Beverly Shores, Indiana 2016 - Century of Progress
Rostone House, part of the Century of Progress group of homes, is located next to the Florida Tropical House, directly on the lake. It is in the process of restoration.
The Wieboldt-Rostone House is located on the north side of Lake Front Drive, east of Dunbar Avenue. This home was framed in steel and clad in an experimental material called Rostone. Rostone was composed of shale, limestone, and alkali. Its creators advertised that the material could be produced in a variety of colors and forms, including slabs and panels, to exact dimensions. Rostone was not as durable as originally predicted. The material had severely deteriorated by 1950. The residents repaired it by covering the Rostone with another synthetic material, a concrete stucco called Perma-stone. Visitors can still see remnants of the original Rostone surrounding the front door exterior, in the interior entrance area, and around the living room fireplace. www.nps.gov/indu/historyculture/wieboldt-rostone-house.htm
Rostone was introduced as a building material at the 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition. It is a synthetic product composed of shale, alkaline earths, and limestone quarry waste. It was produced in a variety of colors and in slabs, panels and other forms to exact dimensions. Its creators advertised that the new synthetic stone had properties resembling limestone. The advantages to rostone over a natural stone were that it could be produced in any dimension and that could be manufactured in several colors. The material, however, turned out to be much less durable than initial tests indicated. The sheathing on the Rostone House began to fail approximately ten years after it was installed; the house was reclad with Permasone in 1950.
The house was originally built on a concrete slab foundation The exterior of the house was entirely sheathed in rostone. When the house was moved to Beverly Shores, it was set on a concrete-block basement foundation. A closet next to the entrance hall was opened up and a staircase leading to the basement was added. The entrance gate and roof-deck stair were removed. On July 3, 1950, Paul's Insulation Company from La Porte, IN covered the rostone sheathing with Permastone, a product manufactured in Columbus, Ohio, on all exterior surfaces except the parapet walls which were covered in permasyte for a cost of $6900. The only remaining rostone on the exterior of the house surrounds the front entranceway. lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/in/in0300/in0353/data/in0353d...
Century of Progress Homes
“Century of Progress” homes at the 1933-1934 Chicago World’s Fair showcased innovative building materials and designs. In 1935, developer Robert Bartlett moved five of these houses across the lake to Beverly Shores by barge. The houses were rolled off the barge on telephone poles onto a heavy timber crib built out into the lake. There were a series of three steps used to raise the house to the level of Lake Front Drive. On June 30, 1986, the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Beverly Shores—Century of Progress Architectural District, a historic district. The houses have been restored and all are open one day a year for public tours. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_of_Progress_Architectural_D...
Before the move, Robert Bartlett expressed plans "to reconstruct and landscape them for sale exactly as they were on the Fair grounds." According to a contemporary article, Bartlett appears to have specific landscaping in mind; "The homes will be reconstructed along Lake Front Drive in Beverly Shores in a permanent location, especially landscaped to suit each particular type of architecture. " Despite these claims, Bartlett neither replicated the exact fair siting nor did he appear to have created a landscaping scheme adapted to each house. By grouping the five houses together, however, he managed to recreate a sense of an "exhibition group" at Beverly Shores. lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/in/in0300/in0358/data/in0358d...
Beverly Shores, Indiana 2016 - Century of Progress
Rostone House, part of the Century of Progress group of homes, is located next to the Florida Tropical House, directly on the lake. It is in the process of restoration.
The Wieboldt-Rostone House is located on the north side of Lake Front Drive, east of Dunbar Avenue. This home was framed in steel and clad in an experimental material called Rostone. Rostone was composed of shale, limestone, and alkali. Its creators advertised that the material could be produced in a variety of colors and forms, including slabs and panels, to exact dimensions. Rostone was not as durable as originally predicted. The material had severely deteriorated by 1950. The residents repaired it by covering the Rostone with another synthetic material, a concrete stucco called Perma-stone. Visitors can still see remnants of the original Rostone surrounding the front door exterior, in the interior entrance area, and around the living room fireplace. www.nps.gov/indu/historyculture/wieboldt-rostone-house.htm
Rostone was introduced as a building material at the 1933-34 Century of Progress Exposition. It is a synthetic product composed of shale, alkaline earths, and limestone quarry waste. It was produced in a variety of colors and in slabs, panels and other forms to exact dimensions. Its creators advertised that the new synthetic stone had properties resembling limestone. The advantages to rostone over a natural stone were that it could be produced in any dimension and that could be manufactured in several colors. The material, however, turned out to be much less durable than initial tests indicated. The sheathing on the Rostone House began to fail approximately ten years after it was installed; the house was reclad with Permasone in 1950.
The house was originally built on a concrete slab foundation The exterior of the house was entirely sheathed in rostone. When the house was moved to Beverly Shores, it was set on a concrete-block basement foundation. A closet next to the entrance hall was opened up and a staircase leading to the basement was added. The entrance gate and roof-deck stair were removed. On July 3, 1950, Paul's Insulation Company from La Porte, IN covered the rostone sheathing with Permastone, a product manufactured in Columbus, Ohio, on all exterior surfaces except the parapet walls which were covered in permasyte for a cost of $6900. The only remaining rostone on the exterior of the house surrounds the front entranceway. lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/in/in0300/in0353/data/in0353d...
Century of Progress Homes
“Century of Progress” homes at the 1933-1934 Chicago World’s Fair showcased innovative building materials and designs. In 1935, developer Robert Bartlett moved five of these houses across the lake to Beverly Shores by barge. The houses were rolled off the barge on telephone poles onto a heavy timber crib built out into the lake. There were a series of three steps used to raise the house to the level of Lake Front Drive. On June 30, 1986, the district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Beverly Shores—Century of Progress Architectural District, a historic district. The houses have been restored and all are open one day a year for public tours. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_of_Progress_Architectural_D...
Before the move, Robert Bartlett expressed plans "to reconstruct and landscape them for sale exactly as they were on the Fair grounds." According to a contemporary article, Bartlett appears to have specific landscaping in mind; "The homes will be reconstructed along Lake Front Drive in Beverly Shores in a permanent location, especially landscaped to suit each particular type of architecture. " Despite these claims, Bartlett neither replicated the exact fair siting nor did he appear to have created a landscaping scheme adapted to each house. By grouping the five houses together, however, he managed to recreate a sense of an "exhibition group" at Beverly Shores. lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/in/in0300/in0358/data/in0358d...