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Preserving Bucky's Dome

By Scott Fitzgerald, The Southern

Thursday, May 15, 2008 10:09 PM CDT

CARBONDALE - It's been an ardently slow process to restore a unique structure commonly referred to as Bucky's Dome. The geodesic dome is located in Carbondale's Arbor District just north of the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus.

A few residents are voicing their concerns, however, about seeing no end date in sight for the project in the 400 block of South Forest.

The project is approaching its sixth year since a not-for-profit organization formed to preserve the original dome home of Bucky and Anne Fuller, designed and built to their specifications in 1960 when Fuller arrived here as SIUC's design department's first research professor.

In an e-mail sent to the Arbor District's president, Sandy Litecky, resident Greg Wendt's concerns are said to parallel those of many people in the neighborhood.

"I was wondering if there is any projected timeline on the repair of the dome," Wendt wrote, noting that a plastic covering placed over the dome in 2001 to prevent further deterioration has become "a significant eyesore."

"At what point will it be determined that the dome can be restored, or will fundraising efforts continue with no end date in sight?" Wendt writes in his e-mail.

A 12-member board of directors, including many Arbor District residents, presides over the not-for-profit organization that owns the dome.

They work piece-by-piece to cut costs in the restoration effort and plans ways to raise money for a project that is estimated to cost $350,000.

"Our only restriction on time is money," said board member Cornelius Crane.

The board is striving to qualify the dome as a National Historic Landmark. Officials from the federal agency conducted an inspection review of the structure in 2005 and "gave us thumbs up," Crane said.

One of the stipulations to qualify as a national landmark, however, is that the structure must be at least 50 years old. The dome is currently 48 years old, Crane said.

During this waiting stage, the Bucky Dome has been designated as "The R. Buckminster and Anne Hewlett Fuller Dome Home Historic Landmark District" that protects it from any condemnation action or petition. In February 2006, the dome site was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

With a national landmark district status, more grant money could be procured to have the fully restored dome serve as a community meeting place, reception area and hopefully a bed and breakfast, Crane said.

The board has retained White & Borgononi Architects of Carbondale to help the board meet stringent Department of Interior standards for historic preservation.

With the needed money in hand, a plan of action to meet those standards would be to dissemble the dome in three sections, evaluate what materials could be saved and reassemble it, Crane said.

Since the local non-profit group organized six years ago, a major portion of the money it has gathered has gone toward annual property tax, maintenance and a Web site at a total cost of approximately $15,000 per year.

About $25,000 has been raised exclusively for the $350,000 project, Cornelius said.

Meanwhile board members and project supporters continue working piecemeal to save money and temper neighborhood skepticism and waning patience toward the project.

Letters have been sent to Arbor District residents explaining that another sheet of plastic covering will utilized to replace what blew off because of recent storms. And a tree-stump removal project is soon to give way to installation of Fuller-designed perimeter fences.

"We really feel part of the neighborhood. Preservation means saving as much of the original as we can. Bucky's energy radiated out. And it's radiated out into this structure," Cornelius said.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com

351-5076