Buckminster Fuller only designed about a dozen of domed structures to begin with, and many have either been torn down in lieu of new construction or simply left to rot. But not the dome at Materials Park in Ohio, it just received a $US7 million facelift and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
Designed in conjunction with noted architect John Terence Kelly and completed in 1959, the open-air structure at Materials Park — roughly 40km east of Cleveland — was reportedly one of Fuller’s favourites.
With the completion of the work to the structure and surrounding park area, ASM International — a materials research clearinghouse — is now eligible for a $US2.5 million tax credit to offset the $US7 million renovation. The next big question to answer is why a world-famous designer and mathematician like Fuller would put something like this out in the sticks of Ohio.
[Architizer via 2Modern]