Futuro - Pink Elephant Antique Mall - Livingston, IL
N 38° 57.609 W 089° 45.889
16S E 260436 N 4315990
A rare Futuro house is on the grounds of the Pink Elephant Antique Mall, 908 Veterans Memorial Dr, Livingston, IL.
Waymark Code: WMYY9B
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 08/10/2018
Views: 4
The Futuro House was designed by Finnish architect, Matti Suuronen, initially as a portable ski cabin, easy to heat, easy to construct or deploy in any kind of terrain. The Futuro is generally described as a "flying saucer", 13' (4m) high by 26' (8m) diameter, constructed of fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic and other materials to strengthen the design and allow for quick heating inside. There are sixteen components to each Futuro, allowing for disassembly and transport to another site, and in some cases, airlifting from location to location was carried out, with only four concrete piers required for placement.
A 1970 article referencing the Futuro in Architecture d’aujourd’hui (Architecture Today) suggested high hopes, mentioning "the first model in a series of holiday homes to be licensed in 50 countries, already mass-produced in the United States, Australia and Belgium." That didn't quite work out, because, out of an estimated 100 (or less) of these homes that were made in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there might be sixty of them remaining. Public resistance to the strange architecture and rising petroleum prices (which raised the price of the Futuro itself) were the death knell for the house, and by the mid-1970s, the Futuro was taken off the market. An interesting personal documentary, with many of the owner's personal opinions, can be seen on YouTube, alluding to the problems that it faced. If anything, this is a rare example of a Futuro's still being used as a residence by someone who loves the home and raises the question as to what is viable architecture and what is not.
This particular Futuro was rescued from near Springfield, IL around 2009, and while it has a nice green coat of paint outside that it lacked at the time, it is still in a state of disrepair. There were apparently some plans to fix it up and install seating for those who have picked up something to eat from the Twistee Treat behind the Futuro. As of 2017, that hadn't occurred, but we can remain hopeful. In any event, they're very clear that this is a "look, don't touch" attraction, so please don't climb into or on the Futuro.