This edition’s Mystery Photo looks like a well-kept modern area. Now hunker down and figure out where these picture clues lead you. Send in your thoughts to elliott@brack.net and be sure to include your hometown.
Several readers quickly recognized last edition’s Mystery Photo. First in was Julie Duke of Norcross, saying: “This house is beachfront on Sullivan’s Island, S.C. It is designed to minimize hurricane damage. We lovingly refer to it as the Flintstone House in my family! I am not sure if it was built before Hugo, but has been there since the 90s.”
Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill also recognized it: “This has got to be that dome house on Sullivan’s Island in S.C. It’s supposedly built to withstand big storms, but it is not at all my cup of tea.”
Bob Foreman of Grayson didn’t get the location: “This Dome House may be located near Pensacola, Fla. The dome shape deflects strong winds and the concrete shell protects the interior from flying debris. The windows are built to withstand impact or have shutters which can be closed when a storm is expected. Most are built up so the main living space is above a storm surge level and have an unoccupied ground level which usually serves as the garage and utility space. They are also great for tornados.”
Ruthy Lachman Paul adds: “The Monolithic Dome is energy efficient because of the inherently minimal surface area relative to the volume of the structure. Basically, there is less surface area to transfer heat. In fact, Monolithic Domes meet FEMA standards.”
George Graf of Palmyra, Va. says: “This is the Eye of the Storm” dome home, Sullivan’s Island, S.C. On a sunny morning in 1991, George Paul, designer and builder of dome structures, built a permanent house for his parents, Huiet and Helen Paul, who lost their original summer home on that site to Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Since it’s in a hurricane-prone area, Paul designed the Eye’s ground level with eight huge openings — five of which are large enough to drive through. In bad weather, particularly a hurricane, storm surge rushes through the openings under the house, often leaving debris in its wake but the main structure unharmed. Pilings sunk into the crust or solid part of the substrate also contribute sturdiness.”
Lou Camerio of Lilburn didn’t get the location right, but wrote: “Looks a lot like the Myatt house on a golf course near Marietta. Professor Myatt was a structural engineer and taught at Southern Tech, now part of Kennesaw State Univ. He wanted something different and he wanted to show what could be accomplished with concrete shell construction, so he built this structure. It has been 45 years since I was in his home.”
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