Armco-Ferro House at Indiana Dunes National Park

Armco-Ferro House, Beverly Shores, taken in 1994 by Jack Boucher, Photographer, Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service. House designed by Cleveland architect Robert Smith Jr.

The Armco-Ferro House overlooks Lake Michigan in the town of Beverly Shores and is the only remaining house from the world's fair that met the Fair Committee's design criteria; a house that could be mass-produced and was affordable for the average American family. This seemingly frameless house boasts a revolutionary construction system: corrugated steel panels that are bolted together. This system resembles a typical cardboard box; it could be placed on its bottom, side, or top without damaging the structure. The corrugated panels are clad with porcelain-enameled steel panels produced by the Ferro Enamel Corporation. This construction system later provided the inspiration for the post World War II prefabricated housing developed by the Lustron Corporation. Several Lustron houses can still be seen in the town of Beverly Shores.

 

Armco-Ferro House kitchen, taken in 1994 by Jack Boucher, Photographer, Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service.