, Illinois. He was later assisted in his practice by his brother William Keck.-Biography:...
  
  , Architect
• Masonite
  Masonite
  Masonite is a type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason.-History:Masonite was invented in 1924 in Laurel, Mississippi, by William H. Mason. Mass production started in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s Masonite was used for many applications including doors, roofing, walls, desktops, and canoes...
  
   House: Frazier & Raftery, Architects
• Armco Ferro
  Armco-Ferro House
  From research completed by the Historic American Buildings Survey : The Ferro Enamel Corporation, one of the two major sponsors for the . . . house, was formed in 1930 by a merger between the Ferro Enameling Company and the Ferro Enamel and Supply Co. The idea of using porcelain enamel for...
  
   Enamel Frameless Steel House, Robert Smith, Jr. Architect
• House for Brick Manufacturers Association of America: Andrew N. Rebori, Architect
• Florida Tropical House
  Florida Tropical House
  The Florida Tropical House is a beach house located on Lake Michigan's shoreline in Beverly Shores, Indiana. The house was originally built in 1933 as part of the Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition during the 1933 World's Fair which took place in nearby Chicago...
  
  , Robert Law Weed, Architect
• American Forest Products & Lumber Industries House: Ernest A. Grunsfeld, Jr. Architect
• General House, Inc., Howard T. Fisher, Architect
• Design for Living Home, John C.B. Moore and Horsley & Wood, Architects
• Cypress Log Cabin
• Universal Houses' Country Home.

After the exposition ended in 1934, Robert Bartlett purchased five of the homes, the Wieboldt-Rostone House, the House of Tomorrow, the Florida Tropical House, the Cypress Log Cabin, and the Armco-Ferro House, loaded them on barges and floated them across Lake Michigan to Beverly Shores, Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

. The original homes have survived the last 75 years on the shores of Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

 and are being restored through a partnership between the National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

, Indiana , the Indiana Landmarks, and private individuals. As visitors passed through the homes during the fair, many bought plans and erected the designs in other states.

External links

• Homes of Tomorrow - Dr. Monica Brooks
• Indiana Dunes, A Century of Progress - The World's Fair Homes