Wilmette World's Fair House Named To 'Most Endangered' List

WILMETTE, IL — The Stran-Steel House, Wilmette's historic "House of Tomorrow," which mysteriously made it up to the North Shore following the 1933 World's Fair and remained hidden in plain sight for decades before it was rediscovered last year when a developer unintentionally purchased it. The developer has offered it to anyone who is willing to move it by this summer.

The home is made of steel and baked iron enamel and was designed for an exhibit at Chicago's 1933 Century of Progress Fair as part of a joint entry with Good Housekeeping. The pre-fabricated Art Deco design was made to be easy to assemble, fireproof and affordable.

The Wilmette House is the sole remaining demonstration home that stood at the 1933 exhibit on Northerly Island. The other was moved to Palos Heights and demolished in the 1990s, according to Landmark Illinois.

The Stran-Steel House was rediscovered last year when it was purchased by home builders who thought they were buying vacant land. Developer MJK Homes has refused to accept an offer to purchase the land and move the historic house to a corner of the lot. It intends to erect two new-construction homes on the site.

The village has approved the subdivision of the lot and will not approve a landmark designation of a property without the consent of the owner, according to the preservation group. Therefore, relocation may be the only way the house can be saved and "time is of the essence," Landmark Illinois said.

The group called for the public to urge the Wilmette Village Board to put a process in place to delay the demolition of historic structure and support efforts to survey historical properties in the village and identify which ones are in need of protection.

The group hopes including Stran-Steel house on its annual list – published since 1975 to focus attention on places threatened by "deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds, or inappropriate development" – will signal to Wilmette village officials they should do more to restrict the owners of historic homes from demolishing them.

MORE: Do You Want To Buy A World's Fair House In Wilmette?

Read more about the home from a brochure by Good Housekeeping, which partnered with Stran Steel on its construction: