ASM Headquarters and Geodesic Dome
Encyclopedia
The ASM International Headquarters and Geodesic Dome, in Russell Township
, Geauga County
, Ohio
, United States
, are modernist structures that were built in 1958 and dedicated in September 1959.
", and is rare among Synergetics, Inc.-designed geodesic domes in that it was never intended to be a covered structure.
The complex was designed by John Terrence Kelly, a native of Elyria, Ohio
. There are differing opinions on R. Buckminster Fuller's
role in the design of ASM's dome. While Fuller was a founding partner of Synergetics, Inc. and a patent holder for geodesic dome designs, he was divested of all interest in Synergetics, Inc. before this dome was conceived. The geodesic dome was designed by Thomas C. Howard of Synergetics, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina
, the owner of Synergetics, Inc. and designer of many geodesic domes such as Climatron Conservatory
at Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Union Tank Car Company dome (now demolished) in Baton Rouge, LA, and Poliedro de Caracas
in Venezuela
. Fuller's role may have been limited to licensing the use of his patents.
In a 2010 essay, Stan Theobald, a co-worker of architect John T. Kelly and site manager during its construction, recalls that the dome engineering firm was the College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina stating, "since they were the only Engineers that Bucky [Fuller] used." Throughout his 32-page essay, Theobald refers to the "dome Engineers," speaking very little of any involvement by Fuller, which would seem to indicate that Kelly used Fuller's principles, while other engineers made them work for this unique open-air, above grade project. Theobald elaborated on the spring 1958 groundbreaking and formal announcement dinner that followed at the Union Club in Cleveland, Ohio where Fuller was the guest speaker. Theobald describes Fuller's presentation as "a marathon, rambling dissertation" in which he proposed "that the most important advances on the future would be invisible." In his essay, Theobald compares Fuller's vision from 1958 to reality in 2010, an era of the Internet, DNA, genome mapping, and nano technology.
The geodesic dome is actually two domes, one inside the other that are 30 inches apart, rising to a height of 103 feet and is 274 feet in diameter. The dome is built using approximately 65,000 parts, including 13 miles of extruded aluminum tubing and tension rods welded into hexagons. There are no internal supports and the entire 80-ton weight rests on five concrete-filled pylons driven up to 77 feet into the earth.
The entire complex sits on a 400-foot diameter piazza
with a 100-foot diameter mineral garden in the center that contains 66 labeled specimens of mineral ores with a fountain in the center. The 50,000-square foot headquarter building is a three-story semi-circular shaped concrete structure that occupies two-fifths of the piazza perimeter. The building resides on the western perimeter and is independent of the dome structure and has three distinct sections.
The building has floor-to-ceiling aluminum frame windows inside poured concrete walls and floors. The exterior of the western-facing second level glass wall is protected by a 13-foot high, 390-foot long satin-finish stainless steel "sun shield," which protects against the afternoon sun without obstructing the view by providing 4,000 one-foot by five-inch louvers. Stainless steel, bronze, copper, aluminum, titanium and tungsten elements are incorporated into the interior design.
The original investment for the building and landscaping was $2.4 million. The semi-circular building, capped by a geodesic dome, symbolizes humanity’s mastery of metals and materials.
The complex was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on October 22, 2009. The listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service
's weekly list of October 30, 2009. The listing can be found in this list of National Register of Historic Places in Geauga County.
, and the other 3.95 acres (1.6 ha) parcel is in Newbury Township, Ohio
.
The mineral garden was redesigned in 1999 to improve the walkways, irrigation and drainage. A variety of perennials and trees were added, including a Malus
apple tree directly descended from the tree that inspired Sir Isaac Newton's
theory of gravitation. The tree was donated to ASM by the National Bureau of Standards in 1968. A 16 feet (4.9 m) fountain sculpture entitled "ASM Singularity," made from copper, titanium, and stainless steel created by Eric Orr was added as well. On the cover of ASM International's 1999 annual report it states: "In mathematical terms, singularity is the point of a curve at which dramatic changes take place."
In 1999, a granite memorial dedicated to William H. Eisenman was placed on the eastern hillside. It is engraved with the inscription credited to Daniel Hudson Burnham
, famous for the Burnham Plan
or "The Plan of Chicago," a comprehensive turn-of-the-century plan for the future of Chicago. The inscription reads, "Make no little plans: they have no magic to stir one's blood. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die."
In 2010, the headquarters underwent renovations and restorations led by the Chesler Group of Cleveland and Dimit Architects of Lakewood, Ohio
. The total cost of renovations were nearly $6 million, including over $2 million from state and federal historic-preservation tax credits. The historic preservation funding came as a tradeoff against strict requirements of the National Park Service
, the administrative arm of the National Register of Historic Places
, which requires renovated historic buildings retain their original architectural character and critical original materials. Interior and exterior renovations included new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, ADA-accessible restrooms, interior updates, restoration of the glass window wall and the exterior stainless steel sunscreens, and repairs to the concrete structure under the roof.
A 1953-commissioned seven-panel brushed aluminum mural created by metals artist Nikos Bel-Jon (1911-1966) called the “History of Iron,” once used at ASM trade shows, now hangs throughout the headquarters building.
On July 1, 1961, the American Society of Metals was established as a rural post office branch as Metals Park, Ohio 44073. Today, the 45-acre campus of ASM International is called Materials Park. The change from "Metals Park" to "Materials Park" reflects a mid-1980s revision of the mission of the American Society of Metals when it changed its name to "ASM International: The Materials Information Society" and began using the tagline "ASM is Everything Material, the society dedicated to serving the materials science and engineering profession."
The current mailing address of ASM International World Headquarters is:
ASM World Headquarters, 9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073-0002 The majority of Russell Township, Ohio
residents use Novelty, Ohio 44072 as their postal city and zip code.
Russell Township, Geauga County, Ohio
Russell Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,529 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships and villages:...
, Geauga County
Geauga County, Ohio
Geauga County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 93,389. It is named for a Native American word meaning "raccoon". The county seat is Chardon...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, are modernist structures that were built in 1958 and dedicated in September 1959.
Purpose
The campus serves as the headquarters of ASM International, formerly the American Society for Metals. The dome is the "world's largest open air geodesic domeGeodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
", and is rare among Synergetics, Inc.-designed geodesic domes in that it was never intended to be a covered structure.
Design
Originally serving as headquarters for the American Society for Metals in September 1959, the geodesic dome was built on a 100-acre parcel donated by William Hunt Eisenman (1886-1958), a charter member of the American Society of Metals and its secretary for nearly four decades. In 1961, ASM purchased William Hunt Eisenman's Sunnimoor Farm and 400-acres of land adjacent to the ASM campus.The complex was designed by John Terrence Kelly, a native of Elyria, Ohio
Elyria, Ohio
-Community:Elyria has an extensive, although financially burdened, community food pantry and "Hot Meals" program administered through the Second Harvest Food Bank and several churches Elyria is served by Elyria Memorial Hospital.-Recreation and parks:...
. There are differing opinions on R. Buckminster Fuller's
Buckminster Fuller
Richard Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller was an American systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, futurist and second president of Mensa International, the high IQ society....
role in the design of ASM's dome. While Fuller was a founding partner of Synergetics, Inc. and a patent holder for geodesic dome designs, he was divested of all interest in Synergetics, Inc. before this dome was conceived. The geodesic dome was designed by Thomas C. Howard of Synergetics, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, the owner of Synergetics, Inc. and designer of many geodesic domes such as Climatron Conservatory
Climatron
The Climatron is a greenhouse enclosed in a geodesic dome that is part of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. Initiated by then Garden director Frits W. Went the dome is the world's first completely air-conditioned greenhouse and the first geodesic dome to be enclosed in rigid Plexiglass ...
at Missouri Botanical Gardens, the Union Tank Car Company dome (now demolished) in Baton Rouge, LA, and Poliedro de Caracas
Poliedro de Caracas
The Poliedro de Caracas is an indoor sports arena, located on the grounds adjacent to Hipodromo La Rinconada, in Caracas, Venezuela. It was designed by architect Thomas C. Howard of Synergetics, Inc, in Raleigh, NCin 1971...
in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Fuller's role may have been limited to licensing the use of his patents.
In a 2010 essay, Stan Theobald, a co-worker of architect John T. Kelly and site manager during its construction, recalls that the dome engineering firm was the College of Engineering at the University of North Carolina stating, "since they were the only Engineers that Bucky [Fuller] used." Throughout his 32-page essay, Theobald refers to the "dome Engineers," speaking very little of any involvement by Fuller, which would seem to indicate that Kelly used Fuller's principles, while other engineers made them work for this unique open-air, above grade project. Theobald elaborated on the spring 1958 groundbreaking and formal announcement dinner that followed at the Union Club in Cleveland, Ohio where Fuller was the guest speaker. Theobald describes Fuller's presentation as "a marathon, rambling dissertation" in which he proposed "that the most important advances on the future would be invisible." In his essay, Theobald compares Fuller's vision from 1958 to reality in 2010, an era of the Internet, DNA, genome mapping, and nano technology.
The geodesic dome is actually two domes, one inside the other that are 30 inches apart, rising to a height of 103 feet and is 274 feet in diameter. The dome is built using approximately 65,000 parts, including 13 miles of extruded aluminum tubing and tension rods welded into hexagons. There are no internal supports and the entire 80-ton weight rests on five concrete-filled pylons driven up to 77 feet into the earth.
The entire complex sits on a 400-foot diameter piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
with a 100-foot diameter mineral garden in the center that contains 66 labeled specimens of mineral ores with a fountain in the center. The 50,000-square foot headquarter building is a three-story semi-circular shaped concrete structure that occupies two-fifths of the piazza perimeter. The building resides on the western perimeter and is independent of the dome structure and has three distinct sections.
The building has floor-to-ceiling aluminum frame windows inside poured concrete walls and floors. The exterior of the western-facing second level glass wall is protected by a 13-foot high, 390-foot long satin-finish stainless steel "sun shield," which protects against the afternoon sun without obstructing the view by providing 4,000 one-foot by five-inch louvers. Stainless steel, bronze, copper, aluminum, titanium and tungsten elements are incorporated into the interior design.
The original investment for the building and landscaping was $2.4 million. The semi-circular building, capped by a geodesic dome, symbolizes humanity’s mastery of metals and materials.
Construction
Construction began in March 1958 by general contractor Gillmore-Olson Company, under the supervision of George McKay. Aluminum was supplied by Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Co., Halethorpe, MD. The dome was fabricated by North American Aviation Corporation, Columbus, OH. The Mak Construction Company of Cleveland, OH erected the dome.Awards
For his architectural work including the design of the ASM headquarters, John Terrence Kelly was awarded the 1968 Cleveland Arts Prize for Architecture.The complex was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 22, 2009. The listing was announced as the featured listing in 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...
's weekly list of October 30, 2009. The listing can be found in this list of National Register of Historic Places in Geauga County.
Renovations
In 1995, ASM International sold more than 500 acres (202.3 ha), including over half of the original donated parcel, to the Geauga Park District, which represents a sizable portion of the 902 acres (365 ha) West Woods park. The ASM International campus resides on the remaining 45 acres (18.2 ha) of land split into two parcels. One 41.05 acres (16.6 ha) parcel is in Russell Township, OhioRussell Township, Geauga County, Ohio
Russell Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,529 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships and villages:...
, and the other 3.95 acres (1.6 ha) parcel is in Newbury Township, Ohio
Newbury Township, Geauga County, Ohio
Newbury Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2010 census found 5,537 people in the township.As of the 2000 census, the center of population in Geauga County was located in northeastern Newbury Township, near Oak Tree Trail.-Geography:Located in the...
.
The mineral garden was redesigned in 1999 to improve the walkways, irrigation and drainage. A variety of perennials and trees were added, including a Malus
Malus
Malus , the apples, are a genus of about 30–35 species of small deciduous trees or shrubs in the family Rosaceae. Other studies go as far as 55 species including the domesticated Orchard Apple, or Table apple as it was formerly called...
apple tree directly descended from the tree that inspired Sir Isaac Newton's
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
theory of gravitation. The tree was donated to ASM by the National Bureau of Standards in 1968. A 16 feet (4.9 m) fountain sculpture entitled "ASM Singularity," made from copper, titanium, and stainless steel created by Eric Orr was added as well. On the cover of ASM International's 1999 annual report it states: "In mathematical terms, singularity is the point of a curve at which dramatic changes take place."
In 1999, a granite memorial dedicated to William H. Eisenman was placed on the eastern hillside. It is engraved with the inscription credited to Daniel Hudson Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
, famous for the Burnham Plan
Burnham Plan
The Burnham Plan is a popular name for the 1909 Plan of Chicago, co-authored by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett. It recommended an integrated series of projects including new and widened streets, parks, new railroad and harbor facilities, and civic buildings...
or "The Plan of Chicago," a comprehensive turn-of-the-century plan for the future of Chicago. The inscription reads, "Make no little plans: they have no magic to stir one's blood. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die."
In 2010, the headquarters underwent renovations and restorations led by the Chesler Group of Cleveland and Dimit Architects of Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
. The total cost of renovations were nearly $6 million, including over $2 million from state and federal historic-preservation tax credits. The historic preservation funding came as a tradeoff against strict requirements of 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...
, the administrative arm of the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, which requires renovated historic buildings retain their original architectural character and critical original materials. Interior and exterior renovations included new mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, ADA-accessible restrooms, interior updates, restoration of the glass window wall and the exterior stainless steel sunscreens, and repairs to the concrete structure under the roof.
A 1953-commissioned seven-panel brushed aluminum mural created by metals artist Nikos Bel-Jon (1911-1966) called the “History of Iron,” once used at ASM trade shows, now hangs throughout the headquarters building.
Materials Park, Ohio
Materials Park, Ohio is not a city, village, town, or unincorporated community; it is a designated rural post office branch.On July 1, 1961, the American Society of Metals was established as a rural post office branch as Metals Park, Ohio 44073. Today, the 45-acre campus of ASM International is called Materials Park. The change from "Metals Park" to "Materials Park" reflects a mid-1980s revision of the mission of the American Society of Metals when it changed its name to "ASM International: The Materials Information Society" and began using the tagline "ASM is Everything Material, the society dedicated to serving the materials science and engineering profession."
The current mailing address of ASM International World Headquarters is:
ASM World Headquarters, 9639 Kinsman Road, Materials Park, OH 44073-0002 The majority of Russell Township, Ohio
Russell Township, Geauga County, Ohio
Russell Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,529 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships and villages:...
residents use Novelty, Ohio 44072 as their postal city and zip code.
External links
- October 9, 2010 Weekly Highlights of the National Register of Historic Places
- ASM International Headquarters Materials Park, Ohio
- August 2011 article on 2010-2011 renovations Materials Mastery: The Renaissance of Materials Park.