The Flintstone House

Image courtesy of Laura Werde Yahoo Contributing Network

Image courtesy of Time-Inc.

A familiar sight since I was a child – For over 35 years the “Flintstone House” aka the “Mushroom House," has been a daily landmark for many Bay Area residents driving on 280. When I was a kid, I would get so excited knowing that the Flintstone House was coming up. Seeing the house was always such an exciting part of our journey. At one time it was white, then a yellow color, now it’s burnt orange, reminiscent of the mid 1970’s, when the home was built. The South brother’s built the home; they are credited for coming up with the “spray in place” method for Monolithic Dome structures. The materials used to construct the dome were, concrete, rebar, wire mesh, and putty formed over an aeronautical balloon to get the domed shape; the concept of using the balloon to create the dome shape was developed by architect, William Nicholson. To read the entire article click here