Five houses exhibited at Chicago's Century of Progress in 1933-1934 were afterward transported across Lake Michigan to Beverly Shores, where they slowly deteriorated in private hands. Since Indiana Landmarks and other parties intervened, four of the houses have been restored, but the House of Tomorrow proved the toughest case until recently. Photo provided by Indiana Landmarks. Credit: Lee Lewellen.
The House of Tomorrow, according to Indiana Landmarks, was meant to impress fairgoers as "a modern home with floor-to-ceiling glass walls, central air conditioning, an innovative open floor plan, the first General Electric dishwasher, an 'iceless' refrigerator, an attached garage whose door opened at the push of a button, an attached hangar for the family airplane." Photo provided by Indiana Landmarks.
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Restoration for the House of Tomorrow in Beverly Shores, in the Indiana Dunes National Park, began last Thursday. The National Park Service is using $4 million from a federal grant to complete restoration of the exterior of the house. It is expected to be completed by summer 2025.
Todd Zeiger, director of Indiana Landmarks' Northern Regional Office in South Bend and House of Tomorrow project manager, said the house was built as part of the Century of Progress in Chicago.
“It represents some very forward thinking as far as architectural design, really predating anybody else. And so its importance rests in its architectural design that Fred Keck, the architect, developed, and its relation with the Century of Progress,” Zeiger said. “It's a good house to restore and tell a story.”
The Century of Progress was a world's fair in Chicago between 1933 and 1934 that celebrated the city’s centennial.
Judy Collins, historical architect at the National Park Service at the Indiana Dunes, said the purpose of the houses was to show the American public what the future could be like in housing design.
“The intent of the fair committee when they set the criteria was that all of the houses could be mass produced. All of the components of the houses could be mass produced for ease of construction,” Collins said. “They wanted to be able to present that to the American public to show them where they can, how they can actually live.”
Zeiger said the primary use for the building is yet to be determined. The current phase will restore the exterior to keep the building in good shape as they prepare the plans for the interior.
“We’ve been focused on the funding and planning just to get the exterior restored. Our hope is that it will be something that will be public focused, but that’s really as far as I’ve gotten right now,” Zeiger said.
Zeiger said this house is currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places, along with four other houses from the Century of Progress. Currently people can stop by and visit these houses and learn about their history.
“We have panels that tell the story, the history of these houses. And so immediately, what the use of the house will be is educational until a more permanent end use is developed,” Zeiger said.
Collins said the houses are leased to Indiana Landmarks, which has subleased three of the houses to families. One family lives in one of the houses full time, another is there in spring, summer and fall, and the third family uses theirs for weekends.
According to Collins, the fourth house, the House of Tomorrow, was also subleased to two other people at one point as a primary residence.
“The National Park Service received the funding to restore the structural system and the exterior of the house, and Indiana Landmarks is seeking funding to do the interior of the house,” Collins said.
She added: “That could entail leasing it to a family or individual who will take on the interior of the residence, or it could entail leasing it to someone who would complete the interior and then find an alternative use for it.”
The new project costs $4 million for exterior restoration, including the windows, roof, railings and siding. Zeiger said he believes it will cost another million and a half dollars to finish the interior.
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