Midcentury solar homes celebrated in House of Tomorrow show in Illinois

‘Houses of Tomorrow: Solar Homes from Keck to Today’ opens at the Elmhurst Art Museum in Elmhurst, Illinois, celebrating early solar innovations of the 20th century 

By
last updated
in News
House of Tomorrow, credit Collection of Steven R. Shook
House of Tomorrow. Image: Collection of Steven R. Shook
(Image credit: Steven R. Shook)

‘Houses of Tomorrow: Solar Homes from Keck to Today’, a new exhibit at the Elmhurst Art Museum in Elmhurst, Illinois, celebrates the House of Tomorrow and its solar innovations as a precursor to technologies and materials still in use today. The project, designed by George Fred Keck for the 1933 Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago, was decades ahead of its time. As well as featuring new-fangled gadgets, such as a dishwasher and an ‘iceless’ refrigerator, the House of Tomorrow also represented an early manifestation of harnessing solar energy.

The Elmhurst exhibit features a dedicated gallery illustrating a range of midcentury solar homes designed by brothers George Fred Keck and William Keck, along with a newly commissioned art project centred on glass and light by Jan Tichy, associate professor of Photography, Art & Technology Studies at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. The show concludes with winning designs from a 2021 passive solar competition by Passive House Institute US (PHIUS).

‘Houses of Tomorrow: Solar Homes from Keck to Today’

April 7 program. Keck and House of Tomorrow, one of the earliest solar homes. Image courtesy of Robert Boyce

Keck’s House of Tomorrow in construction. Photography: image courtesy of Robert Boyce

(Image credit: Robert Boyc)

McCormick House – the midcentury residence that is part of the Elmhurst museum’s campus – features a related exhibit by Tichy entitled ‘Reflectance’, with a centrepiece solar light space modulator constructed with dishwasher racks and reflected glass from the House of Tomorrow. Tichy’s kinetic piece harnesses solar power to reanimate its mundane domestic objects while simultaneously reflecting light around the entire room. This part of the show also includes a collection of nearly 30 pieces located throughout the house, including artifacts from the House of Tomorrow and photographs featuring poetry by Isabella Gardner – who, with her husband Robert McCormick, was the first resident of the McCormick House.  

‘(I wanted to) make the connection between these larger themes of solar architecture to the specific family that inhabited this space as artists; that reflected on what was happening around them and to them and all the way back to House of Tomorrow,’ said Tichy.

The exhibition launch also marks a year-long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Elmhurst Art Museum. Several related events are planned, including lectures about the House of Tomorrow, family-friendly hands-on activities, a panel discussion on sustainable architecture and docent-led tours of McCormick House. All exhibits run through 29 May 2022.

Hedrich Blessing “House of Tomorrow, Chicago, 1933, Fred Keck” Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection

Hedrich Blessing ‘House of Tomorrow, Chicago, 1933, Fred Keck’. Photography: Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection

(Image credit: Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection)

Hedrich Blessing, House of Tomorrow Living Room, 1933. Courtesy of Chicago History Museum, i151309_pm

Hedrich Blessing, ‘House of Tomorrow Living Room’, 1933. Photography: Courtesy of Chicago History Museum

(Image credit: Chicago History Museum)

Hedrich Blessing “Greens Ready Built Model, 1945, Fred Keck” Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection

Hedrich Blessing ‘Greens Ready Built Model, 1945, Fred Keck’. Photography: Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection

(Image credit: Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection)

Hedrich Blessing “Howard Sloan House I, Fred and William Keck, 1940” Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection

Hedrich Blessing ‘Howard Sloan House I, Fred and William Keck, 1940’. Photography: Courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection

(Image credit: Chicago History Museum, Hedrich Blessing Collection)

Program, McCormick House 70th Anniversary Tour, Courtesy of Hedrich Blessing Archive, Chicago Historical Society

McCormick House 70th Anniversary tour. Photography: courtesy of Hedrich Blessing Archive, Chicago Historical Society

(Image credit: Hedrich Blessing Archive, Chicago Historical Society)

INFORMATION

elmhurstartmuseum.org

Audrey Henderson
Author

Audrey Henderson is an independent journalist, writer and researcher based in the greater Chicago area with advanced degrees in sociology and law from Northwestern University. She specializes in sustainability in the built environment, culture and arts, policy, and related topics. In her reporting for publications like Next City, Canary Media and Belt Magazine, Audrey has focused her coverage on environmental justice and equity. Along with her contributions for Wallpaper*, Audrey’s writing has also been featured in Chicago Architect magazine,, the Chicago Reader, GreenBiz, Transitions Abroad, and other consumer and trade publications.