The Bubble Houses are two historic

bubble Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fundame ...

or airform houses located next to each other at 9086 and 9096 Southeast Venus Street in the Zeus Park neighborhood of

Hobe Sound Hobe Sound is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States, located along Florida's Treasure Coast. The population was 13,163 at the 2020 census, up from 11,521 in 2010. Geography Hobe Sound ...

Martin County, Florida Martin County ( es, Condado de Martín, link=) is a county located in the Treasure Coast region of the state of Florida, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,431. Its county seat is Stuart. Martin County is in th ...

History

Completed in 1954 by Airform, the Bubble Houses were designed by

Eliot Noyes Eliot Fette Noyes (August 12, 1910 – July 18, 1977) was an American architect and industrial designer, who worked on projects for IBM, most notably the IBM Selectric typewriter and the IBM Aerospace Research Center in Los Angeles, California ...

using the airform

monolithic dome A monolithic dome (from Greek mono- and -lithic, meaning "one stone") is a thin-shell structure cast in a one-piece form. The form may be permanent or temporary and may or may not remain part of the finished structure. Monolithic domes are a fo ...

system developed by

Wallace Neff Edwin Wallace Neff (January 28, 1895 – June 8, 1982) was an architect based in Southern California and was largely responsible for developing the region's distinct architectural style referred to as "California" style. Neff was a student of ...

, which consists of reinforced concrete cast in place over an inflated balloon to establish the house's shape. The original interiors of the houses consisted of a bathroom and open concept living, dining, and kitchen area on the main floor, with a loft-style, raised sleeping space above. They were built to sell for $6,500 Shortly after their completion, it was stated that more than 3,000 people had toured the newly constructed bubble houses. The nearby Olympia School even closed early one afternoon so that its students could tour the Bubble Houses. Bubble Houses, Hobe Sound, Florida 004

Status

The easternmost of the two bubble houses, painted yellow, received media attention in March 2012 because of its owner's proposal to replace it with a larger house. The historic structure was demolished to allow for the construction of the new house. (This was the easternmost bubble house located at 9096 SE Venus Street, Hobe Sound, Florida.) The only remaining bubble house is still standing, with the current owners intending to keep it in place. The westernmost bubble house, 9086 SE Venus Street, has received little or no attention in the media, although both houses were featured in a 2008 ''Inside Hobe Sound Tour'' sponsored by the local

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ...

. The bubble house is located on a five plus acre park. It is one mile from local beaches, and two miles from the residences of

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Greg Norman Gregory John Norman AO (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian entrepreneur and retired professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 89 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA Tour tournamen ...

and

Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...

Media coverage

The two bubble houses were featured in ''Life'' magazine in its February 22, 1954, issue, which described them as "both hurricane-proof and bugproof". They were featured in a chapter of the 2011 book by Jeffrey Head, ''No Nails, No Lumber: The Bubble Houses of Wallace Neff'' published by

Princeton Architectural Press Princeton Architectural Press is a small press publisher, specializing in books on architecture, design, photography, landscape, and visual culture, with over 1,000 titles on its backlist. In 2013, it added a line of stationery products, includin ...

References

External links

Bubble House Tour
{Dead link, date=November 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Houses in Martin County, Florida Bubble houses Hobe Sound, Florida Eliot Noyes buildings Houses completed in 1954 1950s architecture in the United States Modernist architecture in Florida

History

Status

Media coverage

See also

References

External links