Asbury Park Evening Press - 050672 | Added 100116
The only "stretched" Futuro II-X of which we are aware was located in
Harvey Cedars, NJ in the early 1970's. As far as we know it was later demolished and there are no remaining examples of this "stretched" version of the Futuro.
The 050672 issue of the Asbury Park Evening Press included an article that reported on the road transport of this Futuro from the manufacturing plant in Pleasantville, NJ to Harvey Cedars. The article includes a couple of photos and dates the delivery of the Futuro to the previous day, 050572. A little more information and larger photos can be found
here.
Courier Post - 091576 | Added 100718
The 091576 issue of the
Cherry Hill, NJ publication the
Courier Post carried an article on the
Willingboro Futuro titled "It's not an invasion, just a new office".
The article, which is accompanied by a single photograph, reported on the official "dedication" of the structure as
Willingboro Township's Parks Information Office. The structure had actually been moved (by flatbed truck) to Mill Creek Park in Willingboro many months prior in November 1975 but local authorities had not previously got around to scheduling the dedication.
An issue of the same publication almost thirty years later suggested that the move to Mill Creek Park was facilitated by a helicopter. Such confusion is not unusual where the history of Futuros is concerned. In this case it seems most likely that the earlier report, written at the time, would be more accurate that the report written thirty years later.
Delmarva News - 030173 | Added 123017
The Delmarva News was published in
Selbyville, DE but, as far as we can tell, it ceased publication some time ago.
The 030173 issue carried a rental ad for two Futuros owned by Joe Hudson. The ad reads:
"
TWO FUTURO HOMES, seasonal rental beginning April 1 to November 1, Broadkill Beach, next to wildlife refuge, 200ft. from the beach. $2,400.00 for season. Also in Cave Colony location, country setting, home in wooded area, $1,800.00 for the season. Call Joe Hudson, xxx-xxxx or xxx-xxxx."
Joe Hudson, through his company
New Dimensions Of Delaware Inc., was very active in the US Futuro community in the early to mid 1970's.
Detroit Free Press - 042972 | Added 100516
On 042972 the
Detroit Free Press published an article about the Futuro under the headline:
"
A Spaceship from Mars? No - It's a Vacation Home"
More specifically the article was about Futuro of Michigan, a company based in
Chelsea, MI that owned the Michigan distribution rights for Futuro. It included specifications for Futuro along with a little general history and some information about the Michigan distributorship. The article was accompanied by one photo and one drawing.
More information can be found in the
Futuro Of Michigan section of the "
Concept, Design & Manufacturing" page.
Glens Falls Post Star - 102584 | Added 123017
The late theme park developer and philanthropist
Charles R. "Charley" Wood had
a Futuro on his
Gaslight Village property in Lake George, NY during the 1970's and 1980's.
What happened to the Futuro after Gaslight Village is unknown and until now we were not sure when it was even moved but an article in the
Glens Falls Post Star published 102584 suggests that the Futuro was most likely sold and relocated in 1984.
The article, titled "For sale: Thrill rides, Dracula's Castle", reports on an auction to be held 102784 at another of Woods' properties, The Great Escape Fun Park.
The auction was being held to free up space for new attractions at Woods' parks and Woods' Futuro was noted as being among the unusual items for sale. We have found no other record of the auction and so we have no idea if the Futuro actually sold but, assuming it did, it seems reasonable to assume it would have been removed some time shortly thereafter.
Ironwood Daily Globe - 091371 | Added 123017
The
Ironwood Daily Globe, published in
Ironwood, WI, carried a short article on Futuro on 091371.
The article included a photo of a Futuro "perched near Lake Michelle in
Hurley, WI". It goes on to indicate that the Futuro was the first of several Futuros planned for a leisure home sub-division being developed by Thomas LaBlonde.
This newspaper article is the first mention we have come across of a Futuro at this location and we have no idea what became of it or whether any of the additional Futuros planned ever made it to the sub-division.
Since this is a completely new Futuro location (to us at least) the
Lake Michelle Futuro has been added to the "
Lost Souls" page.
Janesville Gazette - 122471 | Added 123017
Larry Tracy, president of
Janesville based Futuro Enterprises is known to have been the "mastermind" behind the siting of a Futuro at the Lake Geneva Playboy Club in the early 1970's but, as is the case with much of the history of the Futuro, it has always been difficult to establish exactly when the Futuro was there.
This Futuro ultimately ended up in
Rockland; additional information can be found in the "
Janesville Futuro" section of the "
Lost Souls" page.
The 122471 issue of the
Janesville Gazette carried an article that, along with
a second article from the same newspaper dated 022070, allows us to accurately date the presence of the Futuro at the Playboy Club.
The article reports on the movement of the Futuro from the club to a lot in Janesville the day prior to publication and it includes a rather nice photo of the Futuro, dwarfing the truck carrying it, on the road through Janesville.
With the earlier article providing the approximate date of arrival of the Futuro in Lake Geneva it can now be placed onsite between late February / early March 1970 and 122371.
Latrobe Bulletin - 041070 | Added 072719
The 041070 issue of the
Latrobe, PA based
Latrobe Bulletin carried a short Futuro article accompanied by a single photo.
The article reports that the Futuro which had been on display for more than a year on Philadelphia city property had been forced by the city to relocate. The Futuro, previously located at 20th & The Parkway, had been relocated to a parking lot a couple of blocks away. Information about the previous location can be found
here.
The same photo had appeared a week earlier in the
Scranton Tribune and the
Philadelphia Inquirer on 010772 reported on the Futuros removal from the parking lot some 20 months later.
Longview Morning Journal - 060886 | Added 100116
The 060886 issue of the
Longview Morning Journal included an interesting article that includes the first photos we have come across of the Rockwall Futuro during the time it served as a snow cone store in
Marshall, TX. For more information see the
Rockwall Futuro page.
Marshall News Messenger - 061582 | Added 012018
The 061582 issue of the
Marshall News Messenger carried a short article on a Futuro (now located in
Rockwall, TX) owned by Ed Hoffman who had purchased the unit from a Minnesota farmer and subsequently moved it to
Marshall, TX.
According to another newspaper article (
Longview Morning Journal of 060886) Hoffman later sold his Futuro to Marshall native Michael Thompson who relocated it (still in Marshall) and turned it into a business called "Cosmic Cones".
Interestingly the article suggests that the Futuro had been "dis-assembled into five segments" and then later "re-assembled in two parts on a truck for its trip to Texas". Difficult to envisage a Futuro being dis-assembled to five segments; maybe the top half was broken down to four segments so the bottom half could then be loaded onto a truck with the top half then being reassembled again for transport?
The Asbury Park Press - 050874 | Added 100718
The 050874 issue of the
Asbury Park Press carried a short article that referenced the "Space Bank" that had been located at a shopping center in
Tom's River, New Jersey since 111172.
This was one of several Futuros that served as branches of
City Federal Savings and Loan in the
New Jersey area during the early 1970's.
Two variants of Futuro were used in this way, standard Futuros with 16 windows around the circumference of the unit and a variant which had only 8 windows. More information on "Space Banks" can be found
here.
Courier Post - 122873 | Added 100718
The 122873 issue of the
Cherry Hill, NJ publication the
Courier Post carried an advertisement for a "Space Bank" located at the Village Mall in
Willingboro Township, New Jersey; the unit had been installed a couple of weeks earlier on 121473.
This was the one of several Futuros that served as branches of
City Federal Savings and Loan in the
New Jersey area during the early 1970's.
Two variants of Futuro were used in this way, standard Futuros with 16 windows around the circumference of the unit and a variant which had only 8 windows. More information on "Space Banks" can be found
here.
Courier Post - 110504 | Added 120416
Update 100718
An issue of this same publication from almost thirty years earlier reported on the arrival of this Futuro in Mill Creek Park. That article indicated the Futuro was transported by flatbed truck not helicopter as suggested here. Confusion is not that unusual when it comes to Futuro history; in this case we tend to think the earlier report, written "at the time" is most likely to be correct.
Original Information 120416
The 110504 issue of the
Cherry Hill, NJ publication the
Courier Post carried an article on the
Willingboro Futuro.
The article appeared on pages 1B and 3B under the headline "Spaceship never took off" and is accompanied by two photos. The article tells us that (at the time) the Futuro was owned by the town and used as an office by the Police Athletic League.
The article adds a little history reporting that the Futuro was once a banking office (more information on "Space Banks" can be found
here) located in the parking lot of the Acme & Caldor shopping center on Route 130. It was flown into Mill Creek Park by helicopter sometime in the 1970's where it served as a security office for the park and then a tennis office prior to being taken over by the Police Athletic League.
Florida Today - 100771 | Added 100116
The 100771 issue of
Florida Today reported on the 1971 "
Internationale Kunststoffhaus Ausstellung der Welt" (IKA) that was held outside the German town of
Lüdenscheid.
The article was really just a couple of photos with a common caption; the caption was actually inaccurate in that it described the Futuro as having been designed by Alco of
Goslar, Germany.
In one photo the Futuro is seen in the background behind the
Rondo; the other is an interior shot of a Futuro. More information and photos from the IKA can be found
here.
Helsingin Sanomat - 050712 | Added 080115
The 050712 issue of Helsinki based
Helsingin Sanomat, Finland's largest daily newspaper, featured a full page article on the Futuro House.
It appears to include some history and basic facts about Futuro as well as referencing
Futuro #001 and its restoration and display at the
WeeGee Exhibition Center in
Espoo.
The article includes photos of
Futuro #001, the
Dombai Futuro and the
Berlin Futuro along with a world map of locations (it lists 45 Futuros, as we know the list has grown since then).
Iltalehti - 050512 | Added 080115
Iltalehti is a
Helsinki based newspaper published
Monday through Saturday. The 050512 issue contained a short piece on
Futuro #001 which included the dates the Futuro would be displayed at the
WeeGee Exhibition Center in its first year post restoration. There is also a nice photo of
Futuro #001 nearing the completion of its reassembly on site at WeeGee.
Janesville Gazette - 022070 | Added 123017
The 022070 issue of the
Janesville Gazette carried an article titled:
"
Flying Saucer? No, Sir, It's New 'Futuro' Home!"
The article reports on an interview with Larry Tracy, president of
Janesville based Futuro Enterprises. It provides general information about Futuro and is accompanied by a single photo (likely of the
first Futuro that was displayed in the US at the
Philadelphia International Airport in 1969 though the photo is poor quality and we cannot be certain).
Most interesting is the last paragraph of the article which reports that "The Lake Geneva Playboy Club will be the site of a fully constructed and equipped Futuro within the next two weeks". The presence of a Futuro at the club is well documented but this article provides precise dating for its arrival at the club. Along with
a second article from the Janesville Gazette of 122471 which reports on the move of the Futuro from the Playboy Club to Janesville this places the Futuro in Lake Geneva from Feb/March 1970 until 122371.
This Futuro ultimately ended up in
Rockland, WI and additional information can be found in the "
Janesville Futuro" section of the "
Lost Souls" page.
Länsi Savo - 041412 | Added 080115
The 041412 issue of
Mikkeli based daily newspaper
Länsi Savo contained an article about the Futuro House. Specifically it appears to reference
Futuro #001 and its restoration prior to being installed at
WeeGee Exhibition Center in
Espoo,
Finland.
The article also references the company
Ekin Muovi which was involved (we believe) in the restoration of
Futuro #001 (Ekin Muovi was also involved in the 2001 project to restore the Futuro now located in
Kauhava and then transport and display it at the
7th International Istanbul Biennial in the grounds of the Ottoman Mint at the
Topkapi Palace in
Istanbul,
Turkey).
Photos accompanying the article include one pre transport for restoration, a couple of interior shots and one post restoration shot that we are assuming was taken at the Ekin Muovi shop prior to the unit being moved to WeeGee.
This article is one of a number of very similar (at least as far as we can tell given that we cannot read Finnish) newspaper articles published around this time. Others can be found
here,
here and
here.
Mansfield News Journal - 012969 | Added 100717
The 012969 issue of the
Mansfield News Journal carried a short Futuro article on page 5 that reported on a Futuro "being readied for display at a building fair in
Essen, Germany".
With a publication date of January 1969 this is one of the earlier Futuro House related newspaper articles we have come across and the Essen building fair to which it refers would also have been one of the earlier exhibitions to feature a Futuro House.
The article is accompanied by two photos, one exterior and one interior. The exterior photo appears to be of the original
Futuro prototype (#000) during the time it was located on the property of Jaakko Hiidenkari in
Turenki, Finland (it is now in the collection of the
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in
Rotterdam).
Mansfield News Journal - 030576 | Added 062417
The 030576 issue of the
Mansfield News Journal carried a short Futuro article on page 12.
The article includes a single photo of the Futuro now located in
Covington, Kentucky. This photo gives a good look at one of the unique features of this Futuro which was manufactured with 8 windows but ended up with 10 (note the large spacing between the windows but then one pair right next to each other) when owner Rob Detzel made several major alterations including the addition of two more windows and an extra entrance.
In part the article reads "the first of several flying saucers has "landed" on a Northern Kentucky hillside overlooking Cincinnati". Given the date of the article and the fact that the Futuro was installed in its current location in 1987 despite the description sounding very like the current location the photo is likely a photo of a previous location in the Cincinnati area (for more on this see the
Covington page).
London Evening Standard - 070715 | Added 061721
The 070715 issue of the
London Evening Standard, a Monday to Friday free tabloid, carried a short article about Craig Barnes'
UK Futuro.
The article recounts a very brief and general Futuro history and reports on the potential for the UK Futuro to find a home at the University of the Arts, London following the end of its stay at Matt's Gallery.
The article is accompanied by an interior photo of a Futuro and an exterior shot of
Futuro #001.