spacer spacer

AS OF 102913 THE FUTURO HOUSE PROJECT HAS ITS OWN DOMAIN AND ALL UPDATES ARE NOW FOUND ON THEFUTUROHOUSE.COM

Please use these links to get the links below to get the latest content and update any links or bookmarks you might have.

LATEST VERSION OF THIS PAGE | LATEST SITE UPDATE LIST | THE NEW HOMEPAGE


 ADDED 101511 | IDYLLWILD, CALIFORNIA, USA | RETURN TO THE MAIN FUTURO HOUSE ARTICLE | RETURN HOME

 Previously located at 3601 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92103, USA - Moved December 2004

30931 Big Rock Dr, Idyllwild, CA 92549, USA [Approximate] | 33°45'17.79"N 116°44'17.75"W

Featured Image By Purple Fashion | Image Date Unknown

 
Google Maps | Satellite Imagery Date 062311

Futuro, Idyllwild, California, USA  
View Larger Map

Additional Images & Videos

 
Notes, History & Resources

Images from BauNetz

Futuro, Idyllwild, California, USA - Alt 1  Futuro, Idyllwild, California, USA - Alt 2

Additional Images: 		 
Futuro - On The Road
In December 2004 Futuro owner Milford Wayne Donaldson oversaw the move of his "baby" from San Diego to a rocky Idyllwild mountain top in the San Jacinto Mountains of California. Donaldson had purchased the Futuro that had been located in Hillcrest Canyon, San Diego since 1977 in 2002 and after, being at a temporary location for refurbishment, it was making the move to what Donaldson hoped would be its final home.

Considering the Futuro had ease of transportation as one of its primary design considerations the five hour journey was perhaps a little more complex than one might have imagined. Preparing for the trip involved months of extensive planning. A passable route had to be devised; not too difficult on the freeway portion of the journey maybe but once up in the mountains there were sections where clearance dropped to inches and trees had to be trimmed to allow the Futuro through. There was the flatbed to arrange, pilot cars to arrange, highway patrol escorts to arrange and permits to obtain.

Luckily for Donaldson a good friend of his was in the moving business. Larry Wood was the owner of San Diego Boat Movers and it was his company that, ever so carefully, transported the Futuro. Wood was quoted as saying:

"We've moved a lot of strange things, but that's the first flying saucer house we've ever moved."

All in all it was a seriously significant undertaking. A SignOnSanDiego.com article dated January 2nd 2005 perhaps sums up most aptly the kind of challenge the movers faced:

Futuro - Flatbed
"And in downtown Idyllwild, the entire crew held its breath while more measurements were taken before the Futuro, which measures 26 feet wide, headed for its tightest squeeze: Only 4 inches to spare, ideally 2 on each side, between hefty trees that hug the road. Driver Larry Wood cleared it on the first try."

An image of the Futuro on the road is top left [source: JoelInSouthernCA]. You can see clearly the Futuro overhanging both sides of the roadway and the vehicles that had to pull completely off the road to get out of the way. The image above right is from the moving company's website, San Diego Boat Movers, and shows the Futuro on the flatbed before being wrapped in its protective "blanket".

Donaldson is an architect and has restored his Futuro to mint condition following strict Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Restoration in the hope that one day he may be able to get the unit placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This Futuro and in particular it's move attracted a great deal of attention including an article in CA Modern Magazines Winter 2007 edition and you can read more about it in "Falling For A Futuro" on the Eichler Network and "Close Encounter" on SignOnSanDiego.com

Sources & Reference:
In Print - Books & Magazines


Got new, updated or corrected information or an image I could use?

I am always looking for additional information, history, details, images, videos; just about anything Futuro I guess - if you would like to contribute please use the Futuro Contact Form at the bottom of the main article or email me.

As far as images go I am particularly interested in those that are either significantly better than the ones already on this page or show a different aspect or detail. If you own an image meeting one or both of those criteria I would love to be able to use it on this page but I will simply provide a link if that is your preference. Where permission is granted to use an image on the page appropriate attribution will be provided by means of a link to the original image, a link to a website of your choosing or both.