The Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition was part of the 1933 Chicago

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

. The Fair's theme that year was a

Century of Progress A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...

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

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

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, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

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

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

pad were anticipated. Several architects and firms used the model homes to demonstrate their techniques for the

pre-fabricated Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located. The term is u ...

home and new materials. Baked enamel 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. Five of the houses exist today viewable to the public, as the

Century of Progress Architectural District The Century of Progress Architectural District is a historic district in Beverly Shores, Indiana. The district is on Lake Shore Drive within the Indiana Dunes National Park. The district comprises five buildings, all from the Homes of Tomorro ...

Exhibits

The following homes were showcased in the exhibit which ran the duration of the fair: * Weiboldt-Rostone House, Walter Schuler, Architect *

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

Stran-Steel House and Stran-Steel Garden Home, O'Dell &

Wirt C. Rowland Wirt Clinton Rowland (December 1, 1878 – November 30, 1946) was an American architect best known for his work in Detroit, Michigan. Biography Rowland was born December 1, 1878, in Clinton, Michigan, to Clinton Charles and Melissa Ruth Ro ...

, Architects * House of Tomorrow,

George Fred Keck George Frederick Keck (1895-1980) was an American modernist architect based in Chicago, Illinois. He was later assisted in his practice by his brother William Keck to form the firm of Keck & Keck. Biography Keck was born in Watertown, Wisconsin, ...

, Architect *

Masonite Masonite is a type of hardboard, a kind of engineered wood, which is made of steam-cooked and pressure-molded wood fibers in a process patented by William H. Mason. It is also called Quartrboard, Isorel, hernit, karlit, torex, treetex, and pr ...

House: Frazier & Raftery, Architects * Armco Ferro Enamel Frameless Steel House, Robert Smith, Jr. Architect *House for Brick Manufacturers Association of America: Andrew N. Rebori, Architect *

Florida Tropical House The Florida Tropical House is a beach house located on Lake Michigan's shoreline in Beverly Shores, Indiana. It was built in 1933 as part of the Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition at the 1933 World's Fair in nearby Chicago. Today it is part of the ...

, 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 Both the Cypress Log Cabin and the Cypress Guest house are historic buildings in the Century of Progress Architectural District in Beverly Shores, Indiana. The houses were sponsored by Southern Cypress Manufacturer's Association, Jacksonville, ...

*Universal Houses' Country Home.

Legacy

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 Beverly Shores is a town in Pine Township, Porter County, Indiana, United States, about east of downtown Chicago. The population was 613 at the 2010 census. History Beverly Shores began life as a planned resort community. The Chicago, Lake Shor ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

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

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

and are being restored through a partnership between the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, Indiana, the

Indiana Landmarks Indiana Landmarks is America's largest private statewide historic preservation organization. Founded in 1960 as Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana by a volunteer group of civic and business leaders led by Indianapolis pharmaceutical execu ...

, and private individuals. As visitors passed through the homes during the fair, many bought plans and erected the designs in other states. Also at the close of the exposition, in November 1934, the Lumber Industries House (designed by architect Ernest A. Grunsfeld, Jr.) was sold to Harry Joseph. A Chicago lumber company executive, Joseph had the home taken down and shipped to his estate in Eagle River, Wisconsin, where it was reassembled.

References and sources

;References ;Sources *Century of Progress Anticipates Homes of Tomorrow. American Home, 10:18-19, June 1933. *Chicago and Tomorrow's House? Pencil Points, 14:245-251, June 1933. *Exhibits at Century of Progress Exhibition: Houses Constructed for the Home and Industrial Arts Exhibit (Floor Plans). *Architectural Record, 73: supplement, May 1933.

External links

Homes of Tomorrow
- Dr. Monica Brooks
1933 Chicago Worlds Fair Homes.
{{Homes of Tomorrow Century of Progress Housing in the United States World's fair architecture in the United States