The excellent Disney blog Stuff from the Park has scans of a 1960s brochure for the Monsanto House of the Future.
The piece explains that, "The erection of the Monsanto 'Plastics Home of the Future' at Disneyland in the summer of 1957 provided a practical demonstration of the almost limitless potential of plastics in structural applications." Much like the article on the future of glass we looked at last week, this piece centers around selling consumers goods which are positioned as "futuristic." Insert reference to The Graduate here.
Some of the "outstanding equipment of advanced design on display in the 'plastics home of the future'' are listed below:
"Atoms for Living Kitchen" featuring micro-wave cooking and ultra-sonic dishwashing.
Telephones with preset and push-button dialing, "hands-free" speakers and transmitters, and viewing screen to see the person who is calling.
Modular bathrooms with lavoratory, tub, walls and floor molded in units.
Foamed-in-place rigid urethane plastic foam for insulation and structural strength and flexible urethane foam for cushioning furniture and rugs.
Climate control center which filters, cools, heats and scents the air in each room independently.
Foam-backed plastic floor covering with controlled resiliency and noise-reducing properties.
"Acrillan" acrylic fiber and Chemsbrand nylon for upholstery, draperies and carpeting.
See also:
Monsanto House of the Future (1957-1967)
Monsanto House of the Future (1957)
