Futuro House: 1960s UFO-Shaped Prefab Home Listed for Sale

A striking UFO-shaped Futuro house located in Idyllwild, California, has officially hit the real estate market with an asking price of $1.495 million. Originally envisioned by Finnish architect Matti Suuronen in the 1960s, the structure was conceived as a portable ski cabin that could easily be transported by helicopter to remote natural landscapes.

Featuring an elliptical yellow fiberglass shell, circular windows, and an aircraft-style entryway, the dwelling captures an era when space exploration and synthetic materials inspired radical architectural ideas. Known specifically as the Donaldson Futuro, the property is currently owned by historic preservationist and former Obama administration appointee Milford Wayne Donaldson alongside his wife, Laurie Donaldson.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

Spanning a 0.23-hectare plot in the San Jacinto Mountains, the Donaldson Futuro measures approximately 8 meters in diameter, 4 meters in height, and provides 73.7 square meters of interior space. Weighing roughly 5,398 kg, the elevated structure rests securely on just four concrete piers, minimizing the need for heavy foundational groundwork.

Despite the high hopes for industrial prefab housing during that period, the Futuro struggled to achieve mass acceptance. Unconventional aesthetics, plastic construction materials, strict zoning regulations, and the 1973 oil crisis—which drove up synthetic production costs—ultimately limited manufacturing to fewer than 100 units globally.