R. Buckminster and Anne Hewlett Fuller Dome Home - Carbondale, Illinois - Geodesic Domes on Waymarking.com

"The R. Buckminster and Anne Hewlett Fuller Dome Home is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion B for national significance based on its association with Buckminster Fuller and Criterion C for local significance as a good local example of a geodesic dome house.  The dome home meets Criterion Consideration G for properties with exceptional importance that have achieved significance with the last fifty years.  The home is the property most closely associated  with Fuller, whose prolific career spanned over five decades, ending with his death in 1983.  It is the only property he ever owned and the only geodesic dome in which he lived.  Its period of significance is from 1960 until 1971, when Fuller resided there.

 Buckminster Fuller was a man of international renown who made significant contributions in the fields of architecture, engineering, mathematics, education and social philosophy.  Fuller developed the geodesic dome framing system which he patented in 1954.  Thousands of geodesic dome structures were built in the following years.  They were used as industrial spaces, commercial space, schools, auditoriums, and housing.  The number of geodesic domes based on Fuller's conceptual design is uncountable and domes were found around the world, including Antarctica, where a geodesic dome protected scientists from the harsh climate.  A number of companies designed and manufactured prefabricated dome structures on license from Fuller.  Among these companies was Pease Woodworking Co. of Hamilton, Ohio, owned and operated by Al Miller.  Miller designed and manufactured prefabricated dome structures and he designed and manufactured the Carbondale dome.  This was the first residential application of a Pease dome.  After 1960, thousands of dome houses were constructed all over the world.  Some were prefabricated units, while others were designed by architects.  Fuller's Carbondale dome was a prototype and launched an entire industry.  Dome houses continue to be popular because of the ease and the low cost of construction, their overall efficiency and their stability during natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes." - National Register Nomination Form