A spaceship has landed just off Route 1 near the Eagle Crest Aerodrome and Hudson Field in Milton! At least it looks like a spaceship. But this isn’t your average flying saucer; it’s actually a Futuro house, with a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining room and remote-controlled hatch that opens a Star Trek-style stairway that descends to the ground.
Futuro houses were the brainchild of Finnish architect Matti Suuronen. In 1968, he envisioned the portable plastic 26-foot-diameter structures as being just the thing for young adults with money to spare and hobbies to pursue — to locate near ski areas, hiking spots and beaches. With prices starting at just $16,000, it could become the hottest thing in real estate.
Up stepped Joe Hudson, who became the Delmarva sales rep and set up a Futuro showplace on the land where the Coastal Club development is now. (The Hudson family still owns the Milton Futuro house, and it’s on private property, so please be respectful.)
The space-age-style houses never caught on and only about 100 were ever made. Fortunately, we have one here, even though it’s unoccupied at the moment. We can guess what it was like to live in one from Rich Garrett, who occupied it as recently as 2016. He reported that it was a little short on closet space and that it sounded like “Tupperware in a dishwasher” when it rained. On the upside, the key was labeled “Space Ship.” How cool is that?
