This is part II of “The Mid-Century “Flying Saucer” Obsession article, I wrote this last week.
With the fascination of aliens visiting us from the stars, it was just a matter of time before someone would come up with plans to design a flying saucer-type home.
In 1965, an architect (Matti Suuronen) from Finland, came up with custom designs to create the “Futuro” UFO-style cottage/home.
Originally, Matti designed the “Futuro” to be used as a ski or vacation cabin, which would be quick to heat and easy to construct in any environment-even rough terrain. It was made of oil-derivatives, such as plastic, polyester-polyurethane, and fiberglass. It stands 13 feet tall and 26 foot in diameter. The Futuro home was made in lightweight, prefabricated sections for easy transport and to reassemble quickly. All sections were bolted together to create the floor and the roof. It would feature legs to stand on any prepared landing site.
Unfortunately, by the mid-1970’s, the Futuro was taken off the market. The cost of oil had risen in the early ’70s- which didn’t help matters. (Remember, it was made of oil-derived products.) It became too costly to produce the components. Additionally, the concept was met with zoning regulatory problems in the United States, and banks were reluctant to finance them. Thus, less than 100 were made, with only 60 Futuro homes existing today. You can find them in Australia, Finland, New Zealand, U.S.A and other parts of the world. Most unfortunately, have been abandoned and vandalized.
Two years ago, I found one in Tampa, Florida placed on top of a strip club building. (I decided I did’t want to know what was going on inside, so instead I took this photo from the parking lot.)
Currently, mid-century enthusiasts are trying to find, relocate and refurbish these rare, unique homes. The cost to build one in the early ’70s was around $14,000, but a Futuro home popped up for sale in 2014 on eBay, for a “Buy-It-Now” price of $29,900.
Here are some of these unique, Futuro, UFO-style residences still in existence today.
A definite must-have for UFO fans!
As Spock from Star Trek fame would say, “Beam Me Up, Scotty!”
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