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email: roadarch@outlook.com |
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| Florida Mid-Century Modern Domes (page 2) |
(hit "refresh" to get the most recent version of this page; click on photos for larger images)
| Seaquarium Skybreak Key Biscayne, FL |
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The Seaquarium Skybreak is believed to have been designed by Charles McKirahan. Although the Miami Seaquarium opened in 1955, this dome was not built until 1960. It is usually referred to as the Golden Dome and is used for sea lion shows. The structure is 146 feet in diameter and is 55 feet tall. [map]
The same style of dome was built at the Aquatarium in St. Petersburg in 1964. Both domes were built by Kaiser Aluminum. The Aquatarium park was modeled after the Seaquarium. The Aquatarium closed in 1977 and was later demolished. |
| Chain of Lakes Recreation Complex [gone] Winter Haven, FL |
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| The Chain of Lakes Recreation Complex was built in 1961 as the Florida Citrus Showcase. The building was more commonly referred to as the Orange Dome. From 1997-2000, the roof was painted to look like a giant baseball. The photos above are from 2009. The building was demolished in 2012. |
| West Palm Beach Auditorium West Palm Beach, FL |
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| The West Palm Beach Auditorium was designed by Bertrand Goldberg and built from 1958-1967. It hosted ice hockey and football games. It later hosted cocerns and wrestling. Leaks in the roof earned it the nickname of "Leaking Teepee." In the late 1990s, it became a church. It now houses the Christian Convention Center. [map] |
| Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex Ellenton, FL |
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| The Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex is modern but I'll include it anyway. It was built in 1999 as the JP Igloo skating rink. [map] |
| double dome home Jupiter, FL |
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| This double dome home was built in 1987. [map] |
| YUCK Skateshop Minneola, FL |
Dome Home Port St. Joe, FL |
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The YUCK Skateshop dome was built in 1981. It previously housed a locksmith. I don't know what the original tenant was. [map]
This Dome Home was built in 1999. It was built to withstand 250mph winds and is elevated to protect it from storm surge. For more, see this website. [map] |
| Dome Home Pensacola Beach, FL 2005: |
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| 2010 and 2019: | |
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Although this is not mid-century modern, I'll include it anyway. This Dome Home, built in 2003, withstood Hurricane Ivan in 2004 remarkably well. The 2005 photos above were taken just four months later. With its shape and foam construction, the home is fireproof and termite-proof as well. The open base, used for parking, also allows storm surge water to pass through and under the house. The stairs which were not there in 2005 had either not been built yet or were gone. They were designed to break-away in hurricanes. This Penscaola Beach Futuro also held up to the storm's 130 mph winds. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]
There is a similar house in Sullivan's Island, SC. |
| Xanadu [gone] Kissimmee, FL |
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Xanadu was built in 1983 by Roy Mason. The 15-room structure was a prototype for "Homes of the Future" - an idea that never took off. There were two others like this (both gone now) in Gatlinburg, TN and Wisconsin Dells, WI. The homes were built using polyurethane foam over balloon-like forms. Some of the modern features included: a kitchen with microcomputers to help plan meals, closets that cleaned clothes with ultrasound and ultraviolet light, a greenhouse with a computer-monitoring system, and a biofeedback system that regulated background music and projected patterns on the walls.
The homes were inexpensive and futuristic but the cave-like interiors were too impractical to attract buyers. In 1996, the building was put up for sale and it stood vacant for many years. In 2001, the asking price was nearly $2 million. In October 2005, the structures were all demolished. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, and 3. There is also a book about the place: "Xanadu: The Computerized Home of Tomorrow" by Roy Mason, Acropolis Books, 1983. |
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Copyright. All photos at this website are copyrighted and may only be used with my consent. This includes posting them at Facebook, Pinterest, blogs, other websites, personal use, etc. Tips & Updates. If you have suggestions about places that I haven't covered, historical info, or updates about places/things that have been remodeled or removed, I'd love to hear from you: roadarch@outlook.com. |