Home Delivery – Fabricating the Modern Dwelling at MoMA

Home by: Lustron Corporation, Image via: EscapetoNewYork

Home Delivery – Fabricating the Modern Dwelling – MoMA; a survey of the prefabricated home and a building project on the Museum’s vacant west lot.

Here’s an exhibition worth checking out if for no other reason than it gives viewers an opportunity to test their skills at guessing which models have been realized and which weren’t, (maquettes make up a sizable portion of the exhibition on the sixth floor of the museum). For the record I’m horrible at the game — a striking number of these buildings I was sure would never be made now exist in Japan. The high point of Home Delivery (or low point depending on how you view it), easily goes to Lustron Corporation’s snap-it-together-yourself metal abode. It’s not hard to see why the home wasn’t a huge success; aside from being a giant rust friendly lightning conductor, steel walls offer none of the comforts an owner might want. And yet, the bathrooms in this place seem to have found happy homes in public places around the country. I guess there’s a use for everything.

For what it’s worth, the portion of the exhibition held in an empty lot adjacent to the building didn’t hold interest very well due to the long wait. Most of the spaces are quite small, so there just isn’t enough pay off for the time a viewer has to spend in line.

Related:

New York Sun: Playing House
New York Magazine: Find Fab in PreFab
New York Times: Instant Houses Then and Now
MoMA’s website for the exhibition: Amongst the worst they’ve ever launched. It’s impossible to navigate!

Editors note: Due to the fact that the last two weeks of summer at ridiculously slow and I have the odd fortune of having tons of work to do, posting here will be slower than usual.