Indiana Dunes National Park, Beverly Shores, Indiana
What do an all-steel home, a log cabin, a flamingo pink tropical house, a glass house with an airplane hanger, and a steel house with fake stone walls have in common? All were houses in the Homes and Industrial Arts Exhibit of the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago. In 1933, the houses in the exhibit were billed as affordable and able to be mass-produced, although only the all-steel house lived up to its original promise. After the end of the fair, this eclectic mixture of homes was moved to the Lake Michigan shore in Indiana. Moving the homes from Chicago to their new home in Beverly Shores was accomplished by barge and truck.
Why Beverly Shores? Developer Robert Bartlett bought the homes to be a part of the resort community he was building on Lake Michigan. People today still have four of the five homes as private residences, although they can be toured to the general public on one day per year. If you have a solid proposal, you could lease and restore the House of Tomorrow. The all-glass house is considered a national treasure even in its dilapidated state. Indiana Landmarks is currently working on refurbrishing the house as it has been since 1999 since anyone has lived on the property.
Today, the homes are part of Indiana Dunes National Park and are all eclectic styles that would enrage the average Homeowner’s Association. When we visited the homes, we drove up Lake Shore Drive and parked for a few minutes, admiring the homes from street level. As the houses are private residences, you have to respect the people who make this most eclectic neighborhood home.
