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UPDATED 090813 | ADDED 091511 | ROCKWALL, TX, USA | RETURN TO THE MAIN FUTURO HOUSE ARTICLE | RETURN HOME
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779 Stevens Rd, Rockwall, TX 75032, USA | 32°49'47.19"N 96°24'57.85"W
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Featured Image By The Grumpy Old Limey | Image Date 091411
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Google Maps | Satellite Imagery Date 033111
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Additional Image
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Notes, History & Resources
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Additional Images 090813
josiexx posted a couple of great photographs of the Rockwall Futuro on her blog Sharing The Sleeves on 071413. The photographs are displayed here with permission - thank you Josie. 
Original Images 091511 Another image from my visit to the Rockwall Futuro on 091411. 
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Update 110412
I have often seen references to a 2001 Dallas Morning News article about the two Texas Futuros, this one and the Royse City one, but I have never been able to find a copy of the paper. I still have not found one but I did discover that the Dallas Morning News archives it's articles and that they can be accessed online; of course it costs more for a single article online that it did to buy the whole newspaper but I guess that is a sign of the times. Anyway having found the text of the article [the archives do not include photos used in the paper] it turns out that there are a couple of interesting little snippets in there about this Futuro's history. At the time of the article [2001] this Futuro was actually home to a local teenager largely because she had previously seen the Royse City Futuro. When, in 1995, her family was planning on moving Rachael was not happy at the fact that the new house did not have enough room for the children to all have their own rooms. Rachael, inspired by the Royse City Futuro, said to her mother "buy me a spaceship and I will move." Rachael, who did not want to move, had though that an impossible goal; however her mother, clearly a very resourceful lady, actually found one and relocated it from Marshall, an East Texas town, where it had been used as a snow cone stand. The earliest Google Earth satellite imagery of this site is 012396 and this does show the Futuro on site at that time. That fits with the Dallas Morning News story that dates the move from Marshall to Rockwall around 1995. So far I have not been able to find out anything about the Futuro during its time in Marshall. There is Google Earth satellite imagery of parts of Marshall from 030795 so depending on the timing of the move it is possible the Futuro may be visible in Marshall though without an address and/or coordinates finding things in Google Earth, particularly with the older imagery, can be akin to finding the proverbial "needle in a haystack". If you know anything about a Futuro in Marshall, Texas or have any old photos please let me know. For the record The Dallas Morning News actually published two different versions of the article under different titles. The articles are dated 020901 and were under the titles "Hot Saucers" and "Back To The Futuro". Update 102712 I learned yesterday from the owner of this Futuro that it had at one time been used as a snow cone place. I have only been in Dallas since 1997 so I need some help here; any of you Dallasites out there remember this? Where it was located, maybe even an old photo? Original Information 091511 Through all my past and ongoing research for this project I have come across what I can only describe as a little confusion regarding the Futuro House [or houses] in Rockwall County, TX. References are made to as few as one and as many as three but blogs, blog comments and forum threads often seem to confuse one with another or consider two to actually be the same one. Mention is made of Futuro's located in Quinlan, Rockwall, around Lake Tawakoni and many other places. I was able to locate two using Google Maps and Google Earth and it became apparent to me that they were not the same one [I had seen it suggested that it was the same one relocated]. Google Earth dates its satellite imagery and, if older imagery is available, includes the ability to "roll back" and look at that earlier imagery. I was able to establish that both Futuro Houses had been visible on satellite imagery from the same date several times [012396, 033101, 102105, 103008 and 060510]. For them to be a single Futuro someone would have had to be doing some incredible feats of moving the Futuro one way and then back the other way; the two locations are only 10 miles apart but on country roads that would be some trek for a 24' diameter Futuro given that it would have had to race either the airplane or satellite that was capturing the images. Given the confusion, my belief that there were two distinct Futuros and the fact that I live about 50 miles away from the area I decided there was nothing for it but to check it out for myself, put the confusion to rest and confirm my findings. The end result; there are two confirmed Futuro Houses in Rockwall County, TX. I visited and photographed both on 091411. One, this one, is at 779 Stevens Rd, Rockwall, TX 75032 and the other is at 9573 State Highway 276 W, Royse City, TX 75189. The one often mentioned as being around Lake Tawakoni is, as far as I can ascertain, actually the Highway 276 one [it is located about 18 miles west of West Tawakoni which sits on the west shore of the lake]. Unfortunately I have no history or additional information on this Futuro. It appears to be in much better condition than the other one I visited today and it looks like it is still in some sort of use judging by the fact that the images reveal things inside but other than that I know nothing. Sources & Reference
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. |
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