The Bubble Houses, also known as the Goodyear Balloon Houses, were four (three single and one double)

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 designed 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 ...

and built at the Wigwam Resort in

Litchfield Park, Arizona Litchfield Park is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is located west of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,847, up from 5,476 in 2010. History The town of Litchfield Park is a community out ...

, during the 1940s. They were demolished during the 1980s.

History

Located in a row "on the fairway of the first hole of the Wigwam's golf course"Head 2011, pp. 34–51 at the Wigwam Resort in

,Burton 2007, p. 40. a community developed by Goodyear. and built between 1942 and 1944 by Case Construction Company of

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...

, the Bubble Houses were designed by architect

using his patented 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 for ...

system, consisting of reinforced concrete cast in place over an inflatable balloon made by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. Once the outer shell of concrete and insulation had hardened, the balloon was removed. The Double Bubble House consisted of two single units joined by a conventional single-story structure. Each Bubble House contained two bedrooms and one bath, a kitchen, living room, pantry with refrigerator, and patio. All four houses, intended as "alternative wartime housing", were similar to the twelve Neff-designed bubble houses, ten doubles and two singles, previously built by Case in

Falls Church, Virginia Falls Church City is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,658. Falls Church is ...

. The houses were the subject of a 1944

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. Its editor in chief is Josephine Minutillo. ''The Record'', as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important ...

article. Described as "ideal accommodation for golfers", rates for staying in the Bubble Houses were set at US$42 per night, for two people, during the 1958–59 season. The houses were in use as rentals or employee-housing until the 1970s. In the 1980s Goodyear sold the Wigwam project and the new owners demolished all four bubble houses.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{refend

External links

CaliSphere The California Digital Library (CDL) was founded by the University of California in 1997. Under the leadership of then UC President Richard C. Atkinson, the CDL's original mission was to forge a better system for scholarly information management ...

Photos of the single bubble houses
by Maynard Parker * Phyllis Richardson, Achhetcetera
''Bubble Up''
photos
Wigwam Resort website
Houses in Maricopa County, Arizona Demolished buildings and structures in Arizona Wallace Neff buildings Bubble houses 1942 establishments in Arizona 1980s disestablishments in Arizona Buildings and structures demolished in the 1980s

History

See also

References

Sources

External links