The 80s brought the future to Central Florida in multiple ways. After Future World at Epcot
Center opened, just a few miles away another tourist attraction would showcase what could
be. This odd shaped white dome home would have the latest and greatest technology and
home automation. Xanadu, Home of the Future would not stand the test of time ending up
as another abandoned property on 192.
“Welcome to Xanadu...beep boop beep.
My name is E-H. The electronic hostess. Now cross
the threshold of time and step into the 21st century.”
During the 1960s Walt Disney would envision an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow,
a place that would take new ideas and technology, to create a city that would always look towards
the future. To fund this he would agree to build the Magic Kingdom in Central Florida.
Walt would never see his city come to be, passing away before Magic Kingdom would even
begin construction.
After his death, Walt Disney Productions did not want to continue the plan of running a
whole city. Instead, the idea would form to create a second theme park, one that would
represent cutting edge technology and look towards the future. Epcot Center was built
to entertain, inform and inspire all who visited. It would bring a slice of the future to central
Florida for millions of visitors. The opening of Epcot would also inspire another slice
of the future to open in the area, though this one was less successful.
Bob Masters had been a pioneer of houses built of rigid insulation, a keen skiing instructor
and entrepreneur. Bob had run a restaurant and tried many different things or as he called
them adventures throughout the years. He would however become fascinated by polyurethane
foam.
He had created and designed inflatable balloons to be used in the construction of houses.
These giant balloons would be inflated and then sprayed with foam, to create the roof
and exterior of a house. This foam was perhaps best known for being used in furniture, car
seats , mattresses, sponges or even soundproofing systems. However, he would want to use it
for something else, to create a showcase of houses that he believed would be the future.
He had learned about the material in 1969 when a magazine ran a story on some Yale architecture
students that wanted to build life-size models of houses out of the stuff. Bob decided that
he wanted to use exactly that to build his new house.
Those exact students would arrive in Aspen, and Bobs home would be constructed using a
16 foot wide balloon built from plastic tarpaulin. They would then spray the exterior of the
balloon with the polyurethane foam, this would then harden into a plastic-like shell. This
process was then repeated to create three smaller connecting rooms. Bob had his new
500 square foot home and it only took two days to construct. Bob Masters was now convinced
this would be the future of homes. Over the next 10 years, his new home would be the talk
of the town and he began to realise that maybe others would pay for this.
Some of those that were interested in foam houses would be intrigued, one person was
Doc Forsythe, who had built a foam home for himself. Together they chatted about investing
in an energy-efficient “home of the future attraction” that they could build and charge
admission for others to come and see. And maybe even some people would be interested
in constructing one for themself. Doc, Bob and another friend Tom Gussell got along so
well they decided to bring their talents together to create Xanadu. Home of the Future.
In 1979, located in Wisconsin Dells, The team along with architect Stewart Gordon would
create a 4000 square foot building - the first Xanadu Home of the Future, complete with seven
interconnected rooms.
The creation of the first home of the future was revolutionary. Xanadu Home of the Future
opened in July 1979. The round domed house was incredibly popular for tourists coming
to see what houses could be like in the future. 100,000 people visited it in the very first
year alone. Each paying 4 dollars, they instantly began to make a profit from those coming to
see the curious attraction.
Before the house even opened two of the team, Boot and Bob were kicked out of the project
due to a clash of personalities and disagreements for the future of this home. Tom Gussell would
continue to operate Xanadu Wisconsin until 1989 when it was sold.
Bob had had his fill of creating an attraction out of foam, that was until another friend
of his, called him and said he had the perfect place for the second Xanadu attraction. 4800
West US Highway 192. Right by the upcoming Future Based theme park in Orlando Florida.
Bob a self proclaimed opportunist, decided why not head to Florida and check it out.
Together they spotted a patch of lakefront property in front of Lake Cecila right off
192 in Kissimmee.
During the late 70s an architect, Roy Mayson, had been getting huge attention for his crazy
ideas about the future of architecture, he had plans for houses that could grow themselves
as well as buildings that would move in relation to the sun and unfold like flowers. Roy was
born in 1938 and received a masters degree from Yale University School of Architecture
along with being founder of the World Future Society. Described as a visionary he began
to become interested in creating futuristic homes that would be much more affordable and
easier to build.
“My vision of architecture of the future can be summed up with the word architronics.
Architecture in a built environment that is integrated to the electronics and telecommunications.”
Roy had met Bob Masters at a conference. He had previously worked on something somewhat
similar “an experimental school” in Virginia that used a foam structure that opened in
1971. Roy Mason would be nicknamed the marshmallow architect due to the look of these projects.
During the planning of the Kissimmee project, Bob thought about Roy as he was in the planning
phase. He had secured 175 thousand dollars for the project from an investor and wanted
to make every dollar count. He would reach out to the DC Based architect to help. Roy
would design the second Xanadu, keeping costs within budget and use his media connections
for exposure. Bob would find a manager, help with the design and find the contractors.
This original plan called for a 15 room, 6000 square foot cluster of futuristic pleasure
domes, with plans for a future restaurant. It would never get that far. Roys plans were
too big, and more importantly too expensive. Roy wouldn’t only want to build a foam house,
he wanted to build a smart house, fully automated by computers.
“The form doesn't matter, says Mason, it's the content that counts.”
This created a feud almost immediately. Bob stated that Roy had no intention of controlling
costs and was not being loyal to the Xanadu vision. Roy wanted to build his home of the
future for many years and would use the teams budget to bring that to life. Xanadu was extremely
over budget, around 225 thousand dollars to be exact.
Because of this the team had to scramble to find more investors and try and cover the
extra costs for the Kissimmee attraction. This wouldn't just be a way to show a different
kind of house, Roy wanted to show a house of the future.
The construction of Xanadu Kissimmee was completed in 1983. An incredible sight for those passing
by with huge white, elegant future-looking buildings that would open in August of that
year. It would be this second Xanadu Showcase house that would be the most popular, a concept
that would capitalize on the recent success of the futuristic theme park that had recently
opened nearby.
Those visiting Xanadu would find an energy-efficient home that would be cooled by three tubes of
chilled water running inside the foam walls. This would be extra efficient because the
home was built from insulation itself, it was able to resist a heat of 1,000 degrees
Fahrenheit and withstand 800 pounds of pressure per square inch. Each home would be estimated
to cost 300,000 dollars and would be fully intelligent.
The Kissimmee house would feature one main dome along with a net of several smaller bubbles
with 15 rooms. While the idea of the home was the future, it was firmly rooted in the
1950’s concept of a technologically advanced home, one where appliances could be turned
on and off and the meals would be prepared automatically. A computer would regulate the
usage of electricity in the house. The controls within the home were all run by Commodore
microcomputers. Inside visitors could find a 13 foot wide champagne glass shaped bed,
a foam tree (which was the support for the roof) as well as a hot tub. Shortly after
a third house of the future attraction was built in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
“This is not a normal bedroom. This bedroom is plugged in to the house brain. Which is
an extension of my brain. So while I'm sleeping here at night in this environment, the bed
through its sensors, its constantly aware through the monitoring system of the house
brain, which is aware of my normal body functions. And if there are any changes it reacts to
these changes. The environment, the light , the sound, the air conditioning, all are
extended and connected to the house brain and changes to enhance the environment at
night.”
On August 25th 1983 the New York Times published an article about Xanadu Kissimmee, praising
Roy Mason’s construction techniques as well as his vision for the future. The article
talks about the futuristic technology showcased in the home, all controlled by that one central
computer that monitors everything, and can even calculate your emotional state and provide
images to match your mood. A Xanadu book was even produced that was ghostwritten by Roy
himself showing the benefits of the Computerized home of tomorrow and how it can be yours today.
While the foam built house could be something that perhaps would be in the future, the attraction
in Kissimmee was a fake facade of what could be.
None of the high tech, showcased features that the house had on show were real. It was
all just a fake example of what could be, creating a tourist attraction for those visiting.
A concept that while looked real, would never be. Rather than being a realistic example
of the future, it was designed to show what one could be like. Guests who came to the
attraction wanted to see a working example of the technology within and many left disappointed.
The opening year attracted around 100,000 visitors, which was a large disappointment
for the expected 300,000 guests envisioned for the attraction.
“The function of architecture is the second skin of man. Why go ahead and build out of
stick and stone to hang insulation? Here at Xanadu we inflate a balloon, we spray it with
only insulation polyurethane foam, this insulation also is used for spraying and creating an
exciting environment for example the central focus is the tree which serves not only for
the fireplace but also its branches for air conditioning.”
Xanadu - Home of the Future made around 50,000 dollars in the first year. While not a loss
it was a long way from what was projected and did little to justify investors staying
with the project. Just 2 years later Bob and Roy had both left the project. Bob remained
disappointed with the way Roy had focused on what could be, rather than what was.
Xanadu Kissimmee exchanged hands multiple times over the years before the Florida Fun
Attractions, which was owned by a Kissimmee based timeshare company purchased it in 1988.
Tour guide led visits continued until 1994 when it became a self guided walk through
the house of the future. A house that had not updated its technology since it’s creation
in 1983.
While the most popular of the Xanadu attractions and one of the most recognisable in the second
string attractions that would be located close to Walt Disney World, it was never as successful
as planned.
If Xanadu looked cool or ugly was the topic of discussions for many. No matter what though
it was a head-turner. By 1988 the attraction was unique, but it definitely was not a home
of the future.
Newspapers from 1984 stated that by the end of the 20th Century the technology within
the home, even though fake, would become commonplace. People would be controlling their temperature
by their voice, voice assistants could tell you the temperature outside as you woke up,
lights would turn on at the wake of a call, your electronic newspaper could be available
in the palm of your hands and your coffee is always ready to go. Roy Mason called it
architronics, an integration of architecture and electronics. Many of these technologies
now do exist.
For Bob, he had wanted to create an attraction showcasing the buildings unique foam creation
technique. To him, that was what a home of the future could be. For Roy however, it was
about showing what could be, with an automated home within.
The Gatlinburg and Wisconsin houses were closed and demolished in the early 90s, the Kissimmee
version would carry on. The live tours would be no more and the technology outdated, but
the iconic white domes would become a staple of 192, a quirky outdated attraction that
would fit right in with the surrounding area that today, Kissimmee would become known for.
This Kissimmee house would be the inspiration for another Xanadu in Arizona, this one would
not use foam but concrete and you can actually still stay in it today.
“Three more laps please. Enough is enough. You can control my calories but you are not
going to control my activities. Because im going to relax for a while and enjoy my….
Self. “
In 1994 with attendance low Xanadu planned to open a gift shop and jet ski business on
the lake. Everything inside was now over 10 years old however and outdated, the then manager
of the property wanted a full refresh in 1995. Instead, it would remain the same until it
would close in 1996.
Xanadu wouldn’t be removed and would sit abandoned for years, now being used for storage
for its owners. Squatters moved in multiple times and the white bubbled home turned greener
and greener. The inside was filled with mold and it was eventually gutted. After 9 years
of sitting abandoned on 192 Nestled between the Capone’s Dinner Show and Wild Bills
Dinner Show. There really was alot of dinner shows on 192. It was finally torn down in
October 2005 when it was sold for 2 million dollars, the land would be used for condos.
Ones made out of regular construction materials rather than foam. The pleasure dome of Kissimee
would be no more. Well at least this kind of pleasure dome anyway.
Bob Masters moved to Hawaii, where he lived in a home also built out of more traditional
construction materials. Roy Mason was sadly murdered in his home in 1996, his obituary
stated that Xanadu was one of his greatest achievements in his life. While never the
success it was planned to be, many of the technologies within did come to be, but just
like the original version of Epcot Center technology had passed what was on show and
it just never caught up.
What was inside no longer was a home of the future but rather an outdated home of the
past. A place that looked like it had come straight from a Star Trek episode, an old,
run down tourist attraction that was designed to change how people viewed homes, but was
sadly a mission Xanadu would fail.
Xanadu became a weird-looking place that many would drive past on their way to Epcot Center
and only glance and wonder what it was. Home automation is a multi-billion-dollar market,
one that the home of the future showcased nearly 40 years ago. Ahead of its time in
some ways yet an attraction that was uniquely firmly rooted in the past.
For a short time, the future could be found outside of a Disney Park in Central Florida
located on 192 in Kissimmee. Xanadu Home of the future became an abandoned place where
the future had passed it by.
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