"Monsanto's House of the Future" at Disneyland (1957)
In 1955, Walt Disney opened Tomorrowland, a futuristic-themed section of his Disneyland amusement park in California. The original configuration featured attractions such as the "TWA Moonliner," a mock-up of an atomic-powered spaceship that was designed with the help of rocketry pioneer Warner von Braun. Two years later, Tomorrowland debuted an even more outlandish vision, "Monsanto’s House of the Future," a home in which virtually everything — including the structure itself — was made of plastic and other synthetic materials. Built by Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists and the Boston-based architectural firm of Hamilton & Goody, the house had four equally sized wings resting on a central pedestal. While some of its innovations — such as an ultrasonic dishwasher and plastic sinks with adjustable heights — never came to pass, others — such as the microwave oven, speaker phone and big-screen TV — were remarkably prescient. Although the plastic construction never quite caught on, it proved admirably durable. When it came time to tear down the exhibit in 1967, a wrecking ball bounced harmlessly off the structure, and the house ultimately had to be dismantled by hand.
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