The Futuro House

The Futuro House was conceived by Matti Suuronen in 1968 as a "portable" ski chalet. It is an iconic piece of architecture and this site is devoted to documenting the history of the Futuro and the current status and whereabouts of the remaining examples.





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About "Things Futuro" | TheFuturoHouse.com Collection

Our interest in the Futuro House quickly became our passion for the Futuro House and eventually, perhaps some might say, our obsession with the Futuro House. We collect books, magazines, collectibles and other items that relate to the Futuro House in some way. As is the case with all collections it started off relatively small with easy to obtain pieces but over time it has become quite extensive and worthy of "Futuro Nuts".

The collection contains all manner of items from unique original pieces from the early days of Futuro through contemporary mass-produced items and everything in between. At the time of the latest update to this page the collection comprises 465 physical items plus 158 "digital" items (in particular digital copies of newspaper articles) and these pages are effectively the collection's "catalog".

Additional items can also be found in The Charles Cleworth Futuro House Archive and in several smaller collections and archives.

As is the case with most collectors we are always looking to add to this collection so if you have Futuro related items for sale or know of any Futuro items for sale please let us know.

A Few Notes Relating To This Collection
  • Out Of Date Item Descriptions: Item descriptions were accurate at the time collection items were acquired but may have become outdated since. In the event that information pertaining to an item has changed following the reference links in item descriptions will take you to pages where that updated information can be found.
  • Translation: There are a number of items in this collection in languages other than English. While Google Translate can be a valuable tool it is never as good as a true translation by a bi-lingual person. Such items will display a "Translate" icon. If you are able and would be willing to translate an item please click the "Translate" icon for that item to send an email requesting high res files for the purposes of translation. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer. You would receive full attribution for the translation along with a link to your own website (or other website of your choosing) and you would also have the satisfaction of knowing your are contributing to the Futuro knowledge store here on this website.
  • Copyright: These pages contain photographs of various books, magazines and other items in this collection. Many of these items, and certainly the majority of the books and magazines are subject to copyright and the images are deliberately of a fairly low resolution and are used here simply to catalogue this collection and to provide you with a glimpse of what you would be getting if you chose to follow a similar path to us and purchase any of these items for yourself. If you wish to display any of this subject matter on your own website or otherwise use it please respect the publishers copyright and purchase your own copy.
  • Amazon Links: These pages are not aimed at advertising and we are not trying to sell you anything. However, there are expenses with keeping up a website such as this and we spend a great deal of time researching and trying to maintain this site as the most up to date and complete Futuro House resource on the web. So if, and only if, you already intend to purchase for yourself something we have in this collection please consider using the links provided here to do so if the price is right (we strongly suggest exploring other online retailers as well before making a purchase; most of the links here are to Amazon and while their prices are almost always competitive they are not always the cheapest). Doing this will not increase your cost but it will earn us a small (and it is small) commission on the sale that will be put towards our recurring web hosting costs. You know what the proverbial "they" say - every little helps!
  • Item Loans: We have in the past loaned items to institutions for various exhibitions (details here) and, on a case by case basis, are prepared to do so again in the future. If you are interested in such a loan please contact us with details of the Institution and/or Exhibition making the inquiry, the dates the items would be required and which items you are interested in displaying.
Sections Of The Collection

Sales Materials

Listed below are sales materials/brochures included in this collection.

Latest Update(s)/Addition(s) ***
  1. *** Original 1970's Advertising Trade Card | Purchased 080620
  2. Original French Futuro Flyer Early 1970's - French | Purchased 110912
  3. Original Futuro Corporation. PA (New Dimensions Of Delaware Inc.) Futuro Brochure Early 1970's | Purchased 080512
  4. Original Polykem Futuro Brochure 1969 - Finnish | Received 070814
  5. Original Sales Materials Folder - French | Received 120719

Futuro Flyer - 1970's (French) | Purchased 110912

TranslateThis item is an original French language Futuro Flyer (single sheet printed on both sides); though we do not know exactly it is almost certainly from the early 1970's. On the front (?) the flyer lists the "technical specifications" of the Futuro House (though in general terms rather than specific detail) and on the back (?) there are schematics showing the exterior elevation and a typical internal layout.

At the bottom of the text on the front (?) there is a statement that tells the reader to "contact us" with any questions but the flyer contains no contact information. Though only a theory that suggests to us that this was probably a technical insert in a package that contained more materials; marketers today, and likely back in the 70's, often put together a promotional folder that includes various inserts providing information on different aspects of whatever was being publicized.

We will be trying to research this further though it may be hard to find out any definite information. If you know anything about the background of this piece please let us know.

The flyer is in French; we have entered the text into Google Translate to get a rudimentary translation (download pdf file). All machine translations are a little suspect so the translation is clearly not anything like 100% accurate; at some point we will get a "real" translation. If you have such a translation or can help create one it would be much appreciated.

French Flyer Front

French Futuro Flyer Back

Futuro Brochure - 1970's | Purchased 080512

This is what we believe is an original Futuro brochure; presumably from the early 1970's. The brochure features 4 pages; the front shows a photograph of a Futuro (though black and white it looks like a "mirror image" of the photo seen in color in the book Where's My Space Age?). There are three photos and a schematic inside and a floorplan on the back.

The brochure was originally from the Futuro Corporation, PA (this is printed on the front) but it appears that it was actually distributed by a Delaware distributor. There is a "stamp" on the front (very faint and impossible to read in the photograph) that reads "New Dimensions Inc. Distributors For Futuro Fiberglass Homes, Route 1 Box 272, Milton, Delaware 19968.

Futuro Brochure [DE] Front

Futuro Brochure [DE] Back

Futuro Brochure [DE] Inside

1970's Advertising Trade Card | Purchased 080620

This is an Advertising Trade Card featuring a photo of a Futuro that was displayed at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois in 1970.

We believe this is the Futuro that is now located at The Pink Elephant Antique Mall in Livingston, IL and was previously located just north of Springfield, IL.

The "trade card" was clearly designed as a tool for would be purchasers to indicate their interest to the dealer by marking their specific area of interest and returning the card to the dealer. Interestingly while the printed reverse side of the trade card included check boxes to indicate area of interest, the address of the dealer and space for a postage stamp it did not actually include an area for the interested party to provide a means of contact.

The reverse of the trade card is titled:

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF FUTURO
(As Displayed - Illinois State Fair - Springfield)


and the dealer is listed as:

Mod Pod Inc.
221½ East Washington
Iowa City, Iowa 52240


The check boxes for the interested party to indicate a particular area or areas of interest include the following (they clearly had some ambitious plans):
  • Futuro II (As displayed)
  • Futuro III (Enlarged BR)
  • Futuro II X (2 Br - 2 Bath)
  • Futuro II (Shell)
  • Futuro IV (Motel)
  • Futuro II O (Office)
  • Futuro II NS (Nursery School)
  • Dealership
  • Other
We actually had this in our collection in 2014 but traded it with another Futuro collector for multiple Futuro related items; it has taken us 6 years to find a replacement!

Futuro Advertising Trade Card - Illinois State Fair - Mod Pod Inc - Front

Futuro Advertising Trade Card - Illinois State Fair - Mod Pod Inc - Back

Polykem Brochure - 1969 (Finnish) | Received 070814

TranslateDuring a trip to see Futuro #001 at the WeeGee Exhibition Center in Espoo, Finland on 070814 we visited with Marko Home, Futuro Historian and co-editor of the book Futuro: Tomorrow's House from Yesterday. During that visit Marko kindly gave us a copy of the brochure seen here; a 1969 Polykem Brochure (Thank you Marko!).

We were surprised at the condition of the item; it was perfect, and wondered if it was actually a modern reprint but Marko informed us it was indeed original. It was actually found in an unopened cardboard box at the abandoned Polykem factory in Ruotsinpyhtää, about 100 kilometers west of Helsinki (Polykem made Futuros in two factories, first at Hiekkaharju in Vantaa and later at Ruotsinpyhtää in Loviisa).

What is most interesting about the brochure is that it shows that by as early as 1969 the Futuro was already being marketed in a much more sophisticated model than the rather primitive and rudimentary initial offering. Futuro #001 in Espoo is restored to the original 1968 specs; compare the illustrations on the brochure to photos of the unit at Espoo and the differences are clear.

Late 1960's Polykem Futuro Brochure - Front

Late 1960's Polykem Futuro Brochure - Back

Late 1960's Polykem Futuro Brochure - Front

French Sales Folder - Date Unknown | Received 120719

This item is a "folder" which has no markings or text on the back or inside; the front carries the image seen below and the text:

"France Futuro Fabrication - Une residence de l'espace a l'avant garde de notre civiisation"

Or according to Google Translate "France Futuro Fabrication - A space residence at the forefront of our civilization".

The item was sent to us recently by fellow collector and Futuro enthusiast Yves Buysse; many thanks Yves - makes for a very cool addition to this collection.

The item is a folder that we think would have been used to pass out marketing and/or sales materials or flyers to prosepctive customers; that is of course an assumption but we have seen such folders used in this manner over the years. Unfortunately the "contents" are long gone.

French Sales & Marketing Materials Folder

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