Futuro Homes - Space ships!
Futuro Homes - Space ships!
The landscape in the small town of Royse City in Rockwall County looks like most other rural communities in Texas with its acres of fields, farmland, cows, warehouses, two-lane highways and country roads slicing through it all.
That was certainly the case until I spotted a deteriorating, seemingly forgotten spaceship on an overgrown lot along Highway 276. Many have passed by without knowing the story behind the out-of-this-world structure, or its significance to a very specific point in history.
The spaceship is called a Futuro House and that it was designed by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen during the 1960s. The futuristic design echoed the world’s fascination with the burgeoning space exploration and great space race that many countries were engaging in at the time. The prefabricated design provided an affordable and modern vacation home that could be easily moved and placed into any environment. The interior was complete with a kitchen, bathroom, living room, dining area, beds, a central fireplace, and porthole windows for viewing the outdoor surroundings. Sadly, the oil crisis of the 1970s put an end to the production of Futuro Houses, as the plastic used in the design became too expensive to manufacture.
The Royse City Futuro House was one of only approximately 100 made, and now one of only about 60 remaining in the world. It was originally purchased by an unknown buyer in Garland before being moved to Royse City by two brothers who used it as a business and bachelor pad before it was sold again and abandoned.
It’s cool that you can climb inside and explore!
