Royse City Futuro House

Royse City, Texas

When I found this place, I had to stop and investigate. This crumbling UFO is one of only a few remaining "moveable ski chalets" of its kind. Less than a hundred Finnish architect Matti Suuronen's sci-fi-inspired Futuro Houses were ever produced. Less than 50 remain. So, the stop in Royse City was on my list of places I had to see.

Designed in the late 1960s, the prefabricated Futuro Houses were meant to be a cheap, durable, and stylish little dwelling that could be placed in any environment. Made of fiberglass and plastic, the homes could be broken down into 16 individual pieces and bolted together wherever the owner wanted, from a snowy mountainside to a sunny beach.

Almost from the installation of the first Futuro house in Suronen's native Finland, locals seemed to decry the strangely shaped buildings. Almost a hundred of the pieces were created and placed around the world, from America to New Zealand, a number of them were shot down by zoning laws or demolished.

Some architecture aficionados were able to preserve many of them, while those without protection fell into ruin

The Futuro House sitting in Royse City is, sadly, ruined. The interior has been gutted and is now covered in graffiti. The exterior has weather with age, although as of late 2014, it seems to have received a fresh coat of bright orange paint. The inside, however, is still a mess.

This vacation ship looks as if it crash-landed, but can still be located on Highway 276, approximately six miles east of Rockwall, Texas.

This quirky and fun stop is challenging to park at, walk to, and observe. It is not a safe stop for people with mobility challenges. (I was challenged and am able-bodied.) However, it can be seen from the highway.

LINK:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/royse-city-futuro-house