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Armco-Ferro House
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Built by the American Rolling Mill Company, Middletown Ohio, the Armco-Ferro House was effectively the 1st of a production model than a prototype.[1]
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| Location: | 212 Lake Front Dr., Beverly Shores, Indiana |
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| Built: | 1933 |
| Architect: | Scholer,Walter; Et al. |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
| Part of: | Beverly Shores-Century of Progress Architectural District (#86001472[2]) |
| Added to NRHP: | June 30, 1986 |
From research completed by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS): The Ferro Enamel Corporation, one of the two major sponsors for the . . . house, was formed in 1930 by a merger between the Ferro Enameling Company and the Ferro Enamel and Supply Co. The idea of using porcelain enamel for residential construction was introduced by Bob Weaver, president of the newly formed company. Shortly after the merger, Charles Bacon Rowley, architect, designed a four-person house with Ferro-Enamel shingles that the company erected in Cleveland, Ohio, in July 1932.31 Despite the innovative use of ferroenamel as a cladding material, the house was built using conventional wood construction. The first porcelain-enameled frameless steel house was completed . . . in South Euclid, Ohio . . . Like the Armco-Ferro house, this house was designed by Robert Smith, Jr., and was built by Insulated Steel Corporation; . . In 1932, the American Rolling Company (Armco) . . . built a second porcelainenameled frameless steel house . . . using Robert Smith, Jr. as architect. The Ferro Enamel Corporation and the Insulated Steel Construction Company collaborated with Armco, thus setting the stage for the partnership that made the Century of Progress home possible.[3]
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In late winter 1935 the Century of Progress houses were moved from Chicago to Indiana. Because the weight exceeded the ability of trucks to move the house, it was barged across Lake Michigan. The houses were rolled off the barge on telephone polls onto a heavy timber crib built out into the lake. There were a series of three steps used to raise the house to the level of Lake Front Drive.[1]
The open lawn around the house has grown in over the years since it was placed on the rise overlooking Lake Michigan. The landscape does not match that of the community at the World’s Fair site.[3]
Armco-Ferro House is based on a traditional four-square. There are four rooms on the first floor and four rooms on the second. The four-square allows for cross ventilation in all weather and all seasons. The original garage was open for the 1933 fair season and enclosed for the 1934 fair season, becoming a study. A porch was added the second year [3]
The house is a contributing property to the Century of Progress Architectural District.
Restoration efforts on the Wiebolt-Rostone House were started in 1997, with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana searching for potential leasees to restore the building.[4]
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