NEWS

Nation’s Leading Historic Preservation Organization Names The House of Tomorrow a National Treasure

National Trust and Indiana Landmarks announce plan to restore House of Tomorrow

Media Contact:
Virgil McDill, National Trust for Historic Preservation, 202.294.9187, vmcdill@savingplaces.org
Brian Berg for Indiana Landmarks, 312-282-8260; brian@mkcpr.com

Chicago, IL (October 19, 2016) – Widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential houses in modern architectural design, the House of Tomorrow was named a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Despite its recognition as a forerunner of both Mid-Century Modern home design and the solar house movement, the House of Tomorrow is currently empty and deteriorating. National Treasure designation, along with a plan for restoring it, could give new life to the House of Tomorrow while also becoming a national model for how to preserve thousands of other historic properties across the country.

Today’s announcement by the National Trust was made in partnership with Indiana Landmarks, the Hoosier state’s leading preservation organization and a national leader on creative funding strategies for the reuse of historic properties. Indiana Landmarks submitted the House of Tomorrow’s nomination to be designated a National Treasure.

Designed by noted Chicago architect George Fred Keck, the House of Tomorrow was a popular attraction at the 1933-34 Century of Progress Exhibition, where more than 1.2 million people paid an extra 10 cents to see inside the house. Taking place in the depths of the Great Depression, the World’s Fair drew 39 million to see how advancements in science and technology could improve life across the globe. In his design for the House of Tomorrow, Keck underscored the theme by showing people a new way to live in what the media called “America’s First Glass House.” He introduced new inventions, modern conveniences, including an “iceless” refrigerator, the first-ever General Electric dishwasher and an innovative open floor plan, all of which he believed could improve the quality of daily life for people grappling with the grim realities of the Great Depression.

“At a time when millions of Americans were out of work and the nation was facing enormous economic challenges, the House of Tomorrow was a source of hope for a better future,” said David J. Brown, executive vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “George Keck’s groundbreaking design, along with futuristic household amenities at the time like central air and electric refrigerators, reflected a central theme of the Century of Progress—the power of science and technology to dramatically improve people’s lives.”

Architecturally, the House of Tomorrow was among the first residential buildings to employ a glass curtain-wall structure, predating both Mies van der Rohe’s renowned Farnsworth House and Philip Johnson’s Glass House by many years. It was also among the first buildings in America to use passive solar energy as a sustainable heating technique. The attached garage—also an innovation—used a door that rose at the push of a button. Keck’s design included one element that remains futuristic—an airplane hangar—also with a push button door—for the small family airplane Keck envisioned every family would own in the future.

“The House of Tomorrow…is one of the true early monuments of American modernism, brimming over with a uniquely American idealism and earnestness about the twentieth century. George Fred Keck was…interested in casting his net wide and demonstrating how future architecture would present new ideas about technology, about space, about materials. He put all of this together into a whole that is truly one of a kind,” declares noted architecture critic Paul Goldberger, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

When the fair closed, Chicago developer Robert Bartlett used barges and trucks to ship the House of Tomorrow (along with other Century of Progress structures) to Beverly Shores, Indiana, a town he was attempting to develop as a vacation destination for Chicagoans. Five Century of Progress houses were sold and remained in private hands until the land became part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a unit of the National Park Service.

Indiana Landmarks is raising money to fully restore the House of Tomorrow, which the organization is leasing from the National Park Service. The house will then be subleased for residential use. At a time when the National Park Service is facing a maintenance backlog of approximately $12 billion, creative new approaches to maintaining cultural resources in our nation’s parks are essential.

“Our goal is to preserve this outstanding building and raise awareness and appreciation of the House of Tomorrow, the architect George Fred Keck, and the Century of Progress, both regionally and nationally, and to raise the money to make this possible” says Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks. “To guide us through the restoration design process, we have enlisted the services of Chicago architect and former Indiana Landmarks board member Bill Latoza. Although the timetable will depend on fundraising, we hope to get the restoration underway by spring 2017,” he adds.

“By declaring it a National Treasure, we have the opportunity to save the House of Tomorrow while also honoring its legacy of innovation,” Brown continued. “A lease agreement between Indiana Landmarks and the National Park Service will allow the House of Tomorrow to be restored for residential use, and will also serve as a national model for the preservation of thousands of important historic National Park Service buildings throughout the nation.”

The National Treasure designation will raise the profile of this iconic place, connecting the story of the House of Tomorrow to the Trust’s national network of people who are passionate about Modernist architecture.

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About The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places. www.savingplaces.org

About National Treasures
The National Trust for Historic Preservation mobilizes its more than 60 years of expertise and resources to protect a growing portfolio of National Treasures that are threatened buildings; neighborhoods, communities, and landscapes that stand at risk across the country. Our National Treasures program demonstrates the value of preservation by taking direct action to protect these places and promote their history and significance.

About Indiana Landmarks
Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, reconnects us to heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For information on membership in the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.

About Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of 413 units of the National Park System ranging from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore includes 15 miles of the southern shoreline of Lake Michigan and 15,000 acres of beach, woods, marshes, and prairie in the northwest corner of Indiana. For more information go to: www.nps.gov/indu

 

 

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