The Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition was part of the 1933 Chicago

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

. 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 Exposit ...

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

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

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 (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

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 (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

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. Some research ...

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.

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 lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...

Stran-Steel House and Stran-Steel Garden Home, O'Dell & Wirt C. Rowland, 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, Wisconsi ...

, Architect *

Masonite Masonite board Back side of a masonite board Isorel, Quartrboard, Masonite Corporation, Masonite, also called Quartboard or pressboard, is a type of engineered wood made of steam-cooked and pressure-molded wood or paper fibers. The fibers ...

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, US. It was built in 1933 as part of the 1933 Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition, Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition at the Century of Progress, 1933 ...

, 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.

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,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the 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 depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

and are being restored through a partnership between the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, Indiana, the

Indiana Landmarks Indiana Landmarks is a private non-governmental heritage preservation organization focused on the U.S. state of Indiana. It is America's largest private statewide historic preservation organization. Founded in 1960 as Historic Landmarks Foundation ...

, 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 Manitowish Waters, 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