Smashing Down Skyscrapers for Progress
by BENNETT LINCOLN
Every day, wreckers in New York and other big cities crash down millions of dollars worth of skyscrapers which are still sound in construction and capable of many years of service. Why this seeming waste? Factors which pronounce death sentences on buildings are set forth in this article.
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Give a Saucy Pirate Party
Treasure-Map Invitations
There’s hardly a lad whose heart doesn’t beat fast at the very thought of pirates and buried treasure. So for the invitation to this party, for boys of 7 years or more, cut a 12″ x 4″ piece of yellow construction or wrapping paper. Fold it in half.
On the outside of the invitation, write the young host’s name and address, etc.: “Captain Bob Foster’s Birthday Party, 120 Valley Avenue, Blue Mountain, California, Friday, October 14th, 1955.”
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The liberated house
— no hookups — it rolls anywhere and lives off the sun and earth An ingenious structure integrates many energy-conserving technologies
By EVERETT H. ORTNER
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR AND KRISTEN PETERSON Was this the American home of the future—this cross between a submarine and a World War II Quonset hut, this metal half-sausage afloat on a sea of mud?
Probably not. My hosts, its designer-builders, Ted Bakewell III and Michael E. Jantzen, had other objectives in mind for their Autonomous Dwelling Vehicle—even though it may well unite more house-of-the-future conservation concepts, technologies, and materials that have ever been brought together in one structure. Their goal was to build a trailerable structure that would:
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Pyramid Apartment House
EVERY tenant has an outside apart ment in a pyramid-shaped house de signed by Edwin A. Koch, New York architect. Some time ago, Koch planned a bank of apartments for a steeply sloping hillside. Then the bold idea occurred to him of joining four of the dwellings, back to back in a pattern like a cross, with the result shown above. Read the rest of this entry »
Settee Resembles Old Wagon
RESEMBLING a covered wagon of early pioneering days in appearance, a novel lawn settee drew much attention at a recent home-furnishing show in Chicago, Ill . A wooden chassis mounted on springs attached to wooden axles and wheels serves to hold a comfortable mattress and cushions, while a sun shade is provided in the form of the wagon’s canvas roof. A short wooden “tongue” attached to the front axle enables the settee to be towed.
Housekeeping Tools To Minimize Labor
A rubber cap replaces the metal one taken from a bottle of ginger ale or other refreshment and, being air-tight, preserves what is left of the contents for future use. The deep groove lets the core go inside the bottle when you give it a twist, and allows the rim of the cap to encircle the outside of the top of the bottle.
The three aluminum kettles shown here fit inside one another so that a different dish may be cooked in each, although only one burner of a stove is required. The upper kettles may be used for steaming or boiling. Handles are insulated and do not get hot.
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Church Cut In Half To Make Way For New Street
ONE of the most unusual engineering feats in recent years was the moving of a 4,000,000-pound Detroit church steeple to make way for a wider street. The 180-foot stone tower was moved by seven men while hundreds of breathless spectators looked on. Working under the direction of Carl F. Henrichsen and Carl A. Johnson, veteran building movers, the men first cut out a 27-foot section of the church so that the front could be moved back the same amount. Read the rest of this entry »
Contractors Build Freak Test House
TO DETERMINE the feasibility and artistic effect of various materials for a group of new college buildings, a test building using many different materials was erected at Principia College, Elsah, Ill From the results gleaned from the novel experiment, the combination and types of material to be used in the construction of the main buildings was determined.
The small test building was constructed of stone, brick, cast concrete, and timber in brick and concrete. One side of the roof was made of concrete covered with slate, while the opposite side was plain concrete.
Oven Toaster
Old-fashioned, oven-flavored, buttered toast for breakfast takes only two minutes with this new Munsey toaster that also bakes frozen waffles, warms coffee cake, toasts cheese sandwiches and browns rolls. Made of lightweight aluminum with electric coils as its heating element, the toaster comes with a pull-out tray on which you can toast four slices of bread at once. It’s fine for English muffins and chunky Italian bread and you have no problem putting in or taking out such items as you often do with pop-up toasters.
Bedroom on Stilts 10 Degrees Cooler Than on the Ground
WHEN A. Winters, a Californian, needed a cooler sleeping place he built a bedroom on top of a forty-foot steel tower, up in the air where the breezes are blowing. The room is large enough for a bed, two chairs and a small table. Read the rest of this entry »
WHAT’S NEW For Your Home
A four-page “shopping section” dedicated to modern homemakers
LIGHTWEIGHT LAWN MOWER weighs 19 pounds and cuts to within one inch of walls. Rear rollers spin blades
SELF-WRINGING MOP has a cellulose sponge that folds like a book when sleeve on the handle is pushed. It mops without splatter and wipes dry
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Carries Own Grass 200,000 Miles
WHEN Charles Miller, of Portland, Oregon, found the wanderlust too much for him in spite of his love for the old home, he decided to see the world and carry his home right with him, too. So he built a complete bungalow on the chassis of his car—not even forgetting to put in a nice bit of lawn. Then he started out and since starting he has traveled over 200,000 miles and isn’t through yet. Mr. Miller claims to have the only motorized house and lot in the country. The “lot” consists of a narrow strip of earth and turf.
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