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Beverly Shores--Century of Progress Architectural District
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Florida Tropical House, back elevation taken from beach, 1994.
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| Location: | 208, 210, 212, 214, and 215 Lake Front Dr., Beverly Shores, Indiana |
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| Built: | 1933 |
| Architect: | Scholer,Walter; Et al. |
| Governing body: | National Park Service |
| NRHP Reference#: |
86001472 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | June 30, 1986 |
The Century of Progress Architectural District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district is in eastern unit of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The homes are also part of the Beverly Shores, Indiana, community. In total, the district consists of five buildings, all from the Homes of Tomorrow Exhibition during the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair which took place in Chicago.
Intended to display the future of housing, the Century of Progress Homes reflect a variety of designs, experimental materials and new technologies.
The buildings listed in the architectural district include:
Framed in steel and clad with an artificial stone called Rostone (Limestone, shale and alkali). Billed as never needing repairs, it only lasted until the 1950’s.[3]
Designed for the southern Florida tropics, the house combines the indoors and outdoors into the living space. Large open terraces and a flamingo pink paint scheme stand out. [3]
Built to be a mountain home. The setting at the World’s Fair included a landscape with cypress fences, arbors and bridges. [3]
Designed as the house of the future, this house included its own airplane hangar. Glass walls offered views from every angle and so taxed the experimental air conditioning system that the cooling system failed. [3]
The only house of the five to stand the test of time in meeting the criteria of the World’s Fair Committee: ‘affordable’ and ‘mass producible’. An all-steel home using corrugated steel panels for walls, without a frame. [3]
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Restoration efforts on the Florida Tropical House were started in 1997, with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Landmarks searching for potential leasees to restore the building.[5] Under the agreement, the private owner would receive a 30-year sublease, providing that they would cover all of the restoration costs, and open the home to the public at least once a year.[5] Restoration on the homes is estimated at approx. $450,000 to $750,000.[6]
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