Century of Progress Home Tour 2024

September 28, 2024

8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT (Departure times vary.)
Indiana Dunes Visitors Center, 1215 N State Road 49, Porter, IN 46304

NOTE: Tour tickets will be released for sale on August 5, 8 a.m. CDT (9 a.m. EDT). The tour location is in the Central time zone. All ticket times will be shown in Central time.

The 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago—called the Century of Progress—offered millions of people in the depths of the Great Depression a hopeful vision that highlighted futuristic changes on the horizon. Developer Robert Bartlett brought a dozen buildings from the fair to Indiana, including five from the Homes and Industrial Arts housing exhibit that make up the Century of Progress Historic District. The buildings were moved by barge and truck to Beverly Shores, a resort community Bartlett was developing on the Indiana shore of Lake Michigan. You can visit the cluster of five landmarks on the annual Century of Progress home tour on September 28, sponsored by Indiana Landmarks in partnership with the National Park Service.

The tour admits you to the first floor of four sites: Cypress, Florida Tropical, Armco-Ferro, and Rostone houses. The House of Tomorrow, currently undergoing restoration, will be viewed from the exterior. As you can tell by their names, the houses at the fair promoted products for residential living—Florida’s beachy appeal, and artificial stone and cypress wood as building materials.

Most of the Century of Progress homes looked wildly modern in 1933, so ahead of their time that they remain modern looking today. The Cypress House, honoring its material, looks like a rustic log cabin, albeit with modern amenities. To save the structures, Indiana Landmarks leased them from the National Park Service, then subleased four to people who have restored them in exchange for long-term leases. Restoration of the House of Tomorrow, declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, began in April 2024. An architecture and engineering team assembled by Indiana Landmarks, working with the National Trust and Indiana Dunes National Park, is in the process of returning the landmark to its 1933 appearance.

TICKETS

NOTE: Tour tickets will be released for sale on August 5, 8 a.m. CDT (9 a.m. EDT). The tour location is in the Central time zone. All ticket times will be shown in Central time.

Tickets cost $35/general public, $30/member of Indiana Landmarks. For an additional $15, purchase a commemorative tour t-shirt depicting the Florida Tropical house; pre-purchased t-shirts will be available at check-in.

The tour lasts a little over two hours and is guided by park rangers and volunteers who will provide histories and architectural overviews at each property.

Because there is no parking available in the historic district, your timed entry ticket includes transportation via school bus from the Indiana Dunes National Park Visitor Center, 1215 North State Road 49, Porter, IN, 46304 to Century of Progress district. The tour homes are clustered together on either side of Lake Front Drive within easy walking distance of one another. All guests are required to check in at the Visitor Center to receive a wrist band needed for admittance the tour sites. To maintain safety and the best experience for ticketholders, no walk-up sales will be available the day of the event.

Touring the historic homes requires walking and climbing stairs. If you have questions prior to the tour regarding accessibility, please call Indiana Landmarks’ Northern Regional Office, 574-232-4534 x 1 (questions only).

Entrance fees to Indiana Dunes National Park are waived for ticketholders for the length of the tour. If you decide to recreate in the national park outside of your tour time, the entrance fee will be required. Entrance passes can be purchased for $25 from the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, the Paul H. Douglas Center, or online at recreation.gov.