Throughout the 1980s, tourists flocked to the Xanadu House, a futuristic home in Kissimmee, Florida. This domestic pleasure dome was made of polyurethane and filled with "friendly computer servants."
In 1983, the Xanadu House in Kissimmee opened to visitors. A previous Xanadu home had opened in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin in 1979. Bob Masters, one of the designers of the Wisconsin home, collaborated with architect Roy Mason to build this curiously shaped abode. A large plastic balloon was sprayed with layers of expanding foam, which would harden and form the shell.
The rooms were run by Commodore computers, which managed everything from spa temperature to home security - a robot voice would warn if trespassers had wandered into your turnip of a home. At its peak, the Kissimmee Xanadu House brought in a 1000 guests a day, and a third Xanadu House was built in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Witness the Xanadu house in all its bulbous, chintzy glory in the below clip.
What ever happened to Xanadu House? It closed in the mid-90s due to dwindling interests in the building technology, became infested with mold over the course of a decade or so, and was torn down in 2005. The Wisconsin and Tennessee properties were also destroyed in the 1990s.
Oh well. At least we'll always have the MENOCU House of the Future from Mr. Show.
[Demolished photo via John Lytle. Interior photo gallery via William Ackel. Brochures via Quasi-Interesting Paraphernalia.]