The 1933 house billed as never needing repairs

In 1933, Rostone, Inc. and the Indiana Bridge Company showcased the Wieboldt-Rostone House at the Century of Progress. The house was framed in steel and clad in an artificial stone called Rostone, a synthetic product composed of limestone quarry waste, shale, and alkali. Billed as never needing repairs, the home was designed to showcase the versatility of this new building material, which could be produced in various colors and any dimension.

Indiana architect Walter Scholer designed the structure. Most design and fabrication work was completed at a factory, where precast panels were fabricated to specific sizes. Each panel featured pre-set nuts that allowed them to be bolted onto the steel frame. However, the Rostone material was much less durable than initial tests indicated. The sheathing on the house began to fail approximately ten years after installation, and the house was reclad with Permastone in 1950.

Construction of the house faced early hurdles when the initial interior decorators, Thomas E. Smith and B.R. Graham, were cancelled because they failed to provide a design plan. Tobey Furniture Co. took over the decoration on June 24, 1933. During this time, the upstairs room was originally designed as a bedroom but was exhibited as a solarium to meet time constraints.

In 1934, sixteen buildings, including the Rostone House, were moved to the lakefront of Beverly Shores by barge and truck. Restoration efforts on the Wieboldt-Rostone House began in 1997, with the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana searching for lessees to restore the building.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons