Kubla Khan
June 10, 2005 8:27 AM   Subscribe

Xanadu Home of the Future sits rotting in Kissimmee, Florida. It was built in the early 80s by Roy Mason and combined a unique architectural approach with an environment controlled by Commodore computers. Squatters were probably not part of this future plan. You can buy this visionary piece of futures past today or you could buy one in Sedona. However, be aware that the Gatlinburg and Wisconsin Xanadus were not preserved.
posted by PHINC (25 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
When I in my early teens, I remembered reading about Xanadu in World Magazine. Although impressed by the sight, I couldn't help but wonder if mold and mildew would ever build up in those foam crevasses.

Now I know. The upkeep in keeping thinks in order for 20-25 years would've been worse than the effort most people spend on their bathrooms.
posted by Smart Dalek at 8:46 AM on June 10, 2005


Great post, but yeesh that house is ugly.
posted by JanetLand at 9:14 AM on June 10, 2005


So you buy this amazing house. Why oh why why you decorate it like this? (You'll need to click on the listings then on the house) Further proof that wealth doesn't equal taste.
posted by spunpup at 9:17 AM on June 10, 2005


When I was a kid, I toured the Xanadu in the Wisconsin Dells, and made it my mission in life to live in one.
posted by drezdn at 9:19 AM on June 10, 2005


Great post - At $1.85 million, the Sedona Xanadu is one expensive styrofoam cup with great views.
posted by Staggering Jack at 9:30 AM on June 10, 2005


Drezdn, that was my same mission! I loved that place and couldn't understand why my parents didn't want one. It was the damn tunnels in the "play" area that hooked me.

A few years later (still a kid though) I actually saw one in northern wisconsin that was painted bright purple. So I guess at least one person got their own Xanadu home.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 9:34 AM on June 10, 2005


The loss of Xanadu in the Dells was irreparable! The Dells haven't been the same since.

A sunny pleasure dome . . . with caves of ice!
posted by washburn at 10:42 AM on June 10, 2005


The gelflings called, they want their house back.
posted by Specklet at 10:46 AM on June 10, 2005


Although their dates of creation were decades apart, this house seems to go incredibly well with this car.
posted by afroblanca at 11:33 AM on June 10, 2005


does anyone know if they have one in the bay area? going toward sf on 280, there's a house that looks just like these on the right. i always thought it was a star wars take-off...
posted by slimslowslider at 11:38 AM on June 10, 2005


Wow - the decor of that place is just appaling. Very dated and just bad, bad, bad. I noticed a lot of tie-dye and cheesy 80s upholstery patterns.

My favorite feature was the installed air hand dryer in one of the bathrooms. Now that's what I call home!
posted by MsVader at 12:26 PM on June 10, 2005


so much for the eff'ing future.
posted by crunchland at 12:54 PM on June 10, 2005


slimslowslider : I know the house you're talking about, I drive past it a lot, It's not true Roy Mason design from what I remember, but it was also built in the 1980's in the same general design style.
posted by Vaska at 1:58 PM on June 10, 2005


I was up at this place yesterday. Similar design, but I find it more aesthetically pleasing. The giant teepee is nice too.
posted by Jawn at 2:38 PM on June 10, 2005


Heh. I drive by Xanadu frequently, it's right across the street from the new Super Target and right in the midst of the massive road-widening of 192 that has been going on for over a year now and shows no sign of progress. By this house! Be stuck behind construction vehicles every day! Have a sucky commute because of the concurrent I-4/192 overpass construction!! Trust me, you think the house itself is ugly, just try driving around that area....
posted by Lokheed at 4:35 PM on June 10, 2005


I toured the one in Gatlinburg a couple of times in the 80's. Last time I checked, there was a miniature golf course where it used to be.
posted by UseyurBrain at 5:13 PM on June 10, 2005


how far is Xanadu from Arcosanti?
posted by seawallrunner at 6:18 PM on June 10, 2005


... the one in Arizona, that is
posted by seawallrunner at 6:20 PM on June 10, 2005


I saw these pictures and first thought "oh cool!" but then progressed to "What were they THINKING?" and "how could they expect anyone to LIVE here?" It's sad that something only ~20 years old has been allowed to go to ruin like this, but on the other hand part of me screams "BULLDOZE IT NOW BEFORE THE 70S COME BACK AGAIN!"

I'd love to see what kind of automation system they were using, if it was anything other than C64s and X10. One of the articles mentions a later system using DOS machines...
posted by mrbill at 1:55 AM on June 11, 2005


What'er you all talking about!!
Those places are AWESOME! Even the run down one. They're totally worth fixing up. Redone in marble floors, and textured paint, it'd be someone's dream!!
Not mine, of course, but I'm sure somebody would buy it..
There's a lot of strange ones out there...
But having your own waterfall has got to be nice.
posted by Balisong at 3:07 AM on June 11, 2005


That's going to be the house for The Real World: Sedona.
posted by SisterHavana at 10:35 AM on June 11, 2005


mrbill: Our civilization sheds skins like a mad snake. Maybe one day we won't even have time for a past to happen.
posted by PHINC at 1:54 PM on June 11, 2005


There are many ideas in that house that, contrary to what I'm hearing here, have become commonplace and even expected in modern homes.

I have a friend who runs a company that does high-end custom homebuilding and rehab work, and looking at the pictures, I notice that nearly all of the obvious features of Xanadu except the exposed foam are integrated into the houses he designs.
posted by perianwyr at 7:06 AM on June 12, 2005


seawallrunner: The Sedona Xanadu is approx 1 hour drive north from Arcosanti... I grew up in Sedona's neighboring town and the controversy this building started was big news. I never understood... the majority of the town's population are vortex hunters and crystal crunchers. The place really fits right in.
posted by phytage at 9:16 AM on June 12, 2005


forgotten perk: when moving out, exterior of house can be used as padding for the boxes.
posted by cpchester at 8:33 PM on June 13, 2005


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